Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon was born on this date in 1953. Hear a few of the band’s songs on today’s playlist.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 3-10-24
My Buffalo Stance is this:
- Buffaloes should have the right to choice. Their choice has no direct effect on you.
- Buffaloes can use the bathroom that corresponds with their identity. The bathroom they choose has no direct effect on you.
- Buffaloes should be free to marry who they choose, provided that other party consents. Who they marry has no direct effect on you.
- Buffaloes should be able to go to the mall or the multiplex to see Barbie-Q without fearing gun violence.
- Buffaloes should be free to move about where they choose and not be confined to one geographical location.
- There should be no restrictions placed on the book a buffalo may choose to read or eat. A buffalo learning about something has no direct effect on you.
- Buffaloes can dress and wear their hair as they choose, even at school. How a buffalo styles their hair has no direct effect on you.
Celebrating Neneh Cherry’s birthday today on the playlist.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 2-15-24
In late 2002 I had credit card points that were about to expire so I ordered a bunch of CDs by artists whose music I had not heard, which included Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground by Bright Eyes, which turned out to be a good choice. The album’s title is a reference to a quote by William S. Burroughs: “The story is in the soil, lift it up, anything can happen.”
Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst was born on this date in 1980. Lots of tunes from Conor are included on today’s playlist.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 2-9-24
The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt was sitting in a piano bar in Manhattan, listening to the pianist’s interpretations of Stephen Sondheim songs, when he decided he ought to get into theater music because he felt he had an aptitude for it. “I decided I’d write one hundred love songs as a way of introducing myself to the world. Then I realized how long that would be. So I settled on sixty-nine. I’d have a theatrical revue with four drag queens. And whoever the audience liked best at the end of the night would get paid.”
The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt was born on this date in 1965. Lots of his/their music is included on today’s playlist.
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My Favorite Songs Of 2023
Five years after then president of The Recording Academy proclaimed that women need to step up, the ladies have responded with “How’s this, jerkface?” Women dominate this year’s Grammy nominations. More importantly, all but two of the top 20 songs on my year-end list are led by female artists (with one guy showing up to provide guest vocals). That’s a record, I think, but don’t quote me on that. I’m too lazy to check. I don’t have a deep analysis for this phenomenon, but I do have a deep appreciation for the talent and diversity of these women (not that women have ever been underrepresented in my annual tallies). The highest placing male acts on my 2023 list are none other than The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Yes, you read that right. The legends are back, and they still can show the young-uns how it’s done. With their song “Angry,” The Rolling Stones have achieved a remarkable feat: the longest span from first appearance to most recent appearance in my year-end surveys. In 1981, my first year of making such lists, the group placed with “Start Me Up.” The 80s are also well represented by Kylie Minogue and Madonna, each of whom made a triumphant return to my list after long absences. Welcome back, ladies! And last but not least, let’s give a round of applause to Megan Thee Stallion, who has been in my top five for five years in a row. That’s a record, I think, but don’t quote me on that. I’m too lazy to check. Now, without further ado, here is my list of the best songs of 2023. Enjoy!
