Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 48
Chart Week: September 16, 1989 Song: “Friends” – Jody Watley with Eric B & Rakim Chart Position: #33, 14th week on the chart. Peaked at #9 the week of August 26. For some reason I’ve struggled with this entry. I’ve been working on it for two weeks but can never seem to find the right tone. I’m setting a timer…
Emergency Video
Fuck, cancer got Eddie. Hard rock wasn’t necessarily my thing. But I learned that Eddie Van Halen was one of the 10 or 20 coolest people on the planet in the early ’80s and it was a good thing to know about and like his music. Shame that David Lee Roth was so atrocious in this performance because Eddie sounded…
Friday Playlist
First off, apologies. I had a morning project that took longer than expected then lunch duty at St. P’s and I am a bit behind. Better late than never, though. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2YsU1QXSLIkGoyfGEYxAGW?si=ZN2fMnPdQre5bPOnWlogcA “Ghosts” – Bruce Springsteen. HOLY SHIT!!! The lead single off Springsteen’s up-coming album, the title track “Letter to You,” is pretty good. But this? Again, HOLY SHIT!!! Best song…
Friday Playlist
Another week when I’m not terribly prepared to share a playlist of (mostly) new music. I’ve reached the point in the year when I start looking backwards and doing some tentative work on my Favorite Songs of the Year list. While there has been plenty of new music in the middle half of the year, and some of that music…
Friday Vids
For most of this week I’ve been listening to A) the new Doves album, which is awesome, and B) working through Steven Hyden’s The Best Bruce Springsteen Songs, Ranked list. As of Thursday night I am just past the mid-point of the list. I’ve discovered some songs that are new to me that I’ve really enjoyed while building more respect…
Tops of Eighty Four
It only took six weeks for Tom Breihan to roll through the 20 number one songs of 1984. 1985 has some bangers, for sure, but we’re approaching the point where I’ll be more interested in his words than in the songs themselves. In the comments, people ranked the Number Ones of 1984 in their preferred order. Believe it or not…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0GsxVh1NWy0CQ9dV0SQ7Lw?si=WQHcozPTSX6IpxDjNf1HqA “Child’s Romance” – Nap Eyes This song sounds soooooo Australian. Yet this band is from Nova Scotia. Even if they aren’t from my favorite musical continent, I still really dig this song. All kinds of good bits in it. “Mustang” – Strange Not sure there’s anyone in music right now like Bartees Strange. He combines a variety of disparate…
Friday Playlist
Let’s see what I can whip up for you this week. Some old stuff, some new stuff. All good stuff. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4nxSIt6ruOKjE7x7N3Aby3?si=JYLq6p1dSb-u9r8BQpn7Iw “You Got The Love” – Rufus & Chaka Khan This week I read a long interview with Ray Parker, Jr. He seems like a pretty cool dude and has had an amazing career. He wrote this song with Chaka…
Friday Vid
I didn’t work on a playlist this week, so only a video today. “Release” – Pearl Jam I couldn’t settle on something to watch last Saturday so started scrolling through YouTube and came across Pearl Jam’s 2018 performance at Lallapalooza in Brazil. Two and a half hours later I had watched the entire thing and knocked out a couple bourbons…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 47
Chart Week: August 14, 1982 Song: “Someday, Someway” – Marshall Crenshaw Chart Position: #40, 6th week on the chart. Peaked at #36 for two weeks in August/September. Some one-hit wonders are easy to explain. There are the accidental hits, songs by unknown artists that get tied to popular movies or TV shows. There are novelty hits that piggyback on some…