Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 5-28-23

I tend to think there are three age groups – children, the elderly, and folks around my age. Children bang on about things I’ve never heard of. The elderly tell stories of how when they were kids nobody in the neighborhood owned a television set so the family would take the trolley downtown to Sears and watch The Lawrence Welk Show through the store window. Folks in my age group all share the same cultural references.

This morning when walking my dogs, Ringo and Winston, I was made aware that there are those who are older than children yet younger than I. We saw Jeffrey, who lives across the street, walking his dog Molly and another dog. We said hello (well, I said hello. Ringo and Winston didn’t say anything. They’re not morning dogs.) and I asked “And who is this?,” referring to the other dog. Jeffrey replied “This is Luka,” to which I said “Does he live on the second floor?” I know the three or four of you reading this were thinking the same thing. Jeffrey had a puzzled look on his face. “What?” “His name is Luka. Does he live on the second floor?” Jeffrey, still confused, said “No. He lives next door to me.”

I hadn’t thought about it, but now I know Jeffrey is a lot younger than I. Unlike me, I’m sure when filling out a form that asks in which age group he falls, he never has to color in the circle by the group that ends with “and over.”

Everyone should know Suzanne Vega’s song “Luka.” And everyone should absolutely know Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son.” If you aren’t familiar with it, put down your phone, then pick it back up because I just remembered that’s how young people listen to music nowadays, play the song (which kicks off the playlist below), and do this every day. Memorize the words. Scream along with it. It’s a great way to release your pent-up rage at The Man. Take my word for it. I’ve been doing so for <and over> years.

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty turns 78 today. I’ve never heard him mention The Lawrence Welk Show, though a show called Fortunate Son – A Tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival is now playing at the Welk Resort Theater on Lawrence Welk Drive in Escondido, California.

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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 9-9-22

Today’s playlist celebrates the September 9 birthdays of Otis Redding, Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, Iron Butterfly’s Doug Ingle, Drugstore’s Isabel Monteiro, Les Rythmes Digitales’ Stuart Price (a/k/a Jacques LuCont), Dee Dee Sharp, The Caravelles’ Andrea Simpson, and Brittney Spencer; and the September 10 birthdays of Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Big Daddy Kane, Camper Van Beethoven/Cracker’s Dave Lowery, Bananarama/Shakespear’s Sister’s Siobhan Fahey, Three Dog Night’s Danny Hutton, T’Pau’s Carol Decker, José Feliciano, Ashley Monroe, and Avenue Q songwriter Jeff Marx.

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Throwback Thursday: 1986

For many years I’ve been saying that 1986 was a crap year for music. I prove myself wrong with this week’s Throwback Thursday playlist. Listen to these gems! How did I get this so wrong until now? My theory is this: In 1986 I was still listening to top 40 radio more than other formats. While there were many great hit songs in ’86 (as evidenced by the playlist below), there was also a lot of garbage songs that were successful on the pop chart. My thoughts of all those garbage songs outweighed my fond memories of all of the good songs. Well, no more, missy! Nineteen eighty-six was a good year for music. The proof is in the pudding (pudding meaning this week’s Throwback Thursday playlist).

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