Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 1/30: Billy Bragg, “City of Heroes”
Bruce Springsteen isn’t the only musician who has channeled his anger at the paramilitary occupation of Minneapolis into song. British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg has always been politically outspoken. Like Springsteen, he was spurred by the murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good to write about it. It hasn’t gotten as much publicity as Springsteen’s effort, […]
Song of the Day 1/29: Bruce Springsteen, “Streets of Minneapolis”
In the 1960s, starting with the civil rights movement and continuing throughout the war in Vietnam, popular music played a major role in opposing authority. Folk musicians were in the vanguard on civil rights. By the mid-’60s nuclear proliferation prompted hundreds of anti-war songs, and rockers soon took up the cause. But protest music mostly […]
Song of the Day 1/28: The Rivieras, “California Sun”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona In these times of snow and ice, thoughts naturally turn to the warm California sun. We’re not there, but there’s a song for that, “California Sun” by the Rivieras. The relentless, hooky, surf-rock influenced song has been sparking a California mood since 1964. But the Rivieras weren’t in California either. […]
Song of the Day 1/27: Bruce Springsteen, “American Skin (41 Shots)”
The agencies and uniforms, even the race of the victims, have varied over the years, but Alex Pretti’s shocking murder is not surprising. These extrajudicial executions have been going on for decades in the United States. You can tell from the history of this song. Few might remember it now, but on Feb. 4, 1999, […]
Song of the Day 1/26: Marilyn Manson, “Killing Strangers”
A theme song for the ICE/CBP goons murdering U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Marilyn Manson wrote this song, from his band’s 2015 album “The Pale Emperor,” about the PTSD his father suffered after serving in Vietnam. Manson’s real name is Brian Warner; he adopted his stage name to reflect America’s twin fascinations with beautiful women and […]
Song of the Day 1/25: Loreena McKennitt, “Snow”
I realize the snow is going to be followed by freezing rain, but there aren’t any songs about freezing rain. There are many about snow, but they get lumped in with holiday music. “Let It Snow,” “Winter Wonderland,” even “Jingle Bells” have nothing to do with Christmas, but once the decorations are down and the […]
Song of the Day 1/24: The Doors, “Riders on the Storm”
Anyone worth his salt stocked up on it early, because from what I hear there’s not much to be found. We laugh at Southerners who freak out about 2 inches of snow, but it’s been years since northern Delaware got much more than that (higher accumulations have been more common in Kent and Sussex than […]
Song of the Day 1/22: The 1910 Fruitgum Company, “1, 2, 3 Red Light”
TACO Trump outdid himself in Davos, making his usual ugly noises about taking over Greenland and threatening Europe with punitive tariffs for not agreeing to it – and then backpedaling one day later when the stock markets plunged. It’s a perfect illustration of why countries don’t want to do business with the U.S. – who […]
Song of the Day 1/21: Ricky Nelson, “Hello Mary Lou”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona Ricky Nelson was a celebrity before he became a teen idol recording star. And when he became a teen idol recording star he didn’t follow the musical path expected of him. That path eventually led to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he was inducted by John Fogerty. […]
Song of the Day 1/20: Thee Sinseers, “What’s His Name”
His name is Jonathan Ross. At the risk of triggering commenter Anon, I’ma go ahead and call him a murderer, even though, as a legal term, “murder” only applies to a killing that has been adjudicated one. Jonathan Ross is, of course, the trigger-happy ICE agent who iced Renee Good in Minneapolis. His name was […]
Song of the Day 1/19: The Greenland Defense Front, “The Hungry Giant”
H/t to Mike Dinsmore, who posted this in the open thread the other day. I’m not sure how many readers clicked that link, but the AI-generated video has been spreading all around the internet – Paul Krugman even posted it on his Substack the other day – so I’m making it Song of the Day […]
Song of the Day 1/18: X-Ray Spex, “Art-I-Ficial”
Once upon a time, the goal of cosmetic surgery was to make a person look younger naturally. No more. You probably noticed what they call Mar-a-Lago Face, the exaggerated look adopted by so many MAGA women. Looking natural is passe. The whole point now is to make it obvious one has had a lot of […]
Song of the Day 1/16: The Police, “Can’t Stand Losing You”
Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, the two members of the Police who aren’t Sting, have taken the band’s songwriter and vocalist to court over royalties for their best-known song, “Every Breath You Take.” As this article from the Guardian explains, Sting agreed in 2016 to give Summers and Copeland 15% of the royalties as an […]
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