Alby – Page 45 – Delaware Liberal

Song of the Day 11/22: Was (Not Was), “11 MPH (Abe Zapp Ruder Version)”

By Alby November 22, 20247 Comments

A lot of music has been written about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In the immediate aftermath songs expressed the shock and grief that enveloped the nation, but within…

Song of the Day 11/21: SSgt. Barry Sadler, “The Ballad of the Green Berets”

By Alby November 21, 20241 Comment

This one's for George Frankel, the state senate candidate who wants to employ ex-Green Berets to keep order in high schools. "The Ballad of the Green Berets," written by a…

Song of the Day 11/20: Donald Fagen, “I.G.Y.”

By Alby November 20, 20241 Comment

Yacht Rock might be the only music genre that got its name long after it had passed from prominence. Back when it was made, between the mid-'70s and mid-'80s, the…

Song of the Day 11/19: They Might Be Giants, “Don’t Let’s Start”

By Alby November 19, 2024

The title track to the 1986 debut album by They Might Be Giants is my go-to response to anyone who wants to talk to me about politics these days. To…

Song of the Day 11/18: Bob Mould, “It’s Too Late”

By Alby November 18, 2024

No rock singer/songwriter/guitarist has done more while being appreciated less than Bob Mould. Whether with Hüsker Dü, Sugar or solo, he has forged rage, despair and cynicism, alloyed with a…

Song of the Day 11/17: The Kinks, “You Really Got Me”

By Alby November 17, 2024

Record producer Shel Talmy died last week at age 87, and if the name is unfamiliar to you, the music he crafted isn't. The earliest hits by the Kinks and…

Song of the Day 11/15: Weezer, “Say It Ain’t So”

By Alby November 15, 2024

I'm not sure why this 30-year-old song popped into my head yesterday – maybe because it's been such a common response from various quarters to various Trump cabinet picks. Weezer…

Song of the Day 11/14: Willi Williams, “Armagedeon Time”

By Alby November 14, 2024

Prophesies of doom are pretty common in Jamaican music, but they don't necessarily get all minor-key gloomy about it. Willi Williams' "Armagedeon Time" talks about people going hungry and needing…

Song of the Day 11/13: The Hooters, “All You Zombies”

By Alby November 13, 2024

As yesterday's Graham Parker song illustrated, something about minor chords and a reggae beat seemed to put '70s and '80s rockers in an apocalyptic mood. When Eric Bazilian and Rob…

DL Open Thread Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024

By Alby November 13, 202420 Comments

Despite all the post-election finger-pointing, everyone has overlooked what might have turned the tide in Trump's favor: P'Nut the squirrel. For those too busy paying attention to important matters like…

Song of the Day 11/12: Graham Parker & the Rumour, “Don’t Ask Me Questions”

By Alby November 12, 2024

There ain't no answers in me. This was one of Graham Parker's signature tunes when he burst onto the British music scene in the brief period in 1976 between the…

DL Open Thread Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024

By Alby November 12, 202426 Comments

What's on your mind?

Song of the Day 11/11: Squeeze, “Gone to the Dogs”

By Alby November 11, 2024

The idiom is so old its origins are uncertain, but for centuries now going to the dogs has meant going downhill, if not to outright ruin. Now it's America's turn.…