Feb. 21, 2026

S9E449 - The Music of Miami Vice with Sarah Nichols

S9E449 - The Music of Miami Vice with Sarah Nichols
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In 1984, Michael Mann's crime drama Miami Vice hit the airwaves. Unlike the traditional police procedurals that came before it, Miami Vice drew upon 1980s pop culture and used contemporary rock and pop music as the background for its dark, often nihilistic storylines. Returning guest, poet and essayist Sarah Nichols, joins us as we unpack some of the songs - and musical guests - that made this iconic neo-noir television series pop.

Songs discussed in this episode: Miami Vice Theme - Jan Hammer; Vital Transformation - Mahavishnu Orchestra; Miami Vice Theme - Jan Hammer; Harlem Shake - Baauer; Peter Gunn Theme - Henry Mancini; Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell; Beach Theme - Tangerine Dream; In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins; Crockett's Theme - Jan Hammer; Smugglers Blues, You Belong To The City - Glenn Frey; Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits; Hello Earth - Kate Bush; Just The Way I Planned It - Philip Michael Thomas; Heartbeat - Don Johnson; I'm Not In Love - 10cc; Cry - Godley & Creme; Little Miss Dangerous, Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent; Duel, P-Machinery - Propaganda; Fly On The Windscreen - Depeche Mode; Nine Million Rainy Days - Jesus and Mary Chain; Me Myself I, Dark Truths - Joan Armatrading

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Sarah Nichols Profile Photo

Author

Sarah Nichols is a poet and essayist living in Connecticut. She is the author of ten chapbooks, including Press Play for Heartbreak (Paper Nautilus Press, 2021), and Hexenhaus (Milk and Cake Press, 2020.) A 2021 Best of the Net nominee, she writes frequently on the intersection of personal memory and pop culture.