In previous iterations of the #30DaySongChallenge, I’ve answered this prompt about “a song you want played at your funeral” before– see here for my 2015 answer, and here for my...

It’s a little bit hard to complain about the break-up of Outkast, since André 3000 (André Benjamin) and Big Boi (Antwan Patton) have both gone on to be stellar...

Today’s #30DaySongChallenge pick is a two-fer! And I can’t think of any artist who deserves this kind of double-dipping more than The King of Soul, Otis Redding, an absolutely...

It’s really no mystery to anyone who knows me how much I dislike Taylor Swift. She’s my pick for today. Barf. It genuinely pains me to spend any time...

The lyrics to my #30DaySongChallenge pick today are not “utterly mysterious” in a strict sense. As a whole, I know what the song is about. It’s stated right there...

First, a clarification: It appears that I misread the prompt list and mixed up Day 15 and Day 16. So, what follows is the post for what should have...

There are plenty of reasons to prejudicially favor the “original” recording of a song, even when it may not be the “best” version. American pop music has a long...

There’s a lot of music to love, and just as much to hate, from the 80’s.  I love most of the 80’s top-40 pop, but I hate the synthesizer...

“Karaoke” is a portmanteau of two Japanese words, kara (“empty”) and oke (“orchestra”). The first karaoke machine was invented by Daisuko Inoue in 1971, and it has since become a staple...

Nina Simone, perhaps one of the most unique female voices of all time, famously refused the label of “jazz,” once commenting that it was “a white term to define...

The transition from the late-60’s to the early-70’s was a tumultuous time in this country. We were quagmired in a directionless and immoral war. The economy was stagnant, on...

I’m not sure if this counts as cheating in the unwritten #30DaySongChallenge Rule Book, but I’m picking one of my own songs for today. Like a lot of amateur...

Here’s the thing about anger: it’s complicated. If expended in the wrong direction, or if indulged for too long, it can be futile, all-consuming, and self-defeating. You can’t concentrate....

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...

I’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...

Self-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...

I 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...

There 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,...

Confession: 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...

A 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...

Having 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...

Once, when asked to explain the meaning behind the title of his 1984 mega-hit “Purple Rain,” His Royal Badness replied: “When there’s blood in the sky– red and blue...

Dolly Parton has always been a idol of mine, partly for her gifted-by-God voice and incredible songwriting ability, but more so for her uniquely Tennessean flavor of sass. She was...

For five straight years, from 2011-2016, I dedicated the entire month of June on this blog to the #30DaySongChallenge. Each day, I would select a song in response to...