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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Lots of songs from The Smiths and their lead singer Morrissey on today playlist.
Today is Morrissey’s birthday, and I feel the need to mention that to me and many many others, he now comes across as a repugnant person who shares his abhorrent thoughts. He may have always held repellent views, but as opposed to the means during the heyday of his career, it is now easier for his offensive quotes to go viral. Before he utters his next racist pronouncement, he should heed the advice in the first line of the chorus of “How Soon Is Now?:” “You shut your mouth.”
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Today’s playlist celebrates the September 28 birthdays of St. Vincent, The Drifters’ Ben E. King, Jeezy, Koko Taylor, The Farm’s Peter Hooten, Cigarettes After Sex’s Greg Gonzalez, Moon Zappa, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, and Keni Burke; and the September 29 birthdays of Jerry Lee Lewis, The London Suede’s Brett Anderson, Grand Funk Railroad’s Mark Farner, Booka Shade’s Walter Merziger, The Posies’ Jon Auer, Blues Image’s Mike Pinera, Bros’s Matt and Luke Goss, Mr. Vegas, Halsey, Mike Post, Debelah Morgan, and Madeline Kahn.
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What makes compiling lists of queer music by decades more challenging as we move forward in time is that the number of songs from which to choose keeps increasing greatly. For today’s playlist, I started with a list of several hundred songs by out LGBTQ+ acts or with LGBTQ+ subject matter, from which I whittled it down to the 30 tunes below. I second guess myself a lot. Should three of the first four songs be by straight-identifying acts? Should I include a lightweight novelty number over something by Maria McKee? (I decided yes, though I love Maria.) I didn’t necessarily choose my favorites. Instead I went for songs/acts that were on some level trailblazers. Here they be:
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It’s Throwback Thursday, and on today’s playlist we go back to 1992. Compiling this list made me notice (or remember) what a kickass year for music 1992 was. The success of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a top ten pop hit around the world months after it was sent to alternative radio, came as a complete surprise to the band’s record label and management, and seemed to kick open the doors for weirdos and freaks (I use those terms affectionately) to find their place in the sun and on the charts.
The left field entries weren’t solely from the guitar rock field. Shakespear’s Sister’s “Stay” was a song (or two songs) that stood out from the pack and was not something one would have expected from a former member of Bananarama and someone who co-wrote and sang backup on Eric Clapton’s hit “Lay Down Sally.” And Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” endures all these years later.
To me this era was a golden age for hip hop. Arrested Development, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Kris Kross, Das EFX, Sir Mix-A-Lot and House of Pain hit creative peaks, while rap duo P.M. Dawn hit number three with “I’d Die Without You,” an unexpected ballad with nary a hint of the hip or hop.
Nineteen ninety-two was the year we met Mary J. Blige and Billy Ray Cyrus. It was the year many more people got to know Red Hot Chili Peppers, k.d. lang and En Vogue. And while new names were dotting the Hot 100, there was still room for more hits from Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Whitney Houston and U2.
Here are thirty musical highlights from 1992, a year that most definitely was not wiggida wiggida wiggida wack.
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Inspired by the season and the December 10 birthdays of Commodores’ Walter Orange, Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis, The White Stripes’ Meg White, Teyana Taylor, Wang Chung’s Jack Hues, Paul Hardcastle, Peter Sarstedt and Chad & Jeremy’s Chad Stuart.