Song of the Day

Song of the Day (252): Roadrunner – Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers

There were times in my teenage years, alone, dependent, not sure what I was feeling, but feeling lousy and nothing could relieve that malaise like begging time with the family car to just drive, drive up and down Jericho Turnpike, drive onto the Expressway and going nowhere, up and down, the radio as loud as […]

Song of the Day (251): Sloop John B. – The Beach Boys

This song started in the Bahamas as “The John B. Sails.” Richard Le Gallienne wrote down and published the lyrics in 1916 and a decade later the poet Carl Sandberg included a version in his The American Songbag. By the 1950s, folk groups like the Weavers cut tracks and The Kingston Trio released a version in […]

Song of the Day (250): Angel from Montgomery – Bonnie Raitt

John Prine wrote this song, yet it belongs to Bonnie Raitt. As Prine tells it, a friend and fellow Chicago folkie wanted to write a song with Prine and suggested they write another song about an old person as Prine had done in, “Hello in There.” That songwriting partnership didn’t pan out, but Prine wrote […]

Song of the Day (249): Outfit – Drive-By Truckers

Rock is full of songs with sons rebelling against fathers, but this is one where a father comes to embrace his son, it is so full of love, so raw in the truth that seeps out that the song aches. Parenting is so humbling, there is so much we want to give our children and […]

Song of the Day (248): Born to be Wild – Steppenwolf

Get your motor runnin’ Head out on the highway Looking for adventure In whatever comes our way This song never gets old. It comes on the radio, you turn it up, next thing you know, you’re driving faster and wondering why you don’t have a convertible. #Songoftheday #Spreadinghappiness #steppenwolf #borntobewild #classicrock YouTube: https://youtu.be/igvP806798U?si=QrbXrpF-GkQwGKA7 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2VPGmrcBw5X4yAu3B8UZNE?si=2f0150b8725946e0

Song of the Day (247): Piece of My Heart – Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company

Janis Joplin did not write this song, Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns did and she did not record it first, Erma Franklin did that, but Joplin made it her own. She conveys an awful mix of desire, pain, love and anger. She gives her all and it’s not enough, but she just can’t quit the […]

Song of the Day (246): Ball of Confusion – The Temptations

Released in 1970, “Ball of Confusion” was a song of this day. It is still relevant today. The Motown poets, Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, had no obligation to solve problems and give answers, they simply captured how they saw the world in a frantic, psychedelic burst of energy, Vote for me and I’ll set […]

Song of the Day (245): All My Ex’s Live in Texas – George Strait

There are plenty of downhearted songs about past loves, but not this gem from George Strait. It’s as breezy, graceful and fun as a spring day on the porch with a cold beer. Everything works together to create a gem of a country song: the well-honed craftsmanship of the songwriting, the consummate musicianship that skips […]

Song of the Day (244): Cleaning Windows – Van Morrison

One of my favorite Van Morrison Songs, “Cleaning Windows” captures memories of Van Morrison starting out in Belfast, working as a window washer and playing in bands on the weekend. He pays tribute to the music and books filling his mind: Jimmy Rodgers, Leadbelly, Blind Lemon, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Muddy Waters, Jack Kerouac and […]