Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 72
Chart Week: April 26, 1980 Song: “Cars” – Gary Numan Chart Position: #22, 11th week on the chart. Peaked at #9 for three weeks in June. It has always bothered me that Gary Numan never seemed impressed with the biggest song of his career, 1980’s “Cars.” I’ve read several stories in which he speaks of it dismissively. On the song’s…
April Media
Shows and Movies Official Secrets Weird how huge events that happened A) overseas and B) while we were waiting for M to be born have totally slipped my mind. Here is a dramatic recounting of how Brit Katharine Gun leaked a confidential memo about the efforts to sway the UN Security Council to vote in favor of war against Iraq…
Weekend Notes
I was going to begin this post with a complaint about the weather. Then I realized that our recent run of swings between warm and cool are what spring is supposed to be like. Sure, it would be great if it was 60 for two weeks, then 65 for two weeks, and so on. Recent years have seemed a lot…
Stats
April 2022 Wet Leg – 96 Crowded House – 48 Jack White – 41 Hatchie – 29 Arcade Fire – 26 Complete stats available at my Last.fm page.
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7curiq1YPat8lwaHLQzfIR?si=7715cf94c2a04e21 “Roman Holiday” – Fontaines D.C. FDC’s new album dropped last week, to critical acclaim. It is a little too one-note for me, so no surprise that this track is the one that stuck out to me, as it is the only one that varies (slightly) from the rest of the album’s sound. “Wonderment” – Chastity Brown Hey, it’s Adele…
Weekend Notes: Prom and Sports
Prom We survived our first prom weekend with pretty much zero drama. Well, I should say prom night was pretty easy, but there was plenty of drama leading up to it. M found a dress quickly and easily, got it altered well ahead of time, and had most of the basics squared away several weeks ago. But the planning for…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3pPq5rG5tq9LcLyLoO2rhc?si=ff9c013661944deb “More Than Love” – Hand Habits Meg Duffy spent the lockdown huddled in a home with fellow artist Sasami and engineer Kyle Thomas. Duffy said the time spent with them gave her the courage to write the songs for her latest album. I’ve given it a listen and this is, by far, the standout track from it. “Dignitary Life”…
Sports Notes
Thanks to the NCAA tournament, spring break, and general laziness, I’m behind on a couple sports stories. When a huge one broke Wednesday night, that jogged my memory that I should probably get to them. Jayhawk Talk Hey, did you know the Kansas Jayhawks won the national championship two weeks ago? It was pretty cool! We’ve had a steady run…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 71
Chart Week: April 19, 1986 Song: “A Little Bit of Love (Is All It Takes)” – New Edition Chart Position: #38, 8th week on the chart. Peaked at #38 for two weeks. Every teen pop group faces a dilemma as they get older: how do they maintain their audience as they, their fans, and their music matures? New Edition was…
Reader’s Notebook, 4/19/22
I’ve been on a good reading stretch lately. Here are some blurbs. The Mercenary – Paul Vidich Vidich gets a lot of critical acclaim for his espionage novels. I wasn’t crazy about his first book I read, The Good Assassin. It was so noir-y that I felt no warmth towards or connection with any of the characters. Despite that, I…