Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 8/1: Cyndi Lauper, “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Theme”
A lot of 40-somethings are having childhood flashbacks at news of the death at 70 of Paul Reubens, far better known as Pee-Wee Herman. He announced his six-year struggle with cancer only in a posthumous message. Reubens developed the Pee-Wee character as one of the early members of the Groundlings, the Los Angeles improv troupe […]
Song of the Day 7/31: The Marvellettes, “The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game”
A nod to the Republican Party’s big new obsession, which is the same as its big old obsession. In 1967 the Marvellettes were still enjoying their comeback when this Smokey Robinson composition became their penultimate Top 40 hit. It reached No. 13 on the Hot 100, and No. 2 on the R&B chart. Grace Jones […]
Song of the Day 7/30: Merle Haggard, “Life in Prison”
Just something for Donald Trump to think about as he stews in his fetid juices over the wrongs he’s done. “Life in Prison” appeared on Merle Haggard’s third album, 1967’s “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive.” The title track was the first of his 38 No. 1 country hits. Haggard’s stretch at San Quentin was far from […]
Is Lappy™ a Clone?
According to Rudy Giuliani’s henchman, Lev Parnas, the answer is “Yes.” Parnas, who’s finishing up his sentence of house arrest for campaign finance violations, sent a letter to James Comer (R-Stumpjump) telling a story he got from a guy who was there that Hunter Biden “became incapacitated” during a meeting with some minister in Kazakhstan […]
Song of the Day 7/28: Randy Meisner, “Hearts on Fire”
Randy Meisner, founding bassist of the Eagles, died Wednesday at age 77. He’d had health problems for many years; his last live gig was in 2008. Meisner had stints in Poco and Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band before joining Linda Ronstadt’s backing band, which morphed into the Eagles in 1971. Meisner’s high harmonies helped define […]
Song of the Day 7/27: Sinéad O’Connor, “The Last Day of Our Acquaintance”
I can’t think of a great musician who got less attention for her music than Sinéad O’Connor. Critics raved over her first LP, 1987’s “The Lion and the Cobra,” but the broader public didn’t notice her until her performance of “Mandinka” at the 1989 Grammy Awards. As Rolling Stone put it, ““If there was Twitter […]
Song of the Day 7/26: Aerosmith, “Pink”
The Barbie movie has gotten glowing reviews, but it has created one unfortunate side effect: The garish pink color that shades toward magenta – officially labeled #e0218a by Pantone, and called “Barbie pink” – is suddenly everywhere. That’s not the pink Steven Tyler was singing about on this cut from the band’s 1997 “Nine Lives” […]
Song of the Day 7/25: Aqua, “Barbie Girl”
With Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” racking up box-office records, it was only natural that this 1997 Europop earworm would make a comeback, though it’s not featured in the film in its original form. Aqua, a Danish-Norwegian quartet, came up with “Barbie Girl” after one member saw an exhibit on kitsch culture that featured the billion-selling doll. […]
Knock It the Fuck Off
Two highly qualified candidates have declared themselves candidates for Delaware’s congressional seat. Some of you favor Eugene Young, others favor Sarah McBride. I like them both, and I’m not choosing which one I’ll vote for before campaigning has even begun. The simple fact is that both would make better senators than Lisa Blunt Rochester and […]
Song of the Day 7/24: Randy Newman, “Sail Away”
For 200 years now some people have maintained that slavery was a benefit to the enslaved – “They were better off than they were in Africa” goes the refrain. In Florida, that’s now official history. Under the state’s new educational standards, students will be taught that slavery benefitted the enslaved. Abraham Lincoln had the proper […]
Song of the Day 7/23: Steely Dan, “Bad Sneakers”
Let’s play “What’s Fox News freaking out about today?” If you guessed “Joe Biden wearing sneakers,” you’re our winner! Yes, according to one on-air imbecile, it’s akin to “wearing a Speedo and flipflops to a funeral.” Really? Seriously? Because I see old guys in Skechers every day, and I’ve never seen anyone in a Speedo […]
Song of the Day 7/21: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
He was born Anthony Benedetto, but Bob Hope told him that was too long to fit on a marquee and renamed him Tony Bennett. In his 96 years he was known and befriended by a century’s worth of notable musicians and show-biz figures, from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga. He died Friday, several years after […]
Song of the Day 7/20: Chuck Berry, “My Ding-a-Ling”
Marjorie Taylor Greene, demonstrating the keen judgment she’s known for, used the occasion of a congressional hearing to show nude pictures of Hunter Biden to the public. The collective reaction has been what texters express as “SMH.” She’s apparently unaware that those texters, and everyone else under the age of 40, routinely send such photos […]
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