• Reaching For The Stars, Vol. 103

    Chart Week: September 7, 1985 Song: “Cry” – Godley & Creme Chart Position: #24, 8th week on the chart. Peaked at #16 the week of October 5. Every decade is filled with unlikely hits. In the Eighties, the best way to force your way into the Top 40 was by making a video that was unique and memorable. That’s how…

  • Friday Playlist

    “Favourite Songs” – Maximo Park This was the week I learned that MP and bands like them – The Kooks, The Futureheads, Editors, The Wombats, Bombay Bicycle Club – were lumped into a sub-genre called “Landfill Indie” by some critics. That was not considered a term of endearment. Which bummed me out because I liked a lot of those bands…

  • A Reaching For The Stars Series Update

    My momentum in this series has been off for a few months. No worries for the two or three of you who care about these posts; I’m not giving up on them! A combination of factors over the summer kept me from listening to American Top 40 very often. Less time in the kitchen, where I play the iHeart Radio…

  • Friday Playlist

    I’ve finally wrapped up the music projects that have been eating up a lot of my time lately. As I do, I find my new music playlist is down around 40 songs. For a good chunk of 2024 it’s been closer to 60 songs. The new tunes have definitely dried up over the past month. Hopefully just a lull before…

  • Friday Playlist

    After months of having more than enough songs in the queue for these posts, the tide of new music might finally have slowed a bit. Have no worries, I still have plenty of songs for you. It is just taking a tad more work to put this week’s playlist together. Which I, of course, do not mind. “Summer’s Over” –…

  • Pearl Jam In Indy – Finally

    As hinted at in yesterday’s post, I got to do something insanely awesome Monday night that I’ve been waiting a long time for. Even with a short night of sleep, I’m still a little keyed up from it this morning. If you choose to proceed, prepare yourself for an overly detailed accounting of my evening watching Pearl Jam play live…

  • Friday Playlist

    A little smaller selection this week, as I’ve had two music projects that have been sucking up my listening time this week. “London Calling” – The Clash Joe Strummer was born 72 years ago this week. At first, I accidentally added the entire London Calling album to this playlist. For a second I thought about making that the entire PL…

  • Friday Playlist

    “Archbishop Harold Holmes” – Jack White What an idiot I am! White dropped his No Name album on streaming services two weeks ago, and I listened to it a ton after we got home from vacation. Then, somehow, I forgot to include a track in last week’s playlist. Again, idiot. This track is soooo White Stripes-y, with his spitfire vocals…

  • Friday Playlist

    A week off means we stick with the extra-stuffed playlists. I don’t hear any complaints. “Summer In The Park Pt. 1” – East Coast Connection Early August used to mean you got focused on how to maximize the last few weeks of summer. Not these days, when most of the country goes back to school well before Labor Day. There…

  • Friday Playlist

    No playlist next week, so I’ll see if I can cram a few extra songs into this one. “Florida” – Modest Mouse We will depart early Sunday for a week in the Florida panhandle. This is the only song overtly about Florida in my collection, thus its inclusion. Thursday was also M’s birthday. Famously, I was listening to “Float On”…