The third season of the Theme Time Radio Hour premiered on Wednesday, October 8, 2008, the same week that saw the release of a new edition of the Bootleg Series, Tell Tale Signs. Somewhat eerily, given that it aired during the week of a worldwide financial crisis caused by the collapse of the credit markets, the first show's theme was "Money: Part 1".
Season Three concluded on Wednesday, April 15, 2009, with the airing of the show's 100th original episode. The theme of that show was "Goodbye".
Episodes
Episode 1: Money: Part 1 First aired October 8, 2008
Show track listings: "That's What They Want" – Jerry McCain & His Upstarts "Pennies From Heaven" – Louis Prima "You Put It In, I'll Take It Out" – Papa Charlie Jackson "Blue Money" – Van Morrison "Greenbacks" – Ray Charles "Money" – Mel Blanc "It's The Gold" – The Buddy Johnson Orchestra with Ella Johnson "Farewell To The Gold" – Nic Jones "My Baby's Just Like Money" – Lefty Frizzell "100 Dollar Bill" – Buddy Guy "It's All About The Benjamins" – Puff Daddy and the Family "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" – The Clovers "You Can't Take It With You" – Jesse Price
Episode 2: Money: Part 2 First aired October 15, 2008
Show track listings: "Gimme My Dime Back, Give Me My Money" – Moon Mullican & His Blue Ridge Playboys "I've Got Money" – James Brown "Penny Reel-O" – Eric "Monty" Morris & Baba Brooks (Harmony by Stranger Cole) "Money Honey" – Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters "Lookin' For Money" – Johnny Dove & His Magnolia Playboys "I Need Money (Keep Your Alibis)" – Slim Harpo "Man With Money" – The Everly Brothers "Clean Money" – Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Last Two Dollars" – Johnnie Taylor "Down To My Last Dime" – Donny Young (Johnny Paycheck) "Romance Without Finance (Is a Nuisance)" – Tiny Grimes Quintette (with Charlie Parker) "For the Love of Money" – The O'Jays "You Can't Take It With You" – Young John Watson (Johnny "Guitar" Watson)
Episode 3: Night First aired October 22, 2008
Show track listings: "All Night Long" – Joe Houston & His Rockets (1956) "Such a Night" – Dr. John (1973) "Another Night With The Boys" – The Drifters (with Rudy Lewis – lead vocals) "When The Sun Goes Down" – Leroy Carr (with Scrapper Blackwell) "The Way You Look Tonight" – Fred Astaire (with the Oscar Peterson Group) "Night Life" – Willie Nelson "In The Night" – Chick Carbo (1962) "Midnight Shift" – Buddy Holly "Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night?" – Zuzu Bollin "Night Time" – The Strangeloves "In the Night" – Professor Longhair "Forever Night Shade Mary" – Latin Playboys "Black Night" – Charles Brown "Help Me Make It Through the Night" – Kris Kristofferson
Episode 4: President's Day Aired October 29, 2008 as a repeat of the Season 2 episode, which was first broadcast in February 2008.
Episode 5: Beginnings, Middles, and Ends First aired November 5, 2008
Show track listings: "I Can't Get Started" – Anita O'Day (with the Buddy Bregman Orchestra) "Don't Start Me To Talkin'" – Sonny Boy Williamson "Start All Over Again" – The J. Geils Band "I'm Beginning to See the Light" – Peggy Lee "Begin the Beguine" – Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (excerpt) "In The Middle Of The Night" – Amos Milburn "The One in the Middle" – Manfred Mann "Smack Dab in the Middle" – Ray Charles "In the Middle of a Heartache" – Wanda Jackson "Half A Boy and Half A Man" – Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit "At The End Of The Lane" – Jimmie Revard and His Oklahoma Playboys "The End of the World" – Skeeter Davis "The End of the Rainbow" – Richard and Linda Thompson "This Is The End" – Buddy Guy
Episode 6: Blood First aired November 12, 2008
Show track listings: "Flesh, Blood and Bones" – Little Esther "Are You Washed In The Blood Of The Lamb?" – Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters "Cold Blooded Woman" – Memphis Slim "Lust Of The Blood" – Jerry Lee Lewis "She Made My Blood Run Cold" – Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm "Transfusion" – Nervous Norvus "Bloodstains On The Wall" – Honeyboy "Go Down You Blood Red Roses" – Paul Clayton "Blood On The Moon" – Danny Barker "Bucket O' Blood" – Big Boy Groves "Bloodshot" – The String Kings "The Blood" – Zion Travelers "I've Got Blood In My Eyes For You" – Mississippi Sheiks
Episode 7: War First aired November 19, 2008
War was an unusual episode in several respects. Although TTRH has aired three 2-hour specials and the unique Time episode ran slightly over an hour, War was the show's first 90-minute episode. War was the second episode not to feature Ellen Barkin's voice in the opening intro, and the first not to use the "Night in the Big City" introduction. Instead, the show replaced the usual opening with a collage of audio war-related clips. War was also the second episode not to have any closing credits in its premiere broadcast, although the credits were added in later rebroadcasts.
