The Langdon Auger Show
January 1st 2026
Featured Artists: Mouth & MacNeal, Marvin Gaye, Led Zeppelin
May The New Year Be Yours
Our first show of 2026 and we tried to play as many uplifting songs as we could. Started off with Mouth & MacNeal and their great song How Do You Do. The lyrics reference past relationship drama, where there was heartbreak and moments that “make me cry”. Despite this, the singer realizes that rekindling the romance is the best solution and decides to start fresh. The playful title, “How Do You Do?” symbolizes the couple reintroducing themselves to one another as they start a new chapter together. Tour of the decades is the premise of the show where we try to cover the decades of the 70’s 80’s hard to really cover it all in 2 hours but we tried. Marvin Gaye was up next with his great hit What’s Going On, The song’s core concept was sparked when Renaldo “Obie” Benson of the Four Tops witnessed horrific police brutality during an anti-war protest in Berkeley, California. He brought the idea to songwriter Al Cleveland and eventually to Marvin Gaye. Gaye heavily reworked the music and lyrics to process the painful realities of his own life. Deeply affected by letters from his brother serving in the Vietnam War and the tragic death of his singing partner Tammi Terrell, Gaye transformed the track from a protest tune into a deeply spiritual prayer. Motown Records CEO Berry Gordy initially refused to release the song, fearing it was too political and wouldn’t sell. In response, Gaye went on a creative strike, refusing to record any new material until the label put out the single in January 1971. It became a massive hit, pushing Gordy to allow Gaye to record the groundbreaking, cohesive concept album of the same name. Up next the classic song by Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven, Lyricist Robert Plant often noted that the words came to him in a sudden, spontaneous burst of creativity. Because of this abstract, almost subconscious writing process, the song resists a single definitive meaning. Instead, it is meant to feel personal and reflective of the listener’s own journey, state of mind, or stage in life. The lyrics present two opposing paths to fulfillment. One is a false, external, and materialistic path represented by the wealthy lady. The other is an internal, intuitive, and spiritual path often associated with “the piper” or “songbirds”. The song urges listeners to trust their intuition and respect the natural world over societal status. That is quite a way to kick off the new year, may it be a wonderful year for each and everyone of you.
Ward welcomes listeners into 2026 with a two-hour tour of songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s, using Rolling Stone magazine’s charts as a guide. He checks in with listeners, names the artists and tracks between songs, and closes with New Year wishes.
About this episode
Ward opens with a New Year greeting and explains that the show will cover the 70s, 80s and 90s using Rolling Stone magazine’s charts. Between songs, he greets listeners, names the tracks and artists, and shares his reactions, including disappointment that he did not have Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi.”
He wraps up the decade tours, apologizes that the planned dance portion did not happen, and thanks listeners for spending the two-hour show with him. He closes by wishing them a consequence-free 2026 and introduces Meat Loaf for the final song.
Full spoken transcript
Transcribed from the recording and lightly edited for readability. Song lyrics and recorded interludes are omitted. Some audio could not be transcribed; those gaps and unclear words are marked in brackets. Timestamps are approximate. The comments reflect the speakers’ own experiences and views.
Full spoken transcript (click to collapse or expand)
00:00:00
[Interlude or untranscribed audio.]
00:02:33
Welcome to 2026, and Happy New Year to everyone who is tuning in. We are going to be doing a little bit of a tour through the decades. We just heard Mouth & MacNeal with “How Do You Do?” How was your last night, and how was the partying and welcoming in this new year? I hope it was a good time for you. We are here for a couple of hours. We are going to do a little tour of the decade, thanks to Rolling Stone magazine, and we are going to just play some songs. Unfortunately, we only have a couple of hours, so we are only going to do the 70s, 80s and 90s. I hope you enjoy the selection we have coming up for you.
Any comments, of course, there is a live chat down below on the website. If you want to say hi or Happy New Year, or just tell me to shut the hell up, whatever you desire, that is where you do it. Go on down there, make a username and save it so we know who you are. Let us welcome in 2026. Hopefully you enjoy the program and the playlist we have set up for you.
00:04:14
We’re going to get it all going with a little Marvin Gaye.
00:04:42
[Interlude or untranscribed audio.]
00:22:59
Great song there. That is, of course, Fleetwood Mac and “Dreams.” We had Neil Young in before that with “Heart of Gold,” Led Zeppelin with “Stairway to Heaven,” and we started with Marvin Gaye and “What’s Going On.” We’re going through the decades, the 70s, 80s and 90s, and the big songs on the Rolling Stone magazine charts. I hope you’re enjoying it so far. We’ve got lots of good stuff coming up. We’re working on the 70s right now, so thanks for tuning in.
We’d like to say hi to GP, all the way out in New Brunswick. Hi out there, and thanks for tuning in. I think Westlock might be tuning in too, visiting GP, but I can’t assume so. We’re doing the 70s now, so let’s get back to it. This lady was huge in the late 60s and early 70s, with great tunes like “Big Yellow Taxi” and so on. Here’s one.
