Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 8/6: Marshall Crenshaw, “Someday, Someway”
Marshall Crenshaw’s eponymous debut LP arrived in 1982, a time when New Wave was petering out, but its spare, fresh updating of Buddy Holly’s rockabilly sound won him critical attention. “Someday, Someway,” the first single from the album, only reached No. 62 on the Hot 100, but the LP was full of catchy tunes that […]
Song of the Day 8/4: Sugar, “Believe What You’re Saying”
Some people in the media are pretending that the case against Donald Trump hinges on whether he believed what he was saying about the election being “stolen.” Uh, no. You can believe what you want to believe, you can say what you want to say, but you can’t take criminal action just because you believe […]
Song of the Day 8/3: Elton John, “Slave”
Warning: It is illegal to play this song for students in Florida. This seems like an odd topic for a British pop singer to tackle, but it fit with lyricist Bernie Taupin’s early fascination with 19th-century Americana. It was included on “Honky Chateau,” the 1972 LP that sealed John’s stardom. You might notice that there […]
Song of the Day 8/2: John Lee Hooker, “Boom Boom”
And boom goes the dynamite. Jack Smith answered the question “Will Donald Trump ever face consequences for his life of crime?” in the affirmative, and American history has been changed forever. We just don’t know how yet, because the debris from the blast still hasn’t hit the ground. Considering that those six co-conspirators are for […]
Song of the Day 8/1: Cyndi Lauper, “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Theme”
A lot of 40-somethings are having childhood flashbacks at news of the death at 70 of Paul Reubens, far better known as Pee-Wee Herman. He announced his six-year struggle with cancer only in a posthumous message. Reubens developed the Pee-Wee character as one of the early members of the Groundlings, the Los Angeles improv troupe […]
‘Bulo’s Fave Tunes: July, 2023
Best month of the year? Quite possibly. So much stellar stuff and so much variety: I’ve found the songs of Big Thief resistable–until now: For lovers of the Wild Tchoupitoulas which, come to think of it, should be everybody. BTW, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah is the former Christian Scott, trumpeter extraordinaire. I LOVE this stuff!: […]
Song of the Day 7/31: The Marvellettes, “The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game”
A nod to the Republican Party’s big new obsession, which is the same as its big old obsession. In 1967 the Marvellettes were still enjoying their comeback when this Smokey Robinson composition became their penultimate Top 40 hit. It reached No. 13 on the Hot 100, and No. 2 on the R&B chart. Grace Jones […]
Song of the Day 7/30: Merle Haggard, “Life in Prison”
Just something for Donald Trump to think about as he stews in his fetid juices over the wrongs he’s done. “Life in Prison” appeared on Merle Haggard’s third album, 1967’s “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive.” The title track was the first of his 38 No. 1 country hits. Haggard’s stretch at San Quentin was far from […]
Song of the Day 7/28: Randy Meisner, “Hearts on Fire”
Randy Meisner, founding bassist of the Eagles, died Wednesday at age 77. He’d had health problems for many years; his last live gig was in 2008. Meisner had stints in Poco and Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band before joining Linda Ronstadt’s backing band, which morphed into the Eagles in 1971. Meisner’s high harmonies helped define […]
Song of the Day 7/27: Sinéad O’Connor, “The Last Day of Our Acquaintance”
I can’t think of a great musician who got less attention for her music than Sinéad O’Connor. Critics raved over her first LP, 1987’s “The Lion and the Cobra,” but the broader public didn’t notice her until her performance of “Mandinka” at the 1989 Grammy Awards. As Rolling Stone put it, ““If there was Twitter […]
Song of the Day 7/26: Aerosmith, “Pink”
The Barbie movie has gotten glowing reviews, but it has created one unfortunate side effect: The garish pink color that shades toward magenta – officially labeled #e0218a by Pantone, and called “Barbie pink” – is suddenly everywhere. That’s not the pink Steven Tyler was singing about on this cut from the band’s 1997 “Nine Lives” […]
Song of the Day 7/25: Aqua, “Barbie Girl”
With Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” racking up box-office records, it was only natural that this 1997 Europop earworm would make a comeback, though it’s not featured in the film in its original form. Aqua, a Danish-Norwegian quartet, came up with “Barbie Girl” after one member saw an exhibit on kitsch culture that featured the billion-selling doll. […]
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