Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 70
Chart Week: February 16, 1980 Song: “We Don’t Talk Anymore” – Cliff Richard Chart Position: #32, 18th week on the chart. Peaked at #7 for two weeks in January. I’m guessing most, if not all, of my readers have no memory of Cliff Richard. That’s kind of crazy, because he was one of the most popular singers in the world…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3oZS0xHvNm2kknkwx6UzUK?si=81518f5664ae4f58 “Invincible” – Eddie Vedder I included EV’s “Brother the Cloud” in last week’s playlist. That was also the release day of Ed’s solo album Earthing. Shortly after posting that PL, I virtually spun the album for the first time. And I almost haven’t stopped since. As with the first two singles, I was blown away by how unexpectedly great…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5iKy5ucUcaYRNFCz9JLYqa?si=901b0ee5a7bd445b “Brother Cloud” – Eddie Vedder I wasn’t sure about this whole “EdVed solo album” thing. And then “Long Way” was one of my favorite songs of last year. Still, I held off listening to any of the other advance singles, figuring I would wait until today when the album finally dropped to check them out. Then I heard this…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 69
Chart Week: February 5, 1977 Song: “Carry On Wayward Son” – Kansas Chart Position: #36, 7th week on the chart, debut week on Top 40. Peaked at #11 for two weeks in April. The world is a much smaller place today than when my generation was growing up. Thanks to cable/satellite TV, the Internet, and social media networks, trends spread…
Friday Playlist
Although our big winter storm was kind of a dud – I’m guessing we are in the 7-8″ range instead of the 12″+ that was forecast – this is snow day number two for our girls. Which means as soon as I get this posted I’m outside for round number two of shoveling so S can head to work in…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 68
Chart Week: January 26, 1985 Song: “Do What You Do” – Jermaine Jackson Chart Position: #19, 14th week on the chart. Peaked at #13 the week of January 5. How do you define a single? That dilemma has long frustrated people who track the popularity of music. Over the years Billboard magazine has used a variety of definitions for how…
Friday Playlist
I don’t trust the Spotify algorithm to suggest music to me very often. I make a quick pass through my Discovery Weekly and Release Radar playlists each week, but I will generally only find a song or two that are new to me and fit my tastes. Last week, though, the Discovery playlist spit out a different version of an…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 67
Chart Week: January 12, 1985 Song: “The Boys of Summer” – Don Henley Chart Position: #16, 10th week on the chart. Peaked at #5 the week of February 9. You might wonder why I spend a few hours each week listening to re-broadcasts of a 40-ish year-old radio show that features songs I can listen to literally whenever I want.…
Friday Playlist
This week features a song that choked me up and an oldie I’m guessing most of you won’t remember. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6o14w4OebmqlOXpDNmjBaX?si=ec15a77caad44f7b “Wishbone” – Husbands A cool post-post-post-post punk track by a duo from Oklahoma. With guest vocals from a third Sooner State artist. Doing my best to push emerging artists from Big 12 country! “Everything Is Simple” – Widowspeak “Everything is…
Friday Playlist
Some terrific new songs and RIP to one of the biggest names in the history of popular music. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5i35EIhow8Gwq3XGKFYLAO?si=a4ae2c77c12640e6 “Wild” – Spoon Spoon never, ever release a bad single. That doesn’t mean every single is great, but they always hold my attention for a week or two. This, however, is a great single, as good as anything they’ve done in…