Show track listings: "G.I. Jive" – Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (1944) "Fightin' In The War With Spain" – Wilmer Watts & The Lonely Eagles (1929) "Searching For A Soldier's Grave" – The Bailes Brothers "The Horrors Of War" – Atilla The Hun "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" – Eric Bogle "The Battle of New Orleans" – Johnny Horton "Was My Brother In The Battle?" – Kate & Anna McGarrigle "Drive Soldiers Drive" – Little Maxie Bailey "This Cold War With You" – Floyd Tillman "Universal Soldier" – Buffy Sainte-Marie "I Believe I'm Gonna Make It" – Joe Tex "Let A Soldier Drink" – Jerry Lee Lewis "Buffalo Soldier" – Bob Marley & The Wailers "The Forgotten Soldier Boy" – The Monroe Brothers "Day After Tomorrow" – Tom Waits "Bring the Boys Home" – Freda Payne "Peace" – Los Lobos
Episode 8: Fruit First aired November 26, 2008
Fruit was an announced but unaired Season Two episode, and was probably recorded during that season, as Dylan refers to another Season Two show in his commentary, Trains.
Show track listings: "Tutti Frutti" – Little Richard (1955) "Peaches In The Springtime" – Memphis Jug Band (1928) "Don't Squeeze The Peaches" – Jack Costanzo (Mr. Bongo) & Gerrie Woo (1968) "Lemon 'N Ice" – Latin Playboys (1999) "Cherry Oh Baby" – Eric Donaldson (1971) "Where the Sweet Old Oranges Grow" – Sam Montgomery (1936) "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" – Perez Prado (1955) "W-P-L-J" – The Four Deuces (1956) "Strawberry Fields Forever" – The Beatles (1967) "I'm Gonna Bring A Watermelon To My Girl Tonight" – The Savoy Havana Band (1924) "Eatin' Watermelon" – Crown Prince Waterford (1949) "Yes, We Have No Bananas" – Johnny Mercer and The Pied Pipers featuring June Hutton (1948) "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)" – Harry Belafonte (1957) "Strange Fruit" – Billie Holiday (1939)
Episode 9: Street Map First aired December 3, 2008
Show track listings: "14th Street" – Laura Cantrell (2005) "Straight Street" – The Pilgrim Travelers (1955) "Streets of Gold" – The Skatalites (excerpt) "King of the Road" – Roger Miller (1965) "Lonely Avenue" – Ray Charles (1956) "Hit the Road, Jack" – Percy Mayfield (1961) "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" – Green Day (2004) "61 Highway" – Mississippi Fred McDowell (1959) "Lost Highway" – Hank Williams (1949) "Willin'" – Little Feat (1971) "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" – Nat King Cole (1942) "Route 90" – Clarence "Bon Ton" Garlow (1954) "The Dark End of the Street" – Mud Boy and the Neutrons (1993) "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad" – Woody Guthrie with Cisco Houston & Sonny Terry (1944)
Episode 10: Famous People First aired December 10, 2008
Show track listings: "Jack Palance" – Mighty Sparrow (1956) "My Boy Elvis" – Janis Martin (1956) "Sweet Gene Vincent" – Ian Dury & the Blockheads (1977) "Lee Van Cleef" – King Stitt (1969) "Meet James Ensor" – They Might Be Giants (1994) "Christopher Columbus" – Dinah Washington (1957) "Hey Liberace!" – Charlie Adams (1953) "The Beatles Got To Go" – Ken Lazarus & Keith Lyn (1966) "Fate of Will Rogers & Wiley Post" – Bill Cox (ca. 1935) "The Right Profile" – The Clash (1979) "Jean Harlow" – Lead Belly (1944) "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" – Simon & Garfunkel (1970)
Episode 11: Numbers Eleven and Up First aired December 17, 2008
Show track listings: "36-22-36" – Bobby 'Blue' Bland (1962) "30 Pieces Of Silver"" – Prince Buster (1964) "Forty Days and Forty Nights" – Muddy Waters (1956) "100,000 Women Can't Be Wrong" – Lattie Moore (1957) "Girl Fifteen" – Floyd Dixon (1951) "36 Inches High" – Jim Ford (1969) "Ninety Nine" – Sonny Boy Williamson II (1957) "54-46 Was My Number" – Toots & the Maytals (1969) "39-21-46" – The Showmen (1967) "Rocket 69" – Connie Allen with Todd Rhodes & His Orchestra (1952) "A Man With One Million Dollars" – Joe Mooney Quartet (1947) "99 Lbs." – Ann Peebles (1971) "Three Hundred Pounds of Joy" – Howlin' Wolf (1966) "12 Bar Blues" – NRBQ (1969) "C'mon Sixty Five" – Merle Haggard (2007)
Episode 12: Christmas & New Year Aired December 24, 2008 as a repeat of the Season 1 episode, which was first broadcast in December 2006.
