Song of the Day

Song of the Day (136): (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding

Otis Redding spent most of his career performing high energy shouters. But in the summer of 1967, while living on a rented houseboat in Sausalito, California, he started writing these introspective lyrics. He carried them back to Memphis and the Stax studios where Steve Cropper, producer and lead guitarist for Booker T and the M.G.’s, […]

Song of the Day (135): Stagefright – The Band

I long thought Robbie Robertson wrote this song about Bob Dylan, who got booed every night on a world tour backed by the Band and kept playing louder only to retreat with his family to the mountains and Woodstock. Roberston could have written it about his own stagefright. Figuring out the inspiration is but a […]

Song of the Day (134): Through These Hands – John Hiatt

Hiatt is such a skilled and underrated songwriter. The depth and power of this song can bring you to tears. We see a person lost, almost bereft, when who should appear: An angel bending downTo wrap you in her warmest coat And still you argue, still you doubt. But look at the power in our hands, […]

Song of the Day (133): California Dreamin’ – Mamas and the Papas

In 1963, John and Michelle Phillips in 1963, along with their bandmates were living in New York City. enmeshed in the folk scene, though the dreary and cold New York winter had them dreaming of California, as much as state of mind as a physical place. Their New York doldrums and longing for he west […]

Song of the Day (132): Hold On – Alabama Shakes

Brittany Howard, lead singer of the Alabama Shakes, will bowl you over with the power of her voice and the conviction of her singing. She may be lost, she may be wandering an full of uncertainty, but she’ll keep going and she’ll pick you up too: So, bless my heart and bless yours tooI don’t […]

Song of the Day (131): The King is Gone – George Jones

We got Elvis, Fred Flintstone and lonely Geroge Jones sitting on the floor drinking with his two new friends talking women. The wit and humor keep the song form falling into the morass of self-pity, but also let’s us feel the hurt now that the singer’s wife is gone. Jones sings with just enough absurdity […]

Song of the Day (130): What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye

With the release of this song and the album of the same name, Marvin Gaye moved Motown Records in to a whole new direction. Prior to this song, Motown kept to love songs and dance music. Co-written by Gaye, Al Cleveland, and Renaldo “Obie” Benson of the Four Tops, the songwriters wrote in response to […]

Song of the Day (129): Tweeter and the Monkey Man – The Travelling Wilburys

We’ll start with the group: the Traveling Wilburys. The name came from George Harrison and Jeff Lynne who produced Harrison’s album Cloud Nine. When the equipment went kabluey and cause hiccups in the recording, Harrison would say, “Well bury’em in the mix.” Eventually, the called any technical error a Wilbury. In recording that album, Harrison […]

Song of the Day (128): Feelin’ Single – Seein’ Double – Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris cuts lose on this early song that carries on the spirit of Gram Parsons mixing rock and roll energy with country sounds. Written by Wayne Kemp and released on the Elite Hotel album, this song demonstrates the range of songs Harris can make work and how much fun she can be. #Songoftheday #spreadinghappiness […]