Friday Vids
No true playlist this week. Instead I’ll share two fun videos I’ve been sitting on for a few weeks. First, clips of classic Peanuts cartoons edited to somewhat match the classic Boston songs “Foreplay/Long Time.” https://youtu.be/qxtgJIQk1Ec?si=wfCl8mz0f5SIIhuD Next, someone recreates New Order’s “Blue Monday” using a staggering variety of Casio instruments.
Independence Day Playlist
Here we go! One of my favorite music days of the year! Two new songs for 2024. We’ll see if any of you can pick them out. No fair peeking back to last year’s post: it’s the same Spotify playlist so the posts for the last five years all update to show the new additions. Happy Fourth of July to…
Friday Playlist
I’m putting this list together late Thursday, for reasons I’ll get to in a moment, so it could take some weird turns. “Summer Girl” – HAIM Yep. “Save It For Later” – Eddie Vedder We were busy with the last night of summer league ball Thursday, so I couldn’t give any attention to the biggest event on TV: season three…
Reaching For The Stars, Vol. 102
Chart Week: June 20, 1987 Song: “I Want Your Sex” – George Michael Chart Position: #36, 3rd week on the chart. Peaked at #2 the week of August 8. Hey, a countdown that landed on my birthday! How did I celebrate turning 16? Well, we lived in San Leandro, CA at the time, and had dinner the night before at…
Friday Playlist
We are almost halfway through the calendar year and something weird has happened: I have zero albums on my running list of new music slated for release. Usually I have at least five entries in thre, stretching out months in advance. I’m sure I’ve missed a few albums, and there are ones I have no idea about at the moment…
Friday Playlist
“Summer Breeze” – Seals & Croft Yes, yes, yes. “Disconnect” – Fanning Dempsey National Park I doubt many of you know the names Paul Dempsey and Bernard Fanning. Dempsey was the lead singer for the band Something For Kate, while Fanning led Powderfinger, both of which have appeared in these playlists over the years. The two Aussie veterans joined forces…
Reaching For The Stars, Vol. 101
Chart Week: June 4, 1983 Song: “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” – Michael Jackson Chart Position: #22, 2nd week on the chart. Peaked at #5 for two weeks in July. High Fidelity was one of my favorite movies of the early 2000s. I loved the record store culture it celebrated. Hanging around with fellow music geeks, arguing about insanely obscure bits…
Thursday Playlist
Posting this a little early as I have a busy Friday morning. “Sabotage” – Beastie Boys Thirty years and one week ago the Beasties released Ill Communication. I’ve always been a Paul’s Boutique guy, but there are plenty of people who think IC was their best album. And, of course, this song was the basis for one of the greatest…
Reaching for the Stars: The First 100
With 100 Reaching for the Stars entries under my belt, it is time to break down where we’ve been, AT40 style. It should be no shock that there have been more entries from 1984 than any other year, a healthy 18 posts from the greatest year in pop music history. I was mildly surprised that 1982 was second with 16.…
Friday Playlist
“Bored In The Summer” – Bad Bad Hats Too soon? “Dotted Line” – Why Bonnie Blair Howerton wrote this in a moment when she “felt the weight of capitalism” pressing down upon her. I love shit like that. Also a nice warning to prospective artists about being aware of what they are giving up when they sign that record deal.…