- Ice Cream Man. – RAYE
- vampire – Olivia Rodrigo
- Kill Bill – SZA
- Bongos – Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion
- Not Strong Enough – boygenius
- Flowers – Miley Cyrus
- Escapism. – RAYE & 070 Shake
- Paint the Town Red – Doja Cat
- Lipstick Lover – Janelle Monáe
- Nobody Gets Me – SZA
- Dance the Night – Dua Lipa
- Shirt – SZA
- AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM – Beyoncé feat. Kendrick Lamar
- What Was I Made For? – Billie Eilish
- Padam Padam – Kylie Minogue
- Cobra – Megan Thee Stallion
- Brenda Put Your Bra On – Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack & Pillbox Patti
- Angry – The Rolling Stones
- Now and Then – The Beatles
- Cool About It – boygenius
- RATATA – Skrillex, Missy Elliott & Mr. Oizo
- Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd – Lana Del Rey
- Calm Down – Rema with Selena Gomez
- Gorilla – Little Simz
- Seven – Jung Kook feat. Latto
- My Love Mine All Mine – Mitski
- bad idea right? – Olivia Rodrigo
- Jaded – Miley Cyrus
- Tropic Morning News – The National
- Someday At Christmas – Lizzo
- Used To Be Young – Miley Cyrus
- Pretty Girls Walk – Big Boss Vette
- River – Miley Cyrus
- Light On In The Kitchen – Ashley McBryde
- Out Alpha the Alpha – Megan Thee Stallion
- Bubblegum – Dawn Richard
- Rush – Troye Sivan
- It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody – Weyes Blood
- Weightless – Arlo Parks
- Psychos – Jenny Lewis
- The Sea – Romy
- Lil Boo Thang – Paul Russell
- Popular – The Weeknd & Madonna feat. Playboi Carti
- The Narcissist – Blur
- (It Goes Like) Nanana – Peggy Gou
- Tukoh Taka – Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares
- Freak Me Now – Jessie Ware
- Standing Next To You – Jung Kook
- Eyez – The Arcs
- What Now – Brittany Howard
- Thinking About You – Beck
- Wall of Eyes – The Smile
- Good Lookin’ – Dixon Dallas
- Girl Like Me – Dove Cameron
- Wild Flower – RM with youjeen
- Helmet – Steve Lacy
- Everybody’s Got to Learn – First Aid Kit
- Flip a Switch. – RAYE feat. Coi Leray
- Nothing Left To Lose – Everything But The Girl
- Say Yes To Heaven – Lana Del Rey
- Moonlight – Kali Uchis
- Bending Hectic – The Smile
- In My Head – The Lemon Twigs
- Snooze – SZA
- Attention – Doja Cat
- get him back! – Olivia Rodrigo
- Will Anybody Ever Love Me? – Sufjan Stevens
- Tux (Your Body Fills Me, Boo) – US Girls
- Lottery – Latto feat. LU KALA
- Bug Like an Angel – Mitski
- The Hands – serpentwithfeet
- A day in the water – Christine & the Queens
- Drummer Boy – Titus Andronicus
- Little Things – Jorja Smith
- Daydreaming – Harry Styles
- True Love – Christine & the Queens & 070 Shake
- Evicted – Wilco
- Got Me Started – Troye Sivan
- Eye For An Eye – Rina Sawayama
- Water Slide – Janelle Monáe
- Single Soon – Selena Gomez
- Odyssey – Beck & Phoenix
- I Don’t Know What You See In Me – Belle & Sebastian
- Seem an I – PJ Harvey
- Begin Again – Jessie Ware
- One of Your Girls – Troye Sivan
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-7-23
One night in December 1994 my friend Kathy and I attended the WDRE Acoustic Xmas show at New York City’s Beacon Theater. There were multiple artists on the bill, each getting a short slot to perform three or four songs. The acts were The Go-Go’s, Big Audio Dynamite, Jesus and Mary Chain, frente!, Love Spit Love, Black 47, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. I looked up online who performed, as the only act I recall seeing there were the Radiohead guys. The band had one album out at that time, 1993’s Pablo Honey. Kathy and I just wanted them to do their hit – “Creep” – and then skedaddle. They didn’t play “Creep.” They played some song about plastic trees and one about an iron long and some other mess. Kathy and I knew this band would never be heard from again.
Oops.
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke was born on this date in 1968. Lots of Thom’s work on today’s playlist.
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Throwback Thursday: 1996
When first presented with his brother Noel’s composition “Wonderwall,” Oasis’ usual lead singer Liam Gallagher didn’t care for it. Of course, the song became a worldwide smash. Did Liam come around? In 2008 he told MTV News “I can’t fucking stand that fucking song! Every time I have to sing it I want to gag.” Guess not. What about Noel, the song’s writer? He must like it, right? Here is what he said: “Outside of England, it’s the one song we’re famous for all over the world, and it annoys the fuck out of me. It’s not a fucking rock’n’roll tune. There’s quite a vulnerable statement to it. When people come up to me and say it’s one of the greatest tunes ever written, I think, ‘fucking hell, have you heard “Live Forever”?’”
Oasis’ “Wonderwall” is one of the 1996 songs on today’s Throwback Thursday playlist.
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