Today’s pick was a hard one for some reason. At dinner last night with my girlfriend and her step-mom, I told them what today’s prompt would be and asked for suggestions. They were much quicker on the draw than I was, thankfully, because I had pretty much stalled at “Billie Jean.” (We’re exactly one week…
Read MoreSelf-motivation is definitely NOT one my virtues. I don’t have a hard time being productive and getting excited about the things I already want to do, but (alas!) those are cases where motivation isn’t really necessary. It’s all the other droll, boring, and tedious things that require an extra push. I’ve heard of people with…
Read MoreI’m not a big fan of the category “guilty pleasure” when it comes to music. Unlike other pleasures, which can lead to illegal, immoral, or unhealthy actions, there isn’t anything about taking pleasure in music that ought to make one feel “guilty” as far as I can tell. You like what you like. Taste is…
Read MoreFor today’s pick, I’m returning home to Soulsville, to draw from one of our deepest cultural and musical wells: Stax. The Stax “sound” is the sound that I most closely identify with Memphis, and even the saddest of songs from the Stax vault has always possessed the power to cheer me up. Those horns. That…
Read MoreI have a certifiably unhealthy obsession with sad songs. I think they’re the most beautiful things that human beings create, and I think you can learn far more truth about the complex, convoluted tragicomedy that is human life and community from sad songs than from all the rest of our creations combined. Among the reasons…
Read MoreConfession: I’m not sure I totally understand today’s #30DaySongChallenge prompt. I don’t drive very much anymore. In fact, I only filled my gas tank up once a month in that last year. But even when I do drive, I never drive without music. So, by transitive property, every song is “a song to drive to”…
Read MoreThere is, quite literally, no way for me to pick my “favorite” song about drugs or alcohol. Almost all of my favorite songs are about, or are inspired by, or make reference to some generic or specific sin-substance. At the risk of overstating the case, I might even conjecture that ALL great music has some…
Read MoreI can’t even count the number of songs that remind me of Memphis. In fact, most of American music does. My home is the home of the blues, the birthplace of rock n’ roll, and it has a long history of influential underground music of all genres. It’s the home of Stax, Sun Records, Royal Studios,…
Read MoreA few months ago, the video below made the rounds on Facebook and Twitter, much to everyone’s delight, especially mine. In it, we see a balding, middle-aged, white man in the stands at what appears to be some kind of professional sporting event. The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” is playing over the stadium…
Read MoreHaving sold nearly 500 million albums since 1972, ABBA is not only one of the best-selling bands of all time, but is THE best-selling band outside of the English-speaking world. Although they started out in disco, ABBA was never confined by any particular musical genre. They wore great outfits, they gave good face, and they’ve…
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