Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 8/13: Elvis Presley, “In the Ghetto”
Another in our series of “nothing has changed” songs, “In the Ghetto” was recorded 50 years ago and, as one black guy watching this in a reaction video said, the only thing that’s different is that it’s twice as bad now. The song was written by singer and songwriter Mac Davis, who explained its genesis. […]
Song of the Day 8/12: The New Pornographers, “Falling Down the Stairs of Your Love”
Vancouver supergroup the New Pornographers last week released this single from their upcoming LP “In the Morse Code of Brake Lights.” This is the indie group’s eighth album, and by this point most of its members, except singer Neko Case, are more famous as members of this band than their original ones.
Song of the Day 8/10: Frijid Pink, “House of the Rising Sun”
In the late ’60s and early ’70s the American Midwest was one of the world’s hottest markets for rock music, and the region’s musicians responded by forming an ever-changing succession of blues-rock outfits. One that slipped down the memory hole for me was Frijid Pink, a Detroit band that caught the wave in 1969 with […]
Song of the Day 8/9: Brute Force, “The King of Fuh”
Recorded back in 1969, this single seems to presage the coming of a certain someone. There was a beautiful land called Fuh And in this land there was a king And everybody called him the Fuh King And the Fuh King did what he wanted to do I said the Fuh King went where he […]
Song of the Day 8/8: The Tremeloes, “Here Comes My Baby”
So I’m at a wedding with a pretty kick-ass band — horn section, multiple vocalists, the kind of $10,000-a-gig wedding band that can cover anything and sound good doing it. Like any good wedding band, their repertoire spans decades, so I was surprised when the front man introduced this as a song by the Mavericks. […]
Song of the Day 8/7: Neil Young, “The Losing End”
In California in 1969, just about every folk-rock band and musician was dabbling in, or fully embracing, country rock. Not Neil Young. He went straight country, no rock, on the second side of “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” with a tune that wears its twang on its sleeve. He doesn’t sing like an Opry star, […]
Song of the Day 8/6: The Presidents of the United States of America, “Peaches”
It’s the height of peach season and I couldn’t resist. Local orchards have millions of peaches, and I hum this tune every time I buy a half-peck. Remember when this song came out in 1996? Part of the Seattle band’s appeal was its goofy attitude, exemplified by its name. It’s 22 years later and it […]
Song of the Day 8/5: Chairmen of the Board, “Give Me Just a Little More Time”
Put on your shaggin’ shoes. This song is on any Carolina Beach Music compilation worth hearing. General Johnson, lead singer of the Chairmen of the Board, toured the beach circuit for most of the ’60s with his Norfolk band the Showmen, scoring several regional hits before leaving to go solo in 1968. By 1970 he […]
Song of the Day 8/4: B.J. Thomas, “Mighty Clouds of Joy”
If white churches had music like this at their services I’d go more often. After his run as a pop singer, B.J. Thomas had a long career in gospel music. This Cynthia Weil/Barry Mann song sounds like a link between the two, but Thomas recorded it in 1971, while he was still a secular singer, […]
Song of the Day 8/3: Stevie Wonder, “You Haven’t Done Nothin”
Don’t know if you saw it, but Charles Barkley made an unwelcome-by-Democrats point during this week’s debate coverage: “I think all politicians take black folks for granted,” Barkley told reporters. “They talk to black folks every four years, and that’s about it. How they’re going to make our lives better, and then do nothing about […]
Song of the Day 8/2: The Beach Boys, “Darlin'”
The lead track on “Wild Honey,” the Beach Boys’ back-to-our-roots album following the “Smile” disaster, this soul-flavored confection was a throwback even in 1967. The Beach Boys were considered has-beens by that point, so the song barely hit the Top 20, but I’ve always thought it was pretty darn outta sight. Said Brian Wilson in […]
Song of the Day 8/1: Elvis Presley, “Burning Love”
Elvis’ last No. 1 hit — and that only in Cashbox, not Billboard — in its first live performance, about two weeks after he recorded it in late March 1972. Elvis reportedly didn’t care for the song, but it quickly became a fat-Elvis-period fan favorite. It was kept from Billboard’s No. 1 spot by, of […]
Song of the Day 7/31: Frank Sinatra (Joe Piscopo) and Stevie Wonder (Eddie Murphy), “Ebony and Ivory”
This SNL skit dates to 1982, when Ronald Reagan was president. Would he have been elected if the “African monkeys” tape had been released to the public? Given what we know about the GOP, I’m guessing yes.
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