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Coffee Break

Coffee Break: Double Trouble

by Jill Riley and Nilufer Arsala

April 16, 2025

Madonna on stage during the Blonde Ambition tour.
Madonna on stage during the Blonde Ambition tour.Michel Linssen/Redferns, via NPR

On this day in 1977, David Soul, half of the TV cop duo on Starsky & Hutch, hit No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with the song "Don't Give Up On Us." This achievement got us thinking about artists who could be considered a “double threat.”

From The Current: April 16 in Music History: Happy birthday, Chance the Rapper

Many actors sing, and many singers act. Today, let’s create the ultimate playlist of “double threats” — that is, those people who do both.

So for today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs from actors who sing — or singers who act — would you like to hear?


Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

Have an idea for a Coffee Break topic? Submit your idea for a future theme and browse past Coffee Breaks in our archive.

Songs Played
She and Him- Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
Tom Waits- I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Thirty Seconds To Mars- The Kill (Bury Me)
Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins- The Big Guns
Dolly Parton- 9 to 5
Madonna- Burning Up
Eddie Murphy- Party All the Time
Coconut Records- West Coast