Bobby McFerrin

Madison McFerrin is a singer, songwriter, and producer from New York. She’s sung with legends like Aretha Franklin, George Clinton, and De La Soul & The Roots. Madison’s first EP came out in 2016, and last week, she released her debut album, I Hope You Can Forgive Me. In the years between the EP and the album, Madison started producing her own music. It wasn’t really her plan, but something that developed over the course of the pandemic. For this episode, I talked to Madison about a song from her album called “Run." It was inspired by the discovery that she’s the descendant of a woman who escaped slavery, and features guest vocals from Madison’s father, Grammy-winner Bobby McFerrin. For more, visit songexploder.net/madison-mcferrin.

In 1988, Bobby McFerrin recorded a song a cappella with a simple message: not to worry, and just enjoy life. That song, aptly titled “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” topped the charts and become one of the most well known one-hit wonders of all time. In doing so, it also propelled McFerrin into the spotlight, winning him three Grammy awards and an eternal place in pop culture. His career, though, is more than just the Big Mouth Billy Bass: a deep dive reveals an incredible career in jazz, folk, and classical music as well as a remarkable command of his own voice. This episode of Switched on Pop, we explore the history behind "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and the ensuing legacy of Bobby McFerrin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Three different artists! Three different covers! Of songs by one beloved band!On the second edition of "Strong Covers," we're digging into covers of three Beatles classics: Earth, Wind & Fire's maximalist remake of "Gotta Get You Into My Life,"  Ray Charles' saucy reimagining of "Eleanor Rigby," and Bobby McFerrin's delicate recitation of "Blackbird." Come for the English-accented rhyme schemes, stay for the impeccable voice leading.Covered (lol) on this episode:"Gotta Get You Into My Life" by Paul McCartney/Lennon-McCartney, as covered by Earth, Wind & Fire in 1978"Eleanor Rigby" by Paul McCartney/Lennon-McCartney, as covered by Ray Charles in 1968"Blackbird" by Paul McCartney/Lennon-McCartney, as covered by Bobby McFerrin on The Voice, 1984OUTRO SOLOIST: Sam HowardThis episode's outro soloist is bassist Sam Howard. Sam performs and tours with all kinds of artists, from the Wailin' Jennys to Molly Tuttle. After his solo on the bridge, he played all the way through the song's outro, so keep an ear out for his playing mixed under the horns on the way out. You can find out what Sam's up to on his website, https://samhowardmusic.com.--------------------FEBRUARY 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONSDaniel Hannon-Barry – RR Prince M. Levy-Benitez – Elliot Rosen – Ashley Hoag – Mark and Michelle – Kelsair – Rob Bosworth – Kyle Cooke – Donald Mackie – Melissa Osborne – Christopher Miller – Tim Byrne – Jamie White – Christopher McConnell – Joshua Jarvis – Niko – Joe Laska – Laurie Acreman – Ken Hirsh – Jez – Melanie Andrich – Jenness Gardner – Simon Cammell – Guinevere Boostrom – Narelle Horn – Bill Rosinger – Erin – Aidan Coughlan – Jeanneret Manning Family Four – Doug Paton – Dave Sharpe – Sami Samhuri – AccessViolation – Ryan Torvik – Merlin Mann – Glenn – Jim Chokey – Andre Bremer – Mark Schechter – Dave FloreyFEBRUARY 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONSPortland Eye Care – Adam Ray – Anupama Raghavan – Demetri Detsaridis – Carrie Schneider – Alenka Grealish – Anne Gerry – Richard Sneddon – David Judson – Julian Roleff – Melissa Gallardo – Janice Berry – Doreen Carlson – Mtwolf – David McDarby – Abigail Duffield – Rapha David – Wendy Gilchrist – Lisa Turner – Paul Wayper – Miles Forman – Dennis M. Edwards – Jeffrey Ferris – Bruno Gaeta – Kenneth Jungben – Adam Stofsky – Zak Remer – Rishi Sahay – Jason Reitman – Greg Burgess – Ailie Fraser – Simon Prieto – Paul McGreal – Karen Arnold – Natalie Mistilis – Josh Singer – Phino DeLeon – Schloss Edward J., MD – Amy Lynn Thornsen – Adam W – Kelli Brockington – Stephen Rawlings – Ben Machta – Victoria Yu – Kevin Rivers – Brad Clark – Christopher – Michael J. Cunningham – Kari Kirk – Mark Boggs – Mino Capossela – Steve Paquin – Mary Schoenmaker – Sarah – David Joske – Emma Sklar – Bernard Khoo – David Blackman – Robert Heuer – Matthew Golden – Brian Meldrum – David Noah – Geraldine Butler – Richard Cambier – Madeleine Mader – Timothy Dougherty – Jason Pratt – Caroline Miller – Abbie Berg – Sam Norton – Nicole Schleicher – Doug Belew – Dermot Crowley – Achint Srivastava – Ryan Rairigh – Michael Berman – Olivia Bishop – John Gisselquist – Elaine Martin – Kouroth – Bonnie Prinsen – Sharon Tree – Belinda McGrath-Steer – Liz Seger – Eoin de Burca – Kevin Potter – M. Shane Borders – Pete Simm – Susan Plein – Dallas Hockley – Jana J – Jason Gerry – Nathan Gouwens – Will Dwyer – Alethea Lee – Lauren Reay – Eric Prestemon – Cookies250 – Damian Brady – Angela Livingstone – Jeffy Thanadros – David Friedman – Phillip Dalton – Sarah Sulan – Diane Hughes – Kenneth Tiong – Jo Sutherland – Michael Casner – Michael York – Barb Courtney – Derek Bender – Jen Small – Lowell Meyer – Etele Illes – Stephen Tsoneff – Lorenz Schwarz – Wen – Jack Sjogren – Geoff Golden – Robyn Fraser – Pascal Rueger – Randy Souza – JC – Clare Holberton – Diane Turner – Tom Coleman – Tijs Soete – Mark Perry – Dhu Wik – Mel – Eric Helm – Jake Roberts – Bill Fuller – Steven Maron – Michael Flaherty – Jarrod Schindler – Zoe Little – Caro Field – Michael Bochner – Duncan – Naomi Watson – David Cushman – Alexander – Chris K – Gavin Doig – Sam Fenn – Tanner Morton – AJ Schuster – Jennifer Bush – David Stroud – Amanda Furlotti – Andrew Baker – Matt Gaskell – Jules Bailey – Eero Wahlstedt – Andrew Fair – Bill Thornton – Brian Amoebas – Brett Douville – Jeffrey Olson – Matt Betzel – Mueller – Nate from Kalamazoo – Melanie Stivers – Richard Toller – Alexander Polson – Earl Lozada – Jon O’Keefe – Justin McElroy – Arjun Sharma – James Johnson – Andrew Lee – Kevin Morrell – Kevin Pennyfeather – Nicholas Schechter – Emily Williams --------------------💃STRONG SONGS LIVE!🕺July 11, 2026 | Portland, ORBuy Tickets Here----LINKS-----💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!Patreon | One-Time Donation🏠 HOMEPAGE👚 MERCH💬 DISCORD SERVER📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram | YouTube | Bluesky🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG:Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music🎨 SHOW ART:Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics