This nostalgic rock ballad opens with a sweet acoustic tune not dissimilar to their big hit Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), but it shifts gears in the second verse with a pounding, almost militaristic rhythm and an aggressive, abrasive…
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Folsom Prison Blues (1968) – Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash is all present here: the rolling, train-like rhythm, the hypnotic repetition of the melody, his deep, raw Southern voice. “Folsom Prison Blues” is not only one of his hallmark songs, it’s also one that cemented his status as…
Visions of Johanna (1966) – Bob Dylan
Visions of Johanna is my favourite song in contemporary music. It’s the official bootleg version below from Live 1966 that I feel is the definitive one, at least for me. As you can see from the official bootleg cover above,…
Tagged with: blonde on blonde, Bob Dylan, Bootleg, Manchester’s Free Trade Hall, royal albert hall, visions of johanna
Posted in Music
Posted in Music
Volví a Nacer (2012) – Carlos Vives
Volví A Nacer (Eng: I Was Born Again) is a song by the Colombian recording artist Carlos Vives. It is a romantic song with strong elements of Colombian vallenato and pop music. I remember it saturating the Colombian airwaves when…
Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) 2010 – Shakira
How timely this song should appear in the alphabetical listing since we are now just 27 days away from the commencement of the 2026 World Cup. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) was the official theme song for the 2010…
Waiting For You (2019) – Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
In the aftermath of the tragic death of Nick Cave’s son Arthur at just 15 years old in 2015, Nick Cave dedicated the 2019 record Ghosteen to processing his grief. Three other songs from that remarkable album have appeared here…
Hold My Hand (1994) – Hootie & The Blowfish
In my post on Wagon Wheel the other day, my friend Ashley at The Gentle Chapter told me how much she enjoyed the Darius Rucker version of the song. In a follow-up comment, Ash mentioned that her mind was blown…
Waiting For The Miracle (1992) – Leonard Cohen
I like this solemn and meandering song from Leonard, which whisks you away with its personal chant and reflection on love, its prodding medieval-like sound, and the sense that the thoughts are just appearing to him there and then. On…
Wagon Wheel (2004) – Old Crow Medicine Show
Such is my fascination with this song, I wrote about Wagon Wheel just after the inception of my blog back in 2014, but today we take a proper look at this Americana gem written by Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor…
Tagged with: Bob Dylan, josh turner, Ketch Secor, Old Crow Medicine Show, rock me mama, Wagon Wheel
Posted in Music
Posted in Music
Vivir Mi Vida (2013) – Marc Anthony
I can’t think of a bigger celebratory Latin song, or one more universally adored by both Latin and Anglo audiences, than Vivir Mi Vida (Eng: Live My Life). The spectacular video below encapsulates just how massive it is, and I…