00:23:55
[Recorded interlude omitted.]
00:37:25
Great song there, of course, by the Guess Who: “American Woman.” Before that, Stevie Wonder with a little “Superstition,” and Joni Mitchell with “Both Sides Now.” I hope you enjoyed our tour of the 70s. According to Rolling Stone magazine, there are so many other songs I could have played. The 70s were truly amazing to me, but going by Rolling Stone makes it a little easier. I didn’t have “Big Yellow Taxi,” which was disappointing. Now I’m obsessed with finding Joni Mitchell’s version. I do have the Amy Grant version, but it’s not quite the same thing.
As we head into the 80s, the next two artists are huge. It seemed like every week one or the other had a new song out. Let’s get into our tour of the 80s.
00:40:00
[Recorded interlude omitted.]
00:56:14
And, of course, that is Rush and “Tom Sawyer.” That is the number two ranked song by a Canadian artist of the 80s. That is, of course, “Tom Sawyer.” Before that, Prince and the Revolution with “Purple Rain,” starting off with Michael Jackson, of course, with “Billie Jean,” who is the number one artist right around there. I mean, there’s [unclear], there’s Michael Jackson, there’s obviously Prince and Madonna in there as well, right? But they outdid one other band, outdid Madonna, believe it or not. It was strange because, but then I look at the album and I go, okay, that’s why. So let’s get to that one. Bet you know who it is. Do you think you do? You guys have been doing really good with your guessing so far. But it definitely outsold Madonna, believe it or not, in the 80s. Here it is.
00:57:08
[Recorded interlude omitted.]
01:16:55
Time you heard that song, that’s Guns N’ Roses, of course, and “Sweet Child o’ Mine.” What a monster album that was when it came out. It dominated the airwaves forever. In before that, of course, Canada’s number one of the 80s, Brian Adams and “Summer of ’69,” Madonna with “Like a Prayer,” and U2 started off with the massive album “The Joshua Tree,” released in 1987. That’s kind of where there may be a little discrepancy about who actually got more votes, U2 or Madonna. I think Madonna technically should be a little higher up, but because the album was released in 1987, closer to the end of the decade and more familiar, U2 got a bit more votes, in my opinion. I’m not saying that’s what Rolling Stone did, but I think so. That was our 80s tour of the decade. Thank you very much for tuning in, and thanks for all your guesses too. Now we’re going to head into the 90s. A little bit different. The 90s kind of came into that grunge age and changed a little bit of what we’re used to listening to. One of the biggest of all time has got to be this band right here from the 90s: Nirvana.
01:18:10
[Recorded interlude omitted.]
01:31:54
There’s, of course, Pearl Jam and “Jeremy,” one of the big grunge acts of the 90s. The Tragically Hip in there as well with “Ahead by a Century,” and they were the number one ranked Canadian artist of the 90s. Not that that’s unexpected, but also in there, Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and, of course, a massive album. Still to this day, it’s still high-ranking in the top 100 of all time, so definitely in there. We’ve got lots of good tunes still coming our way. We’re still doing our tour of the 90s, and I guess you can’t really do the 90s without this band.
01:41:35
[Recorded interlude omitted.]
01:46:06
From her 1998 album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” That is Lauryn Hill and “Doo-Wop (That Thing).” She was a huge artist of the 90s. She played with the Fugees, probably more popular than her solo work. She also appeared on some Black Eyed Peas albums and Notorious B.I.G. She did backing vocals with Tupac. She was a huge studio for sure, but, you know, appearance, featuring, that kind of stuff. She was huge. There were also Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and Macy Gray. So many great female vocalists of the 90s. We also had Alanis Morissette, Canada’s very own, with “You Oughta Know,” and R.E.M. with “Losing My Religion.”
I hope you enjoyed our tour of the 70s, 80s and 90s, Rolling Stone magazine style. We’ve still got a few minutes of songs left. Apologies to anyone who was hoping for a dance portion of the show. That didn’t happen today, and I apologize. I always hope that you head into a brand new year, just like today is the beginning of 2026. We hope you always head into it consequence free. We’ll be back after this set.
01:47:24
[Interlude or untranscribed audio.]
01:57:26
Oh, just like Bob’s your uncle had said. Such great memories to that song.
01:57:31
Of course, it’s Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show with “Sylvia’s Mother.” Dr. Hook had so many songs, but this is one that sticks with you, stays there like armor. It’s an amazing song. Before that, Canada’s very own Our Lady Peace with “One Man Army,” and Great Big Sea wishing you a 2026 consequence free.
Thank you all for tuning in. It’s time for me to go. Thank you. It’s been a great two hours. I appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed our tour through the 70s, 80s and 90s, Rolling Stone magazine style. We’re going to end with someone I think is an amazing artist who was a little overlooked in those rankings, especially in the 70s, though their name was mentioned before. We’re going to end it with some Meat Loaf.
02:04:34
[Interlude or untranscribed audio.]