Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 4/3: Little Richard, “I Saw Her Standing There”
The only difficulty in picking a theme song for Matt Gaetz is that rock ‘n’ roll, especially the early stuff, is full of songs that traffic in misogyny and ephebophilia, often at the same time. But when a song starts out, “She was just 17,” you know you’re in Matt Gaetz territory. Yes, it’s a […]
Song of the Day 4/2: Simon and Garfunkel, “Keep the Customer Satisfied”
Paul Simon has joined the parade of aging songwriters peddling their catalogs for big bucks, selling off his entire output — over 400 songs from both Simon and Garfunkel and his solo career — to Sony for an undisclosed sum that certainly reached nine figures. This song from “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is an upbeat […]
Song of the Day 4/1: The Bee Gees, “I Started a Joke”
The joke certainly was on Robin Gibb — he had the best voice in the group but older brother Barry had the good looks, and their conflicting ideas about who should be the front man led to years of squabbles and bad feelings. “Massachusetts” was Robin’s breakout hit, but “I Started a Joke” was his […]
‘Bulo’s Fave Tunes: March 2021
If two of these songs seem kinda ‘out-there’ even by my standards, no, my tastes haven’t changed. It’s just that two great songs happened to be ‘out there’ this month. See if you can spot them amongst the other gems: One of the best videos I’ve seen in forever. Something you may not have known […]
Song of the Day 3/31: Steely Dan, “My Old School”
Only the good die young, they say, which is probably why G. Gordon Liddy, mastermind of the Watergate break-in, lasted 90 years before he shuffled off this mortal coil Tuesday. Several years before he made his mark on history with CREEP (note for the kidz: that was the incredibly apt acronym for the Committee to […]
Song of the Day 3/30: James McMurtry, “We Can’t Make It Here (Anymore)”
Author Larry McMurtry, who gained his greatest fame for his screenplay work in film and television, died last week. His musical legacy is his son James, who has carved out a 30-year career in the folk rock/Americana market with literate songs that include more than a little pointed social commentary along the way. He won […]
Song of the Day 3/29: Johnny Cash, “A Boy Named Sue”
The Republican war on trans people put me in mind of this old Johnny Cash song. Recorded live at San Quentin State Prison, the novelty tune was written and recorded earlier that year by singer-songwriter/children’s book author/Playboy cartoonist Shel Silverstein. June Carter heard Silverstein sing it one night and thought it a good fit for […]
Song of the Day 3/28: Louis Armstrong, “When the Saints Go Marching In”
Among the songs the Library of Congress added to its National Recording Registry last week is Louis Armstrong’s first recording of “When the Saints Go Marching In,” the gospel spiritual based on the Book of Revelations that Armstrong turned into a New Orleans jazz standard, helping usher gospel music traditions into popular music. Armstrong had […]
Song of the Day 3/26: Labelle, “Lady Marmalade”
The National Recording Registry announced this year’s additions, ranging from a recording Thomas Edison made on a piece of tinfoil in 1878 to Kermit the Frog’s “Rainbow Connection.” The headline selection, though, was this smash hit that reached the top of the charts in 1975 when it was recorded by Labelle, the girl group led […]
Song of the Day 3/25: The Lemon Pipers, “Green Tambourine”
I’m as anti-insurrection as the next guy, but I think the feds may be overreaching in the case of Sara Carpenter, 51, of Queens, who was arrested for entering the Capitol on Jan. 6. She cooperated with the authorities and turned over the clothing she was wearing when she was pepper-sprayed, as well as the […]
Song of the Day 3/24: Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On”
When Rolling Stone magazine recalculated its 500 greatest albums list last year, giving greater weight to musicians’ opinions and less to the critics, a new No. 1 emerged — Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” his seminal 1971 soul song cycle. And that album literally wouldn’t exist without the title tune. The song was inspired by […]
Song of the Day 3/22: Jethro Tull, “Locomotive Breath”
The other day I saw a list of LPs released in 1971, and the phrase “embarrassment of riches” barely scratches the surface. None of them got spun as often among my high school friends as “Aqualung,” the album that ought to have made them a shoo-in for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which […]
Song of the Day 3/19: The Undisputed Truth, “Smiling Faces Sometimes”
The worst part of the story about the Biden White House firing staffers who admitted to past marijuana use is the fact that they were told such admissions would not be held against them. This Motown classic, the only hit for this psychedelic-soul trio, reached No. 3 in 1971. Written by Motown songwriting team of […]
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