Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 5/1: John Lennon, “Working Class Hero”
It’s International Workers’ Day in 160 countries, but not the United States, where every day is Industrialists’ Day. Get back to work. John Lennon recorded more than 100 takes of this song for his first solo album in 1970. Two different takes were spliced together for the final cut. You can hear the change at […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, May 1, 2024
I’m not going to bother with a Trump trial wrap-up, because if you consume news you can’t avoid the media’s information avalanche. I can’t tell who’s winning, but it’s pretty clear the loser is the American justice system: The judge fined Trump the maximum amount for nine violations of his gag order: $9,000, or $1,000 […]
‘Bulo’s Fave Tunes: April 2024
I tried to narrow this list down and, in fact, did. Just too many good songs to ignore: For newbies, the songs are in alpha order by artist: Real Black Country Music: The 4-20 Song Of The Year: “So many humans, and where’s the humanity?”: OK, I get why they don’t play this on the […]
Song of the Day 4/30: Riley Puckett, “The Cat Came Back”
As I noted yesterday, and Kristi Noem is finding out at her leisure, Americans treasure two animals above all others – Man’s Best Friend, and His Noble Steed – and you can tell by how many sappy, schmaltzy songs have been written about dogs and horses. People shed tears at “Old Shep” and “Wildfire.” For […]
Song of the Day 4/29: Dave Matthews Band, “Ants Marching”
Seems this was the year the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bit the bullet and opened its doors to bands that were popular but critically scorned. Foreigner was finally honored after a 22-year wait, of course, but the Hall also admitted the Dave Matthews Band. Granted, they’ve only been eligible for five years, but […]
Song of the Day 4/28: Henry Gross, “Shannon”
You don’t have to be an animal lover to find yourself aghast at the Kristi Noem dog-killing story – not just that she did it in the first place, which is horrifying enough, but that she’s actually trying to defend her behavior. Even Michael Vick had more sense than that. Americans treasure two animals above […]
Song of the Day 4/26: The Beatles, “I’m Only Sleeping”
He’s at it again. Trump reportedly took a “bonafide nap” during his lawyer’s cross-examination of National Enquirer honcho David Pecker this morning. Remember, with people like Trump, every accusation is a confession, which is why he calls Biden “Sleepy Joe.” John Lennon’s ode to the joys of staying horizontal presaged his later bed-ins for peace. […]
Song of the Day 4/25: Mary J. Blige and U2, “One”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame long since stretched the definition of “rock and roll” to include other genres, especially hip-hop and R&B, which often draws scorn from rock purists, myself included (Janet Jackson? Really?) Mary J. Blige, though, is OK by me, because unlike last year’s honoree Dolly Parton, she has at least […]
Song of the Day 4/23: Foreigner, “Urgent”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2024 the other day, and the list of inductees was greeted not with the usual griping but rather a giant, collective “meh.” I blame this on Foreigner. See what I mean? You probably went “meh” at the mention of their name, because that’s always […]
Song of the Day 4/22: Simon & Garfunkel, “April Come She Will”
Paul Simon learned a lot on his trips to England in 1965. He learned how to fingerpick, for one thing. He learned that British folk audiences, unlike those in Greenwich Village, appreciated his music. And he learned the nursery rhyme about the cuckoo that he turned into this song, which appeared on both Simon’s UK-only […]
Song of the Day 4/21: Richard Thompson, “I Can’t Wake Up to Save My Life”
Donald Trump is said to be furious that reporters are reporting on his napping in court. I wonder what he’s dreaming about when he nods off. I hope it’s nightmares about Stormy Daniels, maybe along the lines of what Richard Thompson describes in this tune from “Mirror Blue,” his 1994 follow-up to “Rumour and Sigh.” […]
Song of the Day 4/20: Fraternity of Man, “Don’t Bogart That Joint”
Another April 20 and Delaware continues to creep slowly towards making recreational marijuana not just legal but obtainable. Don’t bogart that process! The Fraternity of Man was a psychedelic blues band formed by members of Lowell George’s group The Factory after he left for the Mothers of Invention. This slow country number about dope-smoking etiquette, […]
Song of the Day 4/19: Allman Brothers Band, “Jessica”
Duane and Gregg got top billing, but the Allman Brothers wouldn’t have become a household name, or forged a sound that spawned an entire genre of rock, without the contributions of Dickey Betts, who died yesterday at age 80. He wrote many of their signature songs, including their only Top 10 hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” and […]
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