E014 | Song Sung Blue (2025) – Adoption on the Big Screen
Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of bein' a king, and then became one? Well, except for the names, and a few other changes, you've got the Hollywood adaptation of a little-known documentary profile of the Milwaukee Neil Diamond tribute act known as "Lightning and Thunder." Song Sung Blue hit theaters on Christmas Day in 2025, garnering generally favorable reviews, and a slew of Best Actress nominations for Kate Hudson for her melodic portrayal of Claire "Thunder" Sardina, a woman who battles back to the stage after losing a leg in a freak car accident, developing an addiction to pain meds, and insisting her daughter relinquish her baby. Good times never seemed so good.
Song Sung Blue was written by Craig Brewer and Greg Kohs, and was directed by Craig Brewer.
This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on March 11, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon:
The film Song Sung Blue is based on the 2008 documentary of the same name by Greg Kohs. You can read Kohs's essay about the making of the doc here.
Fact check: Dolly Parton has been the subject of not one, but two biopics. Alyvia Alyn Lind plays a young Dolly growing up in rural Tennessee in 2015's Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors and its follow-up, Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love in 2016.
Fact check: Depictions of smoking can affect a film's Motion Picture Association of America rating. Hollywood studios also each have their own policies regarding on-screen smoking, outlined here by IndieWire. And a 2025 article by Adriana Albini in Cancerworld details the history of smoking depictions on-screen. (We normally try to rely on less-biased sources than Cancerworld, but there's a good chance our other content has already weeded out the nicotine-cancer-connection-deniers, so we're going to stick with it).
Eddie Vedder is the lead singer and guitarist of Pearl Jam, among other bands. A 2011 Rolling Stone readers' poll named him seventh on the list of "Best Lead Singers of All Time." (We normally try to rely on less-biased sources than Rolling Stone, but we stand by the spirit of the list, and agree that Eddie Vedder is, in fact, a national treasure).
Gerrad Hall, "Fact vs. fiction in Song Sung Blue: heart attacks, a horrific accident, and Eddie Vedder's unexpected call," Entertainment Weekly (December 26, 2025).
Paul Grein, "38 Actors Who Were Oscar-Nominated For Playing Real Musicians & Singers," Billboard (January 22, 2026).
It took longer than anticipated, but Haley has finally given Kristal her stage name, which is "Citrine." Listen for her in future episodes.
In the meantime, listen to Neil Diamond's "I Am… I Said." You're welcome.
The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen.
We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com, on Instagram, and on Substack.
