Inspired by the November 5 birthdays of Art Garfunkel, Ryan Adams, Ike Turner, Herman’s Hermits’ Peter Noone, Fishbone’s Angelo Moore, Gram Parsons, Bryan Adams, Inner City’s Paris Grey, Loleatta Holloway, A Flock of Seagulls’ Mike Score and Dominatrix’s Dominique Davalos; and the November 4 birthdays of Squeeze’s Chris Difford, Diddy/Puff Daddy, Fat Boys’ Kool Rock-Ski, and Frances Faye.
Inspired by the November 3 birthdays of Courtney Barnett, Adam Ant, Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, Lulu, John Barry, Lucas, Mable John, Onyx’s Sticky Fingaz, Icicle Works’ Ian McNabb and The Subways’ Billy Lunn.
Inspired by Black Music Month, LGBTQ Pride Month, and the June 23 birthdays of KT Tunstall, The Orlons’ Rosetta Hightower, June Carter Cash, Imagination’s Leee John, Duffy, and The Floaters’ Larry Cunningham.
Inspired by Black Music Month, LGBTQ Pride Month, and the June 22 birthdays of Cyndi Lauper, Jimmy Somerville, Todd Rundgren, The Turtles’ Howard Kaylan, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, Kris Kristoffersson, Schoolly-D, Scritti Politti’s Green Gartside, Peter Asher, Jai Rodriguez, Jesus Jones’ Mike Edwards, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ Dicky Barrett.
Inspired by Black Music Month, LGBTQ Pride Month, and the June 21 birthdays of The Kinks‘ Ray Davies, The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Lana Del Rey, Shakespear’s Sister’s Marcella Detroit, Pete Rock, John Paul Young, Sonique, Brenda Holloway, Rebecca Black, O.C. Smith, Strawberry Alarm Clock’s Greg Munford and Jussie Smollett.
Inspired by the May 30 birthdays of The Clash‘s Topper Headon, The Marvelettes’ Gladys Horton, Cee Lo Green, Stephen Malkmus, Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave’s Tom Morello, the Charlatans’ Tim Burgess, of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes, Devendra Banhart, Donna A., Benny Goodman and Remy Ma.
2020 seemed like just another year, until this week. Something mind-boggling happened. No, the president of the U.S. didn’t display empathy. Get this: The Village People are presently in the Top 40 on the Adult Contemporary chart with a ballad taken from their 2019 Christmas album. The key terms in that sentence: Village People, presently, Top 40, Adult Contemporary, ballad, Christmas. It’s 2020! The song is called “If You Believe” and it jumped from #53 to #25 this week with a 310% increase in radio airplay over last week. “If You Believe?” More like “Hard to Believe!” Am I right, people?
Today’s playlist is inspired by the May 3 birthdays of James Brown, Frankie Valli, Father John Misty, Soft Cell’s David Ball, Pete Seeger, Christopher Cross, Mary Hopkin and Napoleon XIV.
Inspired by the April 14 birthdays of Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, Spoon’s Brit Daniel, Loretta Lynn, Da Brat, Edison Lighthouse/FirstClass/Brother of Man’s Tony Burrows, and Mike Brewer.
Inspired by the April 13 birthdays of Al Green, Louis Johnson, Nellie McKay, Little Feat’s Lowell George, Bill Conti, Future Islands’ Samuel T. Herring, Lou Bega and Flamin’ Groovies’ Roy Loney.
My favorite song of 2019 came out in 2016. Like most people, I slept on Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” upon its initial release three years ago. I also slept on her “Truth Hurts,” my #4 song of 2019, when it was released in 2017. Lizzo’s first track to make Glenn’s Ten was “Boys,” which hit #1 in July 2018, just two months before my favorite 2019 artist after Lizzo, Billie Eilish, made her Glenn’s Ten debut with “You Should See Me in a Crown.” Eilish’s “Bad Guy” is my #3 song of this year, breaking up Lizzo’s hold on the top four. L-to-the-izzo’s “Juice,” my #2 song of 2019, debuted on Glenn’s Ten on January 12, kicking off 49 consecutive weeks with at least one Lizzo track in my top ten, 22 of those weeks at #1. I’m sure both of those are records, something I would confirm if I weren’t too lazy to look it up.
At #5 for the year sits the only artist in my year end top ten who made their Glenn’s Ten debut in 2019, Megan Thee Stallion. (Megan’s her real first name; Thee is not her actual middle name and Stallion is not on her birth certificate. I’m a Megan Thee Stallion truther.) On that hit, “Hot Girl Summer,” Megan T. Stallion is assisted by Nicki Minaj, who is also at #55 with a solo number, and Ty Dolla $ign (Ty is short for Tyrone, his real first name; Dolla is not his actual middle name and $ign is not on his birth certificate. I’m a Ty Dolla $ign truther.), who is also at #100 assisting Kehlani. If you need assistance, call Ty D. $ign.
The remainder of the top ten boasts career bests for 21 Savage, Ariana Grande, Teyana Taylor, and Vince Staples, plus the first Glenn’s Ten entry for Vampire Weekend since 2013. Other Glenn’s Ten veterans making appearances this year include Bruce Springsteen, Liz Phair, Beck, Missy Elliott, Morrissey, Beyoncé, Rufus Wainwright, Smokey Robinson (yes, Smokey Robinson!), and Belle & Sebastian. Recent favorites such as Courtney Barnett, Cardi B, Grimes, Christine and the Queens, Robyn, Miranda Lambert, 21 Savage, BROCKHAMPTON, First Aid Kit, Chance the Rapper, Angel Olsen, The National and Kacey Musgraves are represented as well.
Enough blather. Here is my top 105 songs (5 by Lizzo, 100 by others, though one of those others with an assist from Lizzo) of 2019:
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