Song of the Day 11/24: John Mellencamp, “American Fool”
"American Fool" is the name of John Mellencamp's breakthrough 1982 album, the one that led off with "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane," the two biggest hits of his…
Song of the Day 11/22: Was (Not Was), “11 MPH (Abe Zapp Ruder Version)”
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A lot of music has been written about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In the immediate aftermath songs expressed the shock and grief that enveloped the nation, but within…
Song of the Day 11/21: SSgt. Barry Sadler, “The Ballad of the Green Berets”
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This one's for George Frankel, the state senate candidate who wants to employ ex-Green Berets to keep order in high schools. "The Ballad of the Green Berets," written by a…
Song of the Day 11/20: Donald Fagen, “I.G.Y.”
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Yacht Rock might be the only music genre that got its name long after it had passed from prominence. Back when it was made, between the mid-'70s and mid-'80s, the…
Song of the Day 11/19: They Might Be Giants, “Don’t Let’s Start”
The title track to the 1986 debut album by They Might Be Giants is my go-to response to anyone who wants to talk to me about politics these days. To…
Song of the Day 11/18: Bob Mould, “It’s Too Late”
No rock singer/songwriter/guitarist has done more while being appreciated less than Bob Mould. Whether with Hüsker Dü, Sugar or solo, he has forged rage, despair and cynicism, alloyed with a…
Song of the Day 11/17: The Kinks, “You Really Got Me”
Record producer Shel Talmy died last week at age 87, and if the name is unfamiliar to you, the music he crafted isn't. The earliest hits by the Kinks and…
Song of the Day 11/15: Weezer, “Say It Ain’t So”
I'm not sure why this 30-year-old song popped into my head yesterday – maybe because it's been such a common response from various quarters to various Trump cabinet picks. Weezer…
Song of the Day 11/14: Willi Williams, “Armagedeon Time”
Prophesies of doom are pretty common in Jamaican music, but they don't necessarily get all minor-key gloomy about it. Willi Williams' "Armagedeon Time" talks about people going hungry and needing…
Song of the Day 11/13: The Hooters, “All You Zombies”
As yesterday's Graham Parker song illustrated, something about minor chords and a reggae beat seemed to put '70s and '80s rockers in an apocalyptic mood. When Eric Bazilian and Rob…
Song of the Day 11/12: Graham Parker & the Rumour, “Don’t Ask Me Questions”
There ain't no answers in me. This was one of Graham Parker's signature tunes when he burst onto the British music scene in the brief period in 1976 between the…
Song of the Day 11/11: Squeeze, “Gone to the Dogs”
The idiom is so old its origins are uncertain, but for centuries now going to the dogs has meant going downhill, if not to outright ruin. Now it's America's turn.…
Song of the Day 11/10: FEX, “Subways of Your Mind”
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Back in March, Song of the Day featured a tune dubbed the Most Mysterious Song on the Internet. Known only from a tape made from a radio broadcast back in…