Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 11/25: AC/DC, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
The theme song for the Republican ratfucking brigade. This tune goes back to the Bon Scott days, a reminder that Brian Johnson could take his place but couldn’t really replace him. It was recorded and released in 1976 in Australia and the U.K., but not until 1981 in the States, a year after Scott’s death. […]
Song of the Day 11/24: Patty Griffin, “Heavenly Day”
This Patty Griffin song appeared on her standout 2007 LP “Children Running Through,” honored as the year’s top Americana album. Griffin, who burst on the scene with 1996’s “Living With Ghosts” after being discovered in Boston coffee houses, says this is the first love song she ever wrote, and she wrote it for her dog […]
Song of the Day 11/23: Randy Rainbow, “He’s Just a Gurl Who’ll Quid Pro Quo”
Randy Rainbow has been watching the impeachment hearings, and he’s come to the same conclusion the rest of us have, only more fabulously.
Song of the Day 11/22: The Byrds, “He Was a Friend of Mine”
The assassination of John F. Kennedy was arguably the defining moment of the Boomer generation, and musicians responded with songs. Roger McGuinn — still Jim at the time — rewrote the lyrics to an old folk song that Bob Dylan had altered and recorded for his first album but did not use. It didn’t appear […]
Song of the Day 11/21: Gordon Lightfoot, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”
When the ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975, it was among the worst maritime disasters in the history of the Great Lakes, but it’s a safe bet that few outside the shipping community would remember it today were it not for Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad commemorating the event. Rather incredibly, […]
Song of the Day 11/20: Dawn Landes and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, “Dark Eyes”
One of Bob Dylan’s many quirks is that he periodically fails to appreciate some of his best material. He left “Farewell, Angelina” off “Bringin’ It All Back Home.” “Blind Willie McTell” would be an obscure demo if The Band hadn’t rescued it from oblivion. And he dashed off this apocalyptic lament in 1985 only because […]
Song of the Day 11/19: Argent, “Liar”
The theme song of the GOP’s defense of Trump. Most people know the Three Dog Night cover of the song, but this was the original version, written by Argent guitarist and lead singer Russ Ballard and released in 1970 on the band’s debut album. Released as a single, it sank without a trace. Three Dog […]
Song of the Day 11/18: Steely Dan, “Pretzel Logic”
This choice was inspired by the GOP’s use of twisted logic to defend Trump, but as I listened again I noticed that Trump has been, in his inimitable way, touring the Southland in a traveling minstrel show. He’s dying to be a star and make them laugh — if you’ve ever seen a few minutes […]
Song of the Day 11/17: Jethro Tull, “Hymn 43”
Jethro Tull might hold the unwelcome distinction of being the best band not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (a contested title, to be sure). I thought they’d be a no-brainer on the strength of 1971’s “Aqualung” alone, though perhaps voters aren’t all that fond of prog rock that rages against religious hypocrisy, […]
Song of the Day 11/16: The Black Crowes, “She Talks to Angels”
It’s almost 30 years since the Black Crowes burst onto the scene with their “Shake Your Money Maker” LP. This ballad was the fourth single released from an album that eventually topped 5 million in sales, but it’s the one I hear the most on classic rock radio. Chris Robinson said it’s about a goth […]
Song of the Day 11/15: Fang Fang, “I’ve Got a Good Feeling”
With apologies to El Somnambulo for the new music, but I heard this song on WXPN the other day and now it’s stuck in my head. Fang Fang is a Philly band consisting of two married couples plus a bass player, and with this tune they’ve found a near-perfect mix of power pop hooks and […]
Song of the Day 11/14: XTC, “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead”
Despite the video’s clear references to John F. Kennedy’s assassination, “Peter Pumpkinhead” actually was inspired not by politics but by a jack o’lantern that songwriter Andy Partridge carved one Halloween. “It was probably the best jack-o-lantern I’d ever made,” he said. “I just could not bear to throw it away. So I just stuck it […]
Song of the Day 11/13: John Lennon, “Gimme Some Truth”
John Lennon saw through Republican politics before Watergate ever happened. This track from his “Imagine” album, released in 1971, finds him spitting fire about a lying government (mostly, at the time, about the war in Vietnam). I think it should be the theme song of the Trump impeachment hearings, used on every TV fadeout and […]
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