Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 4/16: Al Green w/ Lyle Lovett, “Funny How Time Slips Away”
Funny how I’m always finding new old stuff on YouTube. I knew Al Green recorded a solo version of this Willie Nelson song in the 1970s, but I didn’t realize he had re-recorded it in a more uptempo version with Lyle Lovett. Serves me right for not paying attention to the Grammy Awards; Green won […]
Song of the Day 4/15: Junior Parker, “Taxman”
George Harrison’s ode to Great Britain’s 95% marginal tax rate always gets a workout this time of year. The lead-off track on “Revolver” embellishes George’s bitter lyrics (written after someone explained why he was seeing so little of the money the Beatles earned) with a bouncy beat and a searing-for-its-day lead guitar break by Paul […]
Song of the Day 4/14: Albert Brooks, “Rewriting the National Anthem”
Everybody wants a new national anthem, but only Albert Brooks recognized that the most democratic way to find one would be to hold open auditions. From the 1973 album “Comedy Minus One.” Update: Thanks to Jim from South Jersey, it’s now the proper clip.
Song of the Day 4/13: Dead Kennedys, “I Fought the Law (And I Won)”
You think you know the original, but you don’t. I keep running across old songs that would need very little retrofitting to apply to Donald Trump. Today’s example: Jello Biafra’s snide repurposing of the Sonny Curtis classic to fit the Dan White fiasco. For those with spotty memories or too few gray hairs, Dan White […]
Song of the Day 4/11: Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, “Old Town Road”
If you doubt that hip-hop has permeated virtually all of American music, look no further than the controversy over “Old Town Road.” The song started as a viral video in December and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 within three months. But the controversy hit when Billboard ruled the song ineligible for its […]
Song of the Day 4/10: Huey ‘Piano’ Smith, “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”
I’m not sure which one I had, but it knocked me on my ass the last few days. New Orleans ivory tickler Huey Smith scraped the bottom of the charts with his self-penned tune in 1957. It’s since been covered by everybody from Jerry Lee Lewis to Aerosmith to the Grateful Dead, but most successfully […]
Song of the Day 4/6: The Avalanches, “Frontier Psychiatrist”
I think this is a good representation of how Donald Trump’s brain works. Nothing in this song is actually original — it’s assembled from hundreds of samples with nothing beyond some scratching added, mostly from old recordings from all kinds of sources. The title phrase comes from a comedy sketch on a Canadian TV show, […]
Song of the Day 4/5: The Housemartins, “Build”
This one’s for Nancy: A plaintive ballad about overdevelopment from mid-’80s British band the Housemartins. The group frequently addressed social issues because singer and lyricist Paul Heaton didn’t like writing love songs. Clambering men in big bad boots Dug up my den, dug up my roots. Treated us like plasticine town They build us up […]
Song of the Day 4/4: Randy Rainbow, “Cruella DeVos”
Randy Rainbow, the parodist born for this administration, couldn’t resist taking on Trump’s most inept henchwoman once she cut the Special Olympics from her department’s budget. It’s since been (supposedly) restored, but that didn’t stop Randy from linking her to Disney’s nastiest villainess.
Song of the Day 4/3: Kings of Leon, “Hands to Myself”
Yeah, I’m snarking on Joe Biden — with an opening line like “Can’t keep my hands to myself no matter how hard I’m trying to,” how could I not? — but I actually like this KoL cover of a cheesy dance tune originally given to Selena Gomez. I could have gone with her version, but […]
Jason Ricci, His Band…AND A Complimentary Libation! And One More Thing…
Not only are you gonna see the greatest blues harp (aka harmonica) player in the world with his band, not only are you getting a great opener in Reed Turchi, but now your first libation will be compliments of moi, El Somnambulo. When you show up at the concert, mention my name (I’ll be there) […]
Song of the Day 4/2: Georgia Satellites, “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”
Think they’ll be playing this one at Joe Biden’s campaign rallies? The Atlanta band never had another hit after this song reached No. 2 in 1986, but they’re still at it, though lead singer and songwriter Dan Baird left for a solo career decades ago. He hit the charts in 1993 with “I Love You […]
Song of the Day 4/1: The Doobie Brothers, “What a Fool Believes”
“What a fool believes, he sees. No wise man has the power to reason away what seems to be.” The song is about a long-past love affair, but those words apply to just about any situation. Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins wrote this together, or rather, McDonald started it and Loggins finished it by adding […]
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