Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 4/19: Blue Oyster Cult, “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper”
Sure, c’mon, let’s reopen everything on May 1! Don’t fear the reaper! Blue Oyster Cult’s biggest hit (No. 7 Cashbox, No. 12 Billboard) was already a classic rock staple by 2000, when Saturday Night Live immortalized it in what has become one of the most popular skits in the show’s long history. Christopher Walken says […]
Song of the Day 4/17: Bob Dylan, “I Contain Multitudes”
Mr. Zimmerman is at it again. He dropped another new song, again at midnight, without explanation or embellishment. This one’s a lot shorter than “Murder Most Foul,” but it’s similar in its spare instrumental accompaniment and its lyrical obsessions. Still no word on whether this is part of a forthcoming album.
Song of the Day 4/16: Ralph Stanley, “O Death”
If Donald Trump gets his way, this will become the new national anthem. The Appalachian folk song dates back to the 1920s, but it only got wide exposure when the Coen brothers used Ralph Stanley’s a cappella version in their 2000 film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” in a scene depicting a Klan rally. The […]
Song of the Day 4/15: Warren Zevon, “Life’ll Kill Ya”
If Warren Zevon were still alive, he’d probably re-title this one “Trump’ll Kill Ya,” but the real reason I thought of it is this line in the first verse: You need a permit to walk around downtown. That’s now the literal truth here in Paris, where you have to show papers listing your name, address, […]
Song of the Day 4/14: XTC, “Mayor of Simpleton”
Donald Trump proclaimed himself King of America yesterday. He’s really just Mayor of Simpleton. This Andy Partridge song was on the 1989 LP “Oranges and Lemons.”
Ernest Hemingway on American Fascism
Because I took no books with me on what I thought would be a three-week trip to Paris and Barcelona, I’ve been passing the time by reading old books online. Over the past day I read Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” his novel set in the Spanish Civil War. His protagonist, Robert Jordan, […]
Song of the Day 4/13: UFO, “Doctor, Doctor”
UFO was one of the earliest British bands to earn the label “heavy metal,” forming in 1968, the same year as Black Sabbath. They never managed to score a hit in the U.S., but they reached the lower reaches of the UK charts several times. This was originally released in 1974 and failed to chart, […]
Song of the Day 4/11: Louis Armstrong, “Go Down Moses”
This song seems appropriate considering that not only is it Passover, we’re also afflicted by a ruler deaf to the pleas of the people. Louis Armstrong recorded it in 1958 with Sy Oliver’s orchestra. Fats Waller recorded it 20 years earlier, accompanying himself on Hammond organ. Its first mention in history was in 1862, when […]
Song of the Day 4/10: Emma’s Revolution, “From a (Social) Distance”
Married couple Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow formed Emma’s Revolution, named for activist Emma Goldman, in 2001 as a folk music project in the old folkie tradition, meaning social activism through music. They released this song, a parody of the 1990 Bette Midler hit, earlier this week.
Song of the Day 4/9: John Prine and Marianne Faithfull, “This Love Is Real”
The roll call of the stricken continues. Marianne Faithfull has been hospitalized in London with covid-19 since late last week. She recorded this with John Prine for his 1995 LP, “Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings.” Old heads remember Faithfull as one of the young beauties who flitted around the Rolling Stones in the swingin’ London […]
Songs of the Day 4/8: John Prine, “Please Don’t Bury Me” and “When I Get to Heaven”
John Prine has been writing about his place in the afterlife throughout his career, starting with “Please Don’t Bury Me” from 1973’s “Sweet Revenge” LP. “That song was originally about this character I had in mind called Tom Brewster,” Prine said. “He dies but he wasn’t supposed to, like that scene in those old movies. […]
Song of the Day 4/7: Stevie Wonder, “Superstition”
We didn’t realize it when this song was released on “Talking Book” in 1972, but it was warning us about the coronavirus. Don’t believe me? Then explain these lyrics, which sound like a direct rebuke of Donald Trump’s magical thinking about covid-19 cures: Very superstitious, wash your face and hands Rid me of the problems, […]
Song of the Day 4/6: Uncle Tupelo, “We’ve Been Had”
From the last album before their breakup, back when Jeff Tweedy was still in touch with his punk roots. This was mostly a swipe at their old record company, which wanted the band to emulate Nirvana and refused to pay out royalties they were owed. But it does include this verse: Republicans and Democrats can’t […]
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