Currently browsing: Songs
Sometimes you like a song at first, but the more you hear it, the less you can tolerate it. The great ones are different. They express the thoughts…preserve the moments…and capture the imagination. Winner: “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Loser: “MacArthur Park.”
“Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas
“Dancing in the Street” came out in 1964, right at the height of the British Invasion. The Beatles held number one from Feb. 1...
Read More
“I Fall to Pieces” by Patsy Cline
It was the Billboard Hot Country chart’s number one song for the year 1961. Sometimes those songs become classics, sometimes they...
Read More
“My Girl,” The Temptations
I’d like to know how many times I danced to this song during my teenage years. Seems every band, regardless of the type of music they...
Read More
“Stand By Me,” Song
When Mike Stoller came up with the bass line that begins “Stand By Me,” he had one of his greatest moments as a composer. Then...
Read More
“Enter Sandman”
The best introduction to a song. Ever. The first 1:10 instrumental of “Enter Sandman” is an adrenaline rush that is unmatched...
Read More
“I Can’t Stop Loving You,” by Ray Charles
Even now, I have a hard time considering Ray Charles as a country singer. But he released two albums in the early sixties (Modern Sounds In...
Read More
Song: “Werewolves of London”
This song would be worthy of inclusion as a Great American Thing at any time of year. But during this season, it’s especially...
Read More
Song: “Psycho Killer”
“‘Psycho Killer,’ huh? Hey Mr. Great American Things guy, maybe you didn’t know that this song was such a huge hit...
Read More
Song: “King of the Road”
Roger Miller wrote and recorded a series of lighthearted songs in the 1960s that might be called “novelty songs” except...
Read More
Song: “Like a Rolling Stone”
“Like a Rolling Stone” is Bob Dylan at his cynical best. It’s clear that he dislikes the girl (“Miss Lonely”)...
Read More