Song of the Day
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Song of the Day: “Ramblin’ Man”
The Allman Brothers have had a long and tumultuous run since their formation in 1971 around a core group including Duane and Gregg Allman. The death of Duane in a motorcycle accident that very year could have broken up the…
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Song of the Day: “Come On Back”
From 1962 to 1987, producer Bobby Robinson headed the independent record publisher Enjoy Music. Robinson nurtured and and supported heavy-hitting early R&B, blues, and soul artists of the latter half of the 20th century, including Gladys Knight and the Pips, Elmore James, and Grandmaster Flash.…
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Song of the Day: “Don’t Mention My Name”
The Shepherd Sisters were a “rock n’ roll” group that reached prominence during the late 50s and early 60s. The Sheps, as they were sometimes called, typified the bright and squeaky-clean persona of many vocal groups of the time. One…
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Song of the Day: “It Ain’t Easy”
David Bowie’s name is on everyone’s lips this week due to the sad passing of the legendary artist after an eighteen-month struggle with liver cancer. It is as difficult to summarize Bowie’s achievements as it is to define him. The innovator…
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Song of the Day: “Say I Love You”
Once upon a time, during the days of vinyl, there was a type of record that revolved forty-five times a minute, and it was the medium of choice for singles. Digging through a dusty crate of 45s today often reveals a treasure trove…
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Song of the Day: “What’s That You Got?”
Call it arrogance, hubris, or a holier-than-thou attitude—there are some traits that just don’t make a great impression. Antoine “Fats” Domino was well aware of that when he released “What’s That You Got?” in 1965. The hefty New Orleans native…
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Song of the Day: “Fade Into You”
“Alternative rock” group Mazzy Star reached their commercial peak during the early 90s, a period when American music was dominated by grunge and Nirvana. The creative core of Mazzy Star consisted of guitarist and producer Dave Roback and lyricst and multi-instrumentalist…
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Song of the Day: “California”
In a recent interview with the Guardian, Claire Boucher describes her song “California” as “kind of shitty.” Via her stage name, Grimes, Boucher has released an eclectic and not-at-all-“shitty” catalogue of hybrid dance pop that has seized the attention of critics and listeners…
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Song of the Day: “So What?”
Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue is one of the most influential albums of all time, not just within the genre of jazz, but within the entirety of modern music. Perhaps the most highly recognizable song on the album, “So What?” was written…
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Song of the Day: “Cold Sweat”
James Brown is known for creating a thing called funk, but it was the song “Cold Sweat,” co-written with his bandleader Pee Wee Ellis and released in 1967, that truly encapsulated this new genre of music. The track exploded all kinds of…
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Song of the Day: “Poison Cup”
Guitarist and producer M. Ward, otherwise known as the mild-mannered Matthew Stephen Ward, might be more famous for being the second half of the glittery indie duo She & Him—the “She” being Zooey Deschanel. However, M. Ward deserves high praise for his…
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Song of the Day: “Saint Louis Blues”
One of the most enduring individual legacies from the Jazz Age is that of the towering figure of Louis Armstrong. The super-influential artist grew up in New Orleans’s Storyville district during a time of artistic upheaval. His exposure to the musical melting…