Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 12/17: Keb’ Mo’, “Jingle Bell Jamboree”
I’m not sure when Keb’ Mo’ wrote or recorded this tune. It shows up on compilation albums as far back as 1999, and he released it himself on a 2011 EP. Its mention of CDs dates it to sometime in the ’90s. It’s not likely to become a classic, but I like the way it […]
Song of the Day 12/16: Louis Armstrong, “Zat You, Santa Claus?”
The music makes it sound more like a Halloween song than a Christmas tune, but it’s a valid question — who’s that at the door so late? It’s a reminder that a fat white guy trying to get into your house in the middle of the night isn’t necessarily St. Nick. Satchmo recorded this tune […]
Song of the Day 12/15: Diana Krall, “Christmas Time Is Here”
Yesterday I said “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was the saddest Christmas song, and Nathan Arizona nominated this one as a challenger. He’s almost right — almost. This is the most depressing Christmas song, which is a little different. Lee Mendelson’s lyrics list the subtle joys of the season, all undercut by the melancholy […]
Song of the Day 12/14: Judy Garland, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
Jason said a few days ago that he’s not ready for a “little” Christmas, so to help him out I’m starting this year’s 12 Days of Christmas Music with the song that advocates exactly that. Not only is this the saddest of all Christmas standards, its lyrics seem prescient about Christmas 2020: Through the years […]
Song of the Day 12/13: Charley Pride, “The Snakes Crawl at Night”
Hall of Fame country singer Charley Pride died of Covid-19 yesterday at age 86. He didn’t break the color barrier in country music, but he was the genre’s first black superstar, racking up 30 No. 1 hits on the country charts. Born in the Delta in Sledge, Miss., Pride grew up listening to the Grand […]
Song of the Day 12/12: Bob Dylan, “Things Have Changed”
It was 20 years ago that the film “Wonder Boys,” based on Michael Chabon’s novel, was released, with this then-new song anchoring the soundtrack, and things remain crazy and times remain strange. The movie bombed, but Dylan won an Oscar for the song, and performed it on the telecast via satellite link from Sydney, Australia, […]
Song of the Day 12/11: Soul Survivors, “Expressway to Your Heart”
Kenny Jeremiah, the lead singer of the Soul Survivors, succumbed to COVID-19 a week ago. While he might not be the best-known musician to die this year, his group’s big hit represents a small piece of music history. When we think of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff today, we associate them with Philly soul, the […]
Song of the Day 12/10: Lenny and the Squigtones, “Night After Night”
Character actor David L. Lander, famous for his role on “Laverne & Shirley,” died last week at age 73. Lander and Michael McKean, as Andrew “Squiggy” Squiggman and Lenny Kosnowski, doofus neighbors and co-workers of the female leads, became the top-rated show’s breakout stars. Lenny and Squiggy (originally Ant’ny Squiggliano) predated the sitcom, which ran […]
Song of the Day 12/9: Rich Allen and the Ebonistics, “Echo’s of November”
Phillies great Dick Allen, one of the most controversial players in the history of baseball, died Monday, prompting a wave of nostalgia for a man Philadelphia fans demonized and drove out of town during the racially charged 1960s. During his playing days, Allen’s many interests outside the game drew accusations that he lacked “focus.” So […]
Song of the Day 12/8: John Lennon and Cheap Trick, “I’m Losing You”
Whatever else it represented, the assassination of John Lennon 40 years ago tonight closed the door on an encouraging comeback from his self-imposed exile. Not everyone saw “Double Fantasy” that way at first — negative reviews from many prominent critics were withheld from publication when Lennon was killed three weeks after its release — and […]
Song of the Day 12/7: Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, “Chattanooga Choo Choo”
The No. 1 song in the nation the day of the Pearl Harbor attack was also the first one ever awarded a gold record. Glenn Miller’s swing rendition of the song, which debuted in that year’s movie “Sun Valley Serenade,” hit No. 1 on Dec. 7, 1941, and stayed there (with a one-week break) until […]
Song of the Day 12/6: Mountain, “Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin)”
Long Island guitarist Leslie West was so impressed by Cream that he formed a band with Felix Pappalardi, who had produced the “Disraeli Gears” and “Wheels of Fire” LPs, on bass, to play the same kind of blues-soaked hard rock. Though they’re not much remembered today, Mountain was one of the bands that helped transform […]
Song of the Day 12/4: Amy Winehouse and Paul Weller, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
It’s been nearly a decade since Amy Winehouse died and she still hasn’t been replaced. In 2006, when she was on top of the world after the release of her second album, “Back to Black,” she teamed up with British blue-eyed soul icon Paul Weller on Jools Holland’s annual New Year’s Eve Hootenanny for this […]
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