Song of the Day

Song of the Day (316): What’s So Funny about Peace, Love and Understanding – Nick Lowe

Nick Lowe told American Songwriter, “I wrote the song in 1973, and the hippie thing was going out, and everyone was starting to take harder drugs and rediscover drink… this song was supposed to be an old hippie, laughed at by the new thinking, saying to these new smarty-pants types, ‘Look, you think you got […]

Song of the Day (315): Jersey Girl – Tom Waits

Yes, Bruce Springsteen sings this song and even added a verse about picking up his date and getting a babysitter for her son, but it comes from the heart of Tom Waits. He’s in love with a Jersey Girl and he’s fallen hard. He’s wooing her and letting the world know how she fills him […]

Song of the Day (314): I Never Will Marry – Linda Ronstadt with Dolly Parton

What a sweetly sad song. Her man has left town on the last train, that long, slow whistle blowing as he pulled away. She’s bereft with a hole that can never be filled. In her sadness, she notes how everything changes from the weather and a young man’s heart, everything except her love. This song […]

Song of the Day (313): Ohio – Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

In May 1971, students at Kent State University in Ohio staged a series of protests that resulted in some rock tossing and damage to some buildings, including the burning of the ROTC headquarters. The Mayor of Kent, Leroy Satrom asked Ohio Governor James Rhodes to send in the National Guard. We then had the chilling […]

Song of the Day (312): Wagon Wheel – Old Crow Medicine Show

In 1973, Bob Dylan played a small role in Sam Peckinpah’s film, “Pat Garret and Billy the Kid.” He also agreed to record the soundtrack which gave us “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” and the sublime “Billy.” Dylan began recording the album in Mexico City and finished up in LA. In those LA sessions, as was […]

Song of the Day (311): Have a Little Faith in Me – John Hiatt

Hiatt leans close, just him and the piano, he’s got something to say, something deep inside. It is a plea, a prayer of sorts. He’s been there and wants you to believe, wants you to trust: When the tears you cry Are all you can believe Just give these loving arms a try, baby And have a little […]

Song of the Day (310): Jigsaw Puzzle – The Rolling Stones

One of my favorite Stones songs, it closed outside one of “Beggar’s Banquet” in the days we listen to music on record albums. It is an underrated and rarely played gem (The Stones have never performed it live.) Mick Jagger slithers thorough lyrics that mix the everyday with the surreal, winding up with descriptions of […]

Song of the Day (309): Listen to the Radio – Nanci Griffith

This song may be a little anachronist what with Spotify, YouTube and SiriusXM, but you get the idea. There are those times when we feel utterly alone, when the world may spin by us and we’re like a goldfish in its tank watching all the action unable to join in or connect. Nanci Griffith certainly […]

Song of the Day (308): Feelin’ Good Again – Robert Earle Keen

Travel is good, but coming home after time on the road can be so nourishing, back to the people we know, when we don’t have to explain, when we can relax and let down our guard. Throw in the joy of finding money in the packet of the jacket we haven’t worn in ages and […]