Inspired by the season and the November 29 birthdays of The Rascals’ Felix Cavaliere, The Mamas and the Papas’ Denny Doherty, Meco, Zapp’s Roger Troutman, The Game, and Firesign Theater’s Peter Bergman.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (11-28-20)
Inspired by the season and the November 28 birthdays of Randy Newman, En Vogue/Lucy Pearl’s Dawn Robinson, The 5 Royales’ Johnny Tanner, The Fleetwoods’ Gary Troxel, Chamillionaire, R.B. Greaves, William DeVaughn, Bruce Channel, The Foundations’ Clem Curtis and Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (8-8-20)
Inspired by the August 8 birthdays of U2‘s Edge, Joe Tex, Kool Moe Dee, and The Stylistics’ Airrion Love; and the August 7 birthdays of B.J. Thomas, Stan Freberg, Positive K, and Throwing Muses’ Kristen Hersh.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (6-21-20)
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.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (5-12-20)
Inspired by the May 12 birthdays of Burt Bacharach, Steve Winwood, George Carlin, Ian Dury, James Purify, Jimmy Spicer, Billy Squier, Billy Swan and songwriter/producer Norman Whitfield.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (4-24-20)
Inspired by the April 24 birthdays of Barbra Streisand, Kelly Clarkson, Kehlani, Robert Knight, Freddie Scott, The Fortunes’ Glen Dale, and Oak Ridge Boys’ Richard Sterban; and the April 23 birthdays of Roy Orbison, The Wedding Present’s David Gedge, Jónsi, Ray Peterson, and John Miles.
Top 105 Songs Of 2019
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:
- Good as Hell – Lizzo
- Juice – Lizzo
- bad guy – Billie Eilish
- Truth Hurts – Lizzo
- Hot Girl Summer – Megan Thee Stallion featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign
- WTP – Teyana Taylor
- FUN. – Vince Staples
- thank u, next – Ariana Grande
- Harmony Hall – Vampire Weekend
- A Lot – 21 Savage
- bury a friend – Billie Eilish
- Land of the Free – the Killers
- Before I Let Go – Beyoncé
- Keep the Change – Mattiel
- Blame It on Your Love – Charli XCX featuring Lizzo
- Drogba (Joanna) – Afro B
- Hot Shower – Chance the Rapper featuring MadeinTYO & DaBaby
- Rainbow – Kacey Musgraves
- Wedding Bell Blues – Morrissey
- Trip – Ella Mai
- Tempo – Lizzo featuring Missy Elliott
- Almeda – Solange
- Melody of Love – Hot Chip
- Anybody – Burna Boy
- Young Republicans – Lower Dens
- Motivation – Normani
- Throw It Back – Missy Elliott
- People – The 1975
- Rylan – The National
- Doin’ Time – Lana Del Rey
- BOY BYE – BROCKHAMPTON
- Hello Sunshine – Bruce Springsteen
- Summer Girl – HAIM
- Good Side – Liz Phair
- Saw Lightning – Beck
- Fukk Sleep – A$AP Rocky featuring FKA twigs
- It’s Not Living (If It’s Not with You) – The 1975
- Binz – Solange
- Something Keeps Calling – Raphael Saadiq featuring Rob Bacon
- This Life – Vampire Weekend
- wish you were gay – Billie Eilish
- My Type – Saweetie
- Sing Along – Sturgill Simpson
- Now I’m In It – HAIM
- Oh What a World – Kacey Musgraves
- Lark – Angel Olsen
- Sister Buddha – Belle & Sebastian
- Uneventful Days – Beck
- I’ve Been Waiting – Lil Peep & ILoveMakonnen featuring Fall Out Boy
- Love Yourself – Sufjan Stevens
- Nothing Breaks Like a Heart – Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
- Drip Too Hard – Lil Baby featuring Gunna
- Ibtihaj – Rapsody featuring D’Angelo & GZA
- Cuz I Love You – Lizzo
- Megatron – Nicki Minaj
- It All Comes out in the Wash – Miranda Lambert
- Sunflower – Vampire Weekend featuring Steve Lacy
- Blaxploitation – Noname
- Hurry on Home – Sleater-Kinney
- Western Stars – Bruce Springsteen
- Seventeen – Sharon Van Etten
- Crazy Classic Life – Janelle Monae
- Unshaken – D’Angelo
- 7 Rings – Ariana Grande
- Way Too Pretty for Prison – Miranda Lambert with Maren Morris
- Hey Brother (Do Unto Others) – The Family Daptone
- Earth – Lil Dicky
- Make It Better – Anderson .Paak featuring Smokey Robinson
- Lo/Hi – the Black Keys
- Tarantula – Beck
- all the good girls go to hell – Billie Eilish
- Trouble in Paradise – Rufus Wainwright
- The greatest – Lana Del Rey
- Ordinary Pleasure – Toro y Moi
- Twerk – City Girls featuring Cardi B
- Ever Again – Robyn
- BLACKJACK – Aminé
- Red Bull and Hennessy – Jenny Lewis
- I BEEN BORN AGAIN – BROCKHAMPTON
- Money – Cardi B
- Brown Skin Girl – Beyoncé, SAINt JHN, WizKid and Blue Ivy
- Fucking Crazy – Robert Ellis
- Eye in the Wall – Perfume Genius
- sad day – FKA twigs
- Between the Lines – Robyn
- Nothing Is Safe – clipping.
