Rahsaan “New York” Thomas spent more than two decades incarcerated before being granted a commutation for his rehabilitation efforts behind bars. He shares how his life was shaped by growing up in Brownsville, “the murder capital of New York,” the music that got him through prison life and what he’s working on now. Here are his songs.

1. Rapper's Delight – The Sugarhill Gang
2. Survival of the Fittest – Mobb Deep
3. Do What I Gotta Do – Ralph Tresvant
4. Good Man – India Arie
5. Black – The-Dream
6. Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down – Alicia Keys

Listen to Rahsaan “New York” Thomas’ full playlist on Spotify and also check out the podcast Ear Hustle about life inside prison. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

Longtime journalist and media entrepreneur Kara Swisher has been covering Silicon Valley and the Internet since the days of dial-up. She’s taken nearly all of technology's titans to task with a fearless, no-nonsense style. But in this episode, she shows another side of herself: the “San Francisco liberal lesbian who loves country music and wanted to be in the military.” Here are her songs.

1. The Last Great American Dynasty – Taylor Swift
2. Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) – Doris Day
3. Corner Of The Sky – John Rubinstein
4. Landslide – Fleetwood Mac 
5. Jesus, Take the Wheel – Carrie Underwood 
6. Wahine ‘Ilikea – Dennis Kamakahi
7. Quarter Moon – Cheryl Wheeler

Listen to Kara Swisher’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

Billionaire businessman and investor Mark Cuban is known for making — or crushing — entrepreneurs' dreams on the TV show Shark Tank. But in reality, he's a big softie. Here, he talks about getting his start selling trash bags as a kid, opening a bar before he was even 21, and betting on the Internet early. Here are his seven songs, including his life’s “theme” and a song that brings him to tears.

1. Play That Funky Music – Wild Cherry
2. Life’s Been Good – Joe Walsh
3. September – Earth, Wind & Fire
4. Fame – DMX
5. Rapper's Delight – The Sugarhill Gang
6. Eminence Front – The Who

Listen to Mark Cuban’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

Today we’re sharing an episode of a podcast from our friends at PBS that we think you’ll really like – American Masters: Creative Spark. 

It’s a show that interviews iconic artists across disciplines about their creative journeys in a way that is sure to inspire listeners. This episode features an interview between host Joe Skinner and Tony Award-winning actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The actor discusses the vast “spectrum of realism” in his line of work. Whether it’s the recently released Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Lincoln, 3rd Rock From the Sun, The Dark Knight Rises, Mysterious Skin, 500 Days of Summer, or one of the dozens of other projects he’s starred in, Gordon-Levitt really shows his range. 

Listen to hear him unpack his creative journey, and find more episodes of American Masters: Creative Spark at https://link.chtbl.com/eOfylsfA?sid=LISS

Sam Altman is the CEO of OpenAI, the groundbreaking company leading the development of AGI—artificial general intelligence. AGI aims to create machines that can think, learn, and understand the world like humans—or even better than we can. It’s a concept with the potential to transform every aspect of life, for better or worse. But in this episode, a rare glimpse into the human behind superhuman machine intelligence. Here are his songs.

1. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 2 – Sviatoslav Richter
2. What’s My Age Again? – Blink-182
3. That Was a Crazy Game of Poker – O.A.R.
4. Opus – Eric Prydz
5. Spring 1 – Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons
6. Underwater – Rufus du Sol
7. Your Hand in Mine – Explosions in the Sky

Listen to Sam Altman’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

Rhodessa Jones is a performance artist who turned her life as a nude dancer into a theatrical revolution. From her days in a San Francisco peep show, where she danced to Prince’s “Soft and Wet,” Jones crafted her provocative experiences into a one-woman show that shook up the theater world. Ever since, she’s used her art to empower a generation of women to share their own stories. Here are her songs.

1. How I Got Over – Mahalia Jackson
2. Cupid – Sam Cooke
3. I Say A Little Prayer – Aretha Franklin
4. Mr. Tambourine Man – Bob Dylan
5. Soft and Wet – Prince
6. What's Going On – Marvin Gaye
7. A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke

Listen to Rhodessa Jones’ full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

A giant in the field of politics, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich—who stands just under 5 feet tall—has spent a lifetime fighting for, yes, the little guys. He shares how dealing with grade school bullies prepared him to battle for the middle class. Here are his seven songs.

1. Stardust – Hoagy Carmichael
2. Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers
3. Chain Gang – Sam Cooke
4. Baby I Need Your Loving – The Four Tops
5. Lady Madonna – The Beatles
6. Metaphor – The Fantasticks
7. Suzanne – Judy Collins

Listen to Robert Reich’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

Daniel Handler, or Lemony Snicket as you may know him, is the author of more than two dozen books, including the 13-book best-selling saga for young adults called "A Series of Unfortunate Events.” In much of Daniel’s work, terrible things happen to people. In this episode, we unpack why. These are his songs.

1. Symphony No. 3 "Eroica" Mvt III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace - Ludwig van Beethoven
2. Where or When - Julie London
3. Let's Go Crazy - Prince
4. Beethoven (I Love To Listen To) - Eurythmics
5. Enlightenment - Sun Ra
6. The Night You Can't Remember - The Magnetic Fields
7. Main Title and Anatomy of a Murder - Duke Ellington

Listen to Daniel Handler’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

The 89-year-old behind some of the world’s most famous buildings, including Apple’s “Spaceship” headquarters in Cupertino, the Reichstag in Berlin, Wembley Stadium in London and Hearst Tower in New York, shares how growing up in a working-class family and dropping out of school at 16 led to a career transforming workplaces and breaking down class barriers. These are his songs.

1. I'll Walk Beside You — John McCormack
2. Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia antartica": I. Prelude. Allegro maestoso — Ralph Vaughan Williams
3. West Side Story, Act 1: Prologue (Original Broadway Cast Recording) — Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
4. The Twist — Chubby Checker
5. Prelude & Fugue No. 12 in F Minor, BWV 857, WTC I — J.S. Bach
6. King Arthur, Z. 628, Act 3: Prelude While Cold Genius Rises - Frost Scene. "What Power Art Thou" — Henry Purcell
7. Bésame Mucho — Andrea Bocelli

Listen to Norman Foster’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

Raunchy, risk-taking and always hilarious, Margaret Cho has had a legendary career as a stand-up comic, actress and musician. She says her success is because of all the trauma she’s survived, not despite it. These are her songs.

1. (They Long to Be) Close to You — Carpenters
2. Eleanor Rigby — The Beatles
3. Doot-Doot — Freur
4. Our Lips Are Sealed — The Go-Go’s
5. Groove Is in the Heart — Deee-Lite
6. Wonderwall — Oasis
7. Chandelier — Sia

Listen to Margaret Cho’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

We’ve received numerous requests from our listeners about our theme music, and we're excited to share the full track with you today! Composed exclusively for 'Life in Seven Songs' by the talented Kate Davis and Zubin Hensler, this music is an integral part of our show. Enjoy!