Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 9/19: Foo Fighters, “My Hero”
Seems like every recording artist save Kid Rock wants Donald Trump to stop using their music, and some have been winning their cases in court. The latest example is Eddy Grant, who won his lawsuit over the use of “Electric Avenue” in an online 2020 campaign ad. Trump’s campaign has licensed lots of music through […]
Song of the Day 9/18: JD Souther, “Best of My Love”
JD Souther, best known for writing hit songs for the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and other Southern California soft rockers of the ’70s, died yesterday, cutting short a modest late career renaissance for the 78-year-old singer-songwriter, who was set to tour with Karla Bonoff. Though he played with Glenn Frey in a short-lived band called Longbranch […]
Song of the Day 9/17: Tito Jackson, “Love One Another”
Tito Jackson, the Jackson 5 guitarist whose name became a punchline, died the Sunday of a heart attack at age 70. Tito knew standup comedians used his name for cheap laughs. “I’ve always been the quietest member of the group, so people make jokes about me,” he said in a 2018 interview. “One of my […]
Song of the Day 9/16: Jane’s Addiction, “Jane Says”
In Boston the other night, fans went to a Jane’s Addiction concert and a hockey game broke out. Mid-song, lead singer Perry Farrell turned his aggro act on Dave Navarro, body checking the guitarist and then taking a swing at his head before stage security wrestled Farrell off the stage. Naturally, scores of concertgoers had […]
Song of the Day 9/14: Al Stewart, “Year of the Cat”
In case you hadn’t noticed, this year’s presidential election is all about cats. I’m not clear on whether Republicans hate cats. Their disdain for cat ladies seems to indicate they do, but on the other hand they’re equally incensed by the notion that Haitians in Ohio are eating pet cats. Frankly, I have a feeling […]
Song of the Day 9/13: Frankie Beverly and Maze, “Before I Let Go”
Soul singer Frankie Beverly, who died this week at 77, wasn’t well known to white audiences. He and his band Maze didn’t hit their commercial stride until the late ’70s, after the disco craze had died down. Beverly’s brand of smooth, funk-seasoned soul never crossed over to the mainstream – he never had a Top […]
Song of the Day 9/12: Linda Ronstadt, “La Cigarra”
Big shout-out to Linda Ronstadt, who took to Instagram on the occasion of a Trump rally in her hometown today to blister the immigrant-hating/immigrant-marrying ex-president. Donald Trump is holding a rally on Thursday in a rented hall in my hometown, Tucson. I would prefer to ignore that sad fact. But since the building has my […]
Song of the Day 9/11: Camille, “Cats and Dogs”
Unless you’re a right-wing loon, last night’s debate might have been the first you’ve heard about the gangs of immigrants who are eating pet cats and dogs all across America. Donald Trump said it, so it’s got to be true. Camille is a French singer and actress who had several Top 10 LPs in her […]
Song of the Day 9/10: Electric Light Orchestra, “Showdown”
Tonight’s televised face-off between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump can’t possibly meet expectations, if only because they’re so high for Harris and so low for Trump. I think those expecting a Trump meltdown will be disappointed, and if he holds himself together he will be declared the winner because he stepped over that low bar. […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024
Gonna be a busy day. Delaware’s primary elections wind up today – polls close at 8 p.m. – and the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump begins at 9 p.m., about the time primary results should be coming in. We’ll have an open thread for debate watchers and another for primary watchers. House Republicans […]
Song of the Day 9/9: Weird Al Yankovic, “Bob”
It took me a minute to figure out what was going on here. Yes, of course it’s a parody of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” but what seem to be surreal mid-’60s Dylan lyrics all have something in common. The title itself is a clue, but I didn’t catch on until he got to “Madam […]
Song of the Day 9/8: English Teacher, “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”
The Mercury Prize, awarded for the best album by a British or Irish act, had an upset winner last week. English Teacher, a fledgling post-punk band from Leeds, took home the £25,000 first prize for their debut album, “This Could Be Texas,” beating out the heavily favored Charli xcx’s “Brat.” Even the band seem surprised; […]
Song of the Day 6/6: unknown artist, “Walk on Back”
If you want to encounter soul music you’ve never heard before, the seven-CD set “Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos,” released last summer, represents a treasure trove. Archivist and producer Cheryl Pawelski spent 17 years combing through unlabeled demo tapes to unearth songs that had been recorded by the Memphis label’s songwriters and […]
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