Simon & Garfunkel “Cecilia” (1970)
Friends, I have to ask: What the hell was up with Cecilia?! She’s getting it on with Paul, at his place and in the middle of the afternoon yet, and as soon as he takes a little bathroom break she’s got someone else hopping into bed with her? How did this other guy even get...... Read More
Beatles “I’ve Got A Feeling” (1970)
There’s not a lot to say about the Beatles that hasn’t already been said, so I won’t try much here. But I chose this song because in many ways it seems a perfect exemplification of what made the Beatles what they were – which was, c’mon, the greatest band of all time. This was at...... Read More
Don Henley “Boys of Summer” (1984)
One of this blog's regular readers, perhaps motivated by my apparent dismissiveness for lyrics, first in a post on the Drive-by Truckers and then in a follow up with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, has written in to be heard from. For our first-ever... Read More
David Bowie “Stay” (1976); Apollo 100 “Joy” (1972)
I started going to NY Rangers games at The Garden with my dad when I was about 7 or 8 years old, and it was love at first, ah, skate. Hockey immediately became, and will unquestionably always be, my favorite sport. The moment when the players first take the ice just prior to the game...... Read More
Bob Seger “The Fire Down Below” (1976)
You’re listening to a good tune, enjoying it as you go through the verse-verse-chorus-solo sections, and at a certain point as the chorus circles around again, you feel the coda forming, the familiar parts of a song wrapping up, and sadly you know it’s about to end. And then – euphoria! – it re-starts. Even...... Read More
Beach Boys “God Only Knows” (1966)
Here’s an absolutely ridiculous question I posed to myself recently: What’s the most perfect pop song ever? Is it a classic hit, an obscurity, some underappreciated gem? God only knows, right? Again, the premise is absurd, picking one song as most sublime among all others. But hey, let’s give it a shot: For me, what...... Read More
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes “Blowin’ In The Wind” (2001)
Some readers of this esteemed blog expressed some objection to my all-too-casual dismissal of the “voice of a generation," Bob Dylan, within a prior post on the Drive-By Truckers. I’d like to try to atone for that now by featuring what is undoubtedly... Read More
Farrelly Brothers // Electric Light Orchestra “Showdown” (1973); Smashmouth “Do It Again” (2000); Billy Stewart “Summertime” (1966)
Look, with a 2-minute graphic diarrhea scene, you either find it funny or you don’t. In other words, you probably either love Farrelly Brothers movies or hate them. Unimaginably gross, dreadfully inappropriate, off-puttingly dark, hopelessly juvenile? Check, check, check and check. Yes, I love them. I’d guess that the Farrelly’s are probably best known for...... Read More
Steely Dan “Deacon Blues” (1977)
This is a great song, and like most great songs, it’s exceptional for many reasons. I love the easy feel throughout, right from the opening 12-seconds of 10 jazz-inflected, matching guitar and piano chords. I love Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s typically convoluted, largely indecipherable Steely Dan lyrics – is it about a loser’s mid-life...... Read More
Jefferson Starship “Jane” (1979)
The incredible singing of Mickey Thomas makes Jefferson Starship's "Jane" a pleasure worth being guilty over.... Read More