After taking a break for the holiday, I’m offering you an extra jam-packed playlist at no extra cost.

“Rain In The Summertime” – The Alarm
After the remnants of Hurricane Beryl rolled through this past week, there’s a chance of rain every day for the next week. I won’t complain, though, as the showers will be scattered each day and will help moderate our temps just a little bit. By the way, did you hear that Beryl closely followed the path of April’s eclipse? Really makes you think.

“Red” – World News
Stereogum had Tom Breihan write the blurb for this track when it was released, which was perfect. Who better than the master of the Billboard charts to point out that this song sounds straight out of 1980’s college radio? Yet it’s brand new!

“Favourite” – Fontaines D.C.
A slight adjustment in direction for FDC. I like it a lot.

“OUTTAMYMIND” – Wings of Desire
Not sure exactly how to describe this song, but it fits the vibe of this week’s playlist.

“Hot Sun” – Wilco
Two weeks ago we honored the 20th anniversary of Wilco’s A Ghost Is Born. That same day the band dropped a new EP that featured a mix of traditional and instrumental tracks. This is the best of the bunch, and perfect for the middle of summer.

“Ananda” – Strand of Oaks
Timothy Showalter has never been shy about sharing what he was going through in his life via his music. Whether it was infidelity and strife in his marriage, a struggle with drugs and alcohol, or mental health issues, it’s always been right there in his songs. He seems like he’s in a good place these days, thus this track, which takes its name from a Sanskrit word for bliss and happiness. He says it explores the “unexpected sensuality of connection through spiritual practice.” OK then.

“Stuck In The Middle With You” – Stealers Wheel
Gerry Rafferty died a few years back. His partner in Stealers Wheel, Joe Egan, passed this week. This made it to #6 in the US in 1973 and re-entered our cultural memory when Quentin Tarantino used it in a particularly gruesome scene in Reservoir Dogs.

“Sleep All Summer” – Crooked Fingers
Our middle daughter’s goal for 2024.

“Rock Me Tonight” – Billy Squier
The week off left me with several terrific options for this week’s 1984 vid. Van Halen’s “Panama.” “Round And Round,” by Ratt. But the obvious choice debuted in the Top 40 at #39 in just its second week in the Hot 100. It isn’t Squier’s best song – “The Stroke” is the undefeated champion there – but it is still pretty solid. This video, though, sets it apart.

Widely considered one of the worst videos ever made, it either helped the song go to #15, or limited it to peaking there, depending on who you ask. But the backlash against the video was so strong that Squier never had another Top 40 pop hit.

Why a backlash you ask? Well, watch the video. It’s a little campy, a little cringey, but mostly goofy. However, in 1984, if you were an otherwise heterosexual dude and you made a video like this, not only would people think you were gay – which was one of the worst things you could be in 1984 – they would also stop liking your music so other idiots didn’t accuse them of being gay. Like the kid at my bus stop who told several of us that we were XXXs for listening to Prince. 1984 had some of the greatest music and movies ever. But society was still kind of fucked up. Some things never change, I guess. If a straight dude made this same video today, I’m not sure anyone would care.

You can read more about the video here.