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…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 66
Chart Week: January 10, 1981 Song: “More Than I Can Say” – Leo Sayer Chart Position: #10, 16th week on the chart. Peaked at #2 for five weeks. (I will be adding an element to these posts moving forward. I’m going to copy my man Tom Breihan and rate each song using his 10-point scale.) One of the only bummers…
Friday Playlist
There is an unintentional theme to this week’s playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/51nkHVdwuXbJRobCtqcCcT?si=a75a586dc8614e4a “Tunnels” – Weakened Friends A huge, crunchy very 90s song about getting your heart broken. It’s awesome. “Lo Lo Lonely” – Young Guv YG returns in March with a double album filled with his take on power pop. I know Matthew Sweet put out an album last year. I didn’t…
Friday Playlist
It’s been awhile since we’ve had a normal Friday playlist. Might as well wrap up 2020 by getting back into the routine of sharing good music with friends on Fridays. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ylMbTT4eZud6taHU7f0tf?si=eebec8a3a2134a9a “Maelstrom” – Melts I’ve been sitting on this one for awhile. Turns out it is perfect to save for New Year’s Eve, as it is about a getting caught…