Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 9/20: Jim Croce, “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)”
Nobody called it the Day the Music Died, but 50 years ago today Philadelphia-born singer-songwriter Jim Croce was killed in a plane crash in Natchitoches, La., cutting short his career just as it was peaking. He was 30 years old. Croce started out in the mid-’60s, performing with his wife as a folk duo, but […]
Song of the Day 9/19: Maren Morris, “Get the Hell Out of Here”
Country music’s instincts have always been reactionary. Back in 1969, when people were realizing Richard Nixon’s promise to end the war in Viet Nam was bullshit, Merle Haggard wrote “Okie From Muskogee” because he thought the protesters were wrong. “America was at its peak, and what the hell did these kids have to complain about?” […]
Song of the Day 9/18: Joe South, “Games People Play”
It’s hard to tell nowadays, but pop psychology wasn’t always with us. The book that brought it to the masses was published in 1964 by psychiatrist Eric Berne, who noticed that a lot of the interpersonal problems his patients described fit certain patterns. From that, he developed what he called transactional analysis. Berne trained as […]
Song of the Day 9/17: Jewel Akens, “The Birds and the Bees”
A little heavy petting music for Lauren Boebert, along with a suggestion that next time she get a room. Jewel Akens sang with a number of doo-wop groups in the ’50s and early ’60s, but he had his only Top 40 hit with his 1964 release “The Birds and the Bees,” which reached No. 3 […]
Song of the Day 9/15: Arthur Conley, “Sweet Soul Music”
If you can listen to this song without getting excited, you might want to find a nurse to check you for a pulse. Arthur Conley’s was one of the most enigmatic stories in soul music. He was only 21 in 1967 and had released one single when he was discovered by Otis Redding, who signed […]
Song of the Day 9/14: Leslie Kritzer, “Creepy Old Guy”
Lauren Boebert, demonstrating the classiness we’ve all become familiar with, was booted from a performance of the musical “Beetlejuice” in Denver the other night after managing a hat trick of obnoxious behavior – vaping, taking video and singing along with the show. Several patrons complained. According to the Denver Post, “I’ve never seen anyone act […]
Song of the Day 9/13: Old and in the Way, “Wild Horses”
Joe Biden – you might have heard about this – is old. He’s been old for quite some time now, having been born in 1942, but the media has just noticed this, probably because Republicans won’t shut up about it while they prepare to challenge him with some fat tub of goo who wasn’t born […]
Song of the Day 9/12: R. Dean Taylor, “Indiana Wants Me”
So much for a good guy with a gun. Escaped killer Danelo Cavalcante broke into a house in rural Chester County and stole a .22-caliber rifle despite the homeowner firing seven shots at him. Unexplained: How Cavalcante got his hands on the weapon. I can understand wanting access to a handgun for self-protection, but a […]
Song of the Day 9/11: Shawn Colvin, “Viva Las Vegas”
Today marks a memorable anniversary. I speak, of course, of Sept. 11, 1991, the date The Dude writes a 69-cent check to pay for a quart of half-and-half at Ralph’s in “The Big Lewbowski.” Music is integral to many of the Coen brothers’ films, especially “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “Inside Llewyn Davis,” but […]
Song of the Day 9/10: Sunny War, “Whole”
Venice Beach-based singer-songwriter Sunny War got a big media push when her latest album, “Anarchist Gospel,” dropped back in February, but the song that WXPN picked up didn’t catch my ear the way this one did when it popped up on a Spotify list the other day. Sydney Lyndella Ward’s bluesy folk has won her […]
Song of the Day 9/8: Bobby “Blue” Bland, “I Wouldn’t Treat a Dog (The Way You Treated Me)”
It’s impossible to satirize the stupidity of MAGAts because they’re stupider than any smart person can pretend to be. How else to explain the results of the recent poll of 2,200 dog owners found that 37% of them consider canine vaccines unsafe because – I’m not making this up – they might give their dogs […]
Song of the Day 9/7: The Rolling Stones, “Angry”
The grandpas are alright. As if to prove that not all geriatrics are as decrepit as America’s politicians, the Rolling Stones are releasing an album of new material Oct. 20. They announced it yesterday along with the release of a single, “Angry.” The song is a rehash of familiar Stones tropes, and Mick doesn’t sound […]
Song of the Day 9/6: Gary Wright, “Love Is Alive”
Gary Wright, the rock keyboard player best known for his 1975 solo LP “The Dream Weaver,” died Monday at age 80 after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Along with Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman, Wright helped pioneer the use of synthesizers in rock. Wright was from New Jersey, but he launched his […]
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