- Redesigning Women – the Highwomen
- Tell Me (Doko Mien) – Ibibio Sound Machine
- Sofia – Clairo
- With My Whole Heart – Sufjan Stevens
- Go – the Black Keys
- Turn the Light – Karen O and Danger Mouse
- Fortune – Wye Oak
- holy terrain – FKA twigs featuring Future
- Young Enough – Charly Bliss
- Everybody Here Hates You – Courtney Barnett
- Gone – Charli XCX featuring Christine and the Queens
- Everyday – Weyes Blood
- Capacity – Charly Bliss
- Nights Like This – Kehlani featuring Ty Dolla $ign
- No Bullets Spent – Spoon
- Gonna Love Me – Teyana Taylor feat. Ghostface Killa, Method Man & Raekwon
- My Name Is Dark – Grimes
- Sociopath – Pusha T featuring Kash Doll
- Strange Beauty – First Aid Kit
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Cool New Music (3-20-19)
Here are twenty new(ish) songs that float my boat.
20 Greatest Songs Of The Century…So Far That Are Not On Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Songs Of This Century…So Far
The current issue of Rolling Stone includes their list of the 100 greatest songs of this century, so far. Incredibly, the 20 songs on this Tunes du Jour playlist are not on the Rolling Stone list, though they are great and from this century. As the title of one of the songs says, WTF?
I should note that while “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys is better than many of the songs on my playlist or Rolling Stone’s list, it is not on Spotify, hence its omission. Also, Beyoncé has not yet posted her Lemonade album on Spotify, so sorry. (I ain’t sorry.)
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It’s Friday And I Need To Dance!
While performing stand-up comedy in the late 1990s/early 2000s I appeared in several contests. More often than not I scored very well. In a contest at the club StandUp NY to find New York’s funniest gay man, I came in second. First place went to Seth Rudetsky. Around that same time both of us were entrants in another stand-up contest. Again, I came in second to Seth’s first.
Our acts were similar. Both of us were (are) thin New York gay Jews who mocked silly pop song lyrics in our sets. Seth talked about Sheena Easton’s “Morning Train” while I discussed Air Supply’s “All Out of Love.” I don’t begrudge him his first place winnings – he was great.
Seth went on to write for The Rosie O’Donnell Show, which garnered him several Emmy nominations. He has written for the Grammy Awards and the Tony Awards. He hosts a radio show on SiriusXM about Broadway musicals.
This past Tuesday my friend Scott and I attended Seth’s one-person show at Largo. His opening act was Judd Apatow. In the audience were Barbra Streisand, Sean Hayes, and the guy who played Valerie Cherish’s PR person on The Comeback. Also in the audience was me, the runner-up. Was I jealous? Was I bitter? You bet I was!
On the positive tip, I was inspired as well. It was a very fun show and gave me some ideas as to how to structure the one-person show I’ve been saying I will write for the past fourteen years. Destiny is calling me – open up my eager eyes, ‘cause I’m Mr. Brightside.
Our weekly dance party kicks off with The Killers.
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