Episode 13: Number One Aired December 31, 2008, as a repeat of the Season 2 episode, which was first broadcast in January 2008.
Episode 14: Work First aired January 7, 2009
Show track listings: "First, You've Got to Recognize God" – The Burnadettes (1963) "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)" – T-Bone Walker (1947) "Workin' Man Blues" – Merle Haggard (1969) "Big Boss Man" – Jimmy Reed (1960) "Nice Work If You Can Get It" – Sarah Vaughan (with Miles Davis) (1950) "Payday" – Jesse Winchester (1970) "Gotta Find a Job" – Lee Dorsey (1967) "The Coat and the Pants Do All the Work" – Six Jumping Jacks (Harry Reser & His Orchestra with Tom Stacks (vocal)) (1926) "I Can't Work No Longer" – Billy Butler & The Enchanters (1965) "I'll Do Anything But Work" – Ray Charles (1950) "Payday Blues" – Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks (1973) "Want Ads" – Honey Cone (1971) "Whistle While You Work" – Adriana Caselotti (1937) "Call My Job" – Detroit Junior (1965) "I Can't Wait To Get Off Work (and See My Baby on Montgomery Avenue)" – Tom Waits (1976) "You Got to Have a Job (If You Don't Work, You Can't Eat)" – Marva Whitney & The J.B.'s (1969)
Episode 15: Nothing First aired January 14, 2009
Show track listing: "Nothing" – The Fugs (1965) "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)" – The Cookies (1963) "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" – Sammy Davis Jr. (1963) "Sweet Nothin's" – Brenda Lee (1959) "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" – Frank Sinatra (1957) "It's Nothing To Me" – Harry Johnson (Sanford Clark) (1967) "Nothin' But the Wheel" – Peter Wolf (with Mick Jagger) (2002) "No Love, No Nothin'" – Marlene Dietrich (1949) "Nothing Takes The Place Of You" – Toussaint McCall (1967) "I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues" – Mose Allison (1962) "That Ain't Nothin' But Right" – Mac Curtis (1956) "You Ain't Nothing But Fine" – Rockin' Sidney (1963) "Nothin'" – Townes Van Zandt (1971) "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" – The Velvet Underground (1970) (Excerpt)
Episode 16: Something First aired January 21, 2009
Show track listing: "Something" – The Beatles (1969) "I'm into Something Good" – Earl-Jean McCrea (1964) "Something's Coming!" – Vic Damone (1964) "Do Something For Me" – Billy Ward and his Dominoes (with Clyde McPhatter, lead vocal) (1950) "She's Got Something" – Jimmy Ballard (1952) "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big" – Steve Allen (Background excerpt) "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" – The Velvelettes (1964) "Somethin' Else" – Eddie Cochran (1959) "Something's Goin' On In My Room" – Daddy Cleanhead (1954) "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" – Charlie Rich (1966) "Something Cool" – June Christy (with Pete Rugolo) (1953) "There's Something On Your Mind Part 2" – Bobby Marchan (1960) "Something Different" – The Carlisles (with Jumpin' Bill Carlisle) (1953) "Something In The Air" – Thunderclap Newman (1969)
Episode 17: Cats First aired January 28, 2009
Show track listing: