Arts and Entertainment
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. […]
Song of the Day 7/24: Randy Newman, “Sail Away”
For 200 years now some people have maintained that slavery was a benefit to the enslaved – “They were better off than they were in Africa” goes the refrain. In Florida, that’s now official history. Under the state’s new educational standards, students will be taught that slavery benefitted the enslaved. Abraham Lincoln had the proper […]
Song of the Day 7/23: Steely Dan, “Bad Sneakers”
Let’s play “What’s Fox News freaking out about today?” If you guessed “Joe Biden wearing sneakers,” you’re our winner! Yes, according to one on-air imbecile, it’s akin to “wearing a Speedo and flipflops to a funeral.” Really? Seriously? Because I see old guys in Skechers every day, and I’ve never seen anyone in a Speedo […]
Song of the Day 7/21: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
He was born Anthony Benedetto, but Bob Hope told him that was too long to fit on a marquee and renamed him Tony Bennett. In his 96 years he was known and befriended by a century’s worth of notable musicians and show-biz figures, from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga. He died Friday, several years after […]
Song of the Day 7/20: Chuck Berry, “My Ding-a-Ling”
Marjorie Taylor Greene, demonstrating the keen judgment she’s known for, used the occasion of a congressional hearing to show nude pictures of Hunter Biden to the public. The collective reaction has been what texters express as “SMH.” She’s apparently unaware that those texters, and everyone else under the age of 40, routinely send such photos […]
Song of the Day 7/19: People Under the Stairs, “The Effects of Climate Change on Densely Populated Areas”
Phoenix just had its 19th consecutive day of temperatures reaching 110° F – the high for the day was 118° – and there’s no sign of when it will abate. The media attention is welcome, and might even convince the public that it’s time to shut the barn door now that the horse is out. […]
Song of the Day 7/18: Judas Priest, “Breaking the Law”
Against all odds, it seems Donald Trump is going to be indicted for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. I’m not sure whether he’ll be charged with being the mastermind or just a master baiter. This song, the second single from Judas Priest’s 1980 album “British Steel,” reached No. 12 on the UK singles […]
Song of the Day 7/17: Mr. Big, “To Be With You”
Most of the world considers Mr. Big a one-hit wonder. The Los Angeles-based glam-metal band, active through the ’90s, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 1991 with an acoustic power ballad, “To Be With You.” The song also reached No. 1 in 14 other countries, notably including Japan. “To Be With You” […]
Song of the Day 7/15: The Strawbs, “Part of the Union”
Nearly all of Hollywood — oh, OK, just the actors and writers — is on strike, an ominous situation. Remember when the writers walked out in 1988? That brought on the flood of reality TV programming that led to the Kardashians. With both the writers and actors gone, producers might turn to robots and AI […]
Song of the Day 7/14: Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”
This song is proof (if we needed any after Lil Nas X and “Old Town Road”) that the term “country music” has lost all meaning except as a barrier to the “wrong people.” Country’s latest superstar, Luke Combs, has taken “Fast Car” to No. 1 on the country charts — not without controversy. It’s been […]
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