Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 7/7: Elton John, “Philadelphia Freedom”
I think Philadelphia ought to adopt as its civic motto Pedicabo Circa et Invenire, which is online-translator-Latin for “Fuck Around and Find Out.” That’s what happened when a bunch of Texas-based white supremacists/fascists tried to stage a flash-mob march in Philadelphia on July 4. “They started engaging with citizens of Philadelphia, who were none too […]
Song of the Day 7/6: The Floaters, “Float On”
This out-of-left-field hit was one of the songs of the summer in 1977, mostly because of its slow-jam groove, not its silly lyrical conceit. I can’t be sure, but this song could have inspired Tim Meadows’ SNL sketches as Leon Phelps, the Ladies’ Man. It hit No. 2 on the Hot 100 and spent six […]
Song of the Day 7/5: Hippo Campus, “Way It Goes”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona Indie pop-rock tends to get overshadowed these days, but the dudes abide. In this case in a band called Hippo Campus. They make brisk, melodic, bright and tight songs, leading with guitars and some sublime vocals. “Way It Goes” is a perfect example. In fact, it makes a good song […]
Song of the Day 7/4: Bruce Springsteen, “Independence Day”
No, the song doesn’t have anything to do with the holiday, but it is one of Bruce Springsteen’s most personal songs, the one that most directly addresses the tension with his father that led him to stay behind in New Jersey when the rest of his family decamped for California. It was released on 1980’s […]
Song of the Day 7/3: The Doors, “Break On Through (to the Other Side)”
Fifty years ago today, Jim Morrison’s common-law wife found him dead in the bathtub of their Paris apartment, bringing to a close the singer’s years-long campaign of self-destruction and pretty much ending the career of one of the most popular American bands of the ’60s. Though frequent attempts have been made over the years to […]
Song of the Day 7/2: Chicago Transit Authority, “Poem 58”
For the past 40 years, people have thought of Chicago as an easy-listening band that played lots of mushy ballads, because that’s how they wasted the bulk of their existence — raking in the bucks by pumping out gruel. The public mostly has forgotten that the band, known as the Big Thing when it formed […]
Song of the Day 7/1: Counting Crows, “Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)”
Before Counting Crows became famous, the band circulated a demo tape that set off a bidding war among record companies. Most of the songs were rerecorded with T-Bone Burnett at the controls and appeared on their breakout 1993 LP “August and Everything After,” but this one was left out, apparently because upbeat jangle-pop didn’t fit […]
‘Bulo’s Fave Tunes: June 2021
Yet another diverse set of divertissements, featuring a couple of songs I’d missed from earlier this year. Enjoy! If you’re gonna cover a Leonard Cohen song, might as well make it your own. Like this: Memo To Self: This is the second song I’ve posted from this album. Plus one from Jenn Wasner, who […]
Song of the Day 6/30: Todd Snider, “Can’t Complain”
Like his onetime mentor John Prine, Todd Snider’s songs, built from simple chords and clever lyrics, fall into a category between folk and country that the label “Americana” doesn’t quite capture. He’s been recording since 1994, but I only learned about him because Spotify informed me that, given my love for Prine, I’d probably like […]
Song of the Day 6/29: OMC, “How Bizarre”
This was the song of the summer 24 years ago, when it was inescapable on radio and MTV. Despite never being released as a single, it topped Billboard’s airplay chart in summer 1997, after reaching No. 1 first in the group’s native New Zealand, then in Australia and several European countries. OMC was started as […]
Song of the Day 6/27: Mumford and Sons, “Hopeless Wanderer”
Mumford and Sons, the British band that soared to popularity a decade ago by dressing up like farmers and playing Americana, hit the news this week when their banjo player left the band because, basically, he’s a right-wing dude-bro, and fans weren’t happy about it. Winston Marshall, 33, the group’s co-founder and a self-described “trustafarian,” […]
Song of the Day 6/24: Tom Cochrane, “Life Is a Highway”
In honor of the Senate’s infrastructure deal, which apparently will be confined to not much more than highways. This one pops up all the time on classic rock radio, and to be honest I never knew when it was released. I don’t recall it ever being a new song — it just started showing up […]
Song of the Day 6/23: Ohio Players, “Funky Worm”
Have you seen any stories about this invasive species of Asian “jumping” earthworms that’s tearing up forest land in the Midwest? Check the link and prepared to be creeped out. But do it while you listen to the Ohio Players’ first charting single, from their 1973 LP “Pleasure.” It was a No. 1 R&B hit, […]
Recent Comments