Today by The Smashing Pumpkins sounds on the surface – uplifting and effervescent for a grunge-leaning alternative rock band that broke through during the mainstream embrace of alternative music in the early 1990s. However, the song comes in waves, capturing…
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Hungry Heart (1980) – Bruce Springsteen
Hungry Heart makes an appearance at the beginning of Springsteen’s recent biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, where it marks his first real brush with chart success, peaking at No. 5. It remains one of his ten most popular songs in…
To Sing For You (1965) – Donovan
I had to laugh when I read the first comment under the video of this song: “heyy that’s a good song, man!” Of course it is – especially when that reaction comes from Bob Dylan himself. Dylan’s remark comes after…
Tagged with: Bob Dylan, Catch the Wind, d a pennebaker, Don't Look back, Donovan, to sing for you, What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
Posted in Music
Posted in Music
Make It Rain (2004) – Tom Waits
Make It Rain is such a raw outpouring of grit and heartache. As you listen to the pounding, it’s easy to picture a chain gang in the middle of nowhere, hammering away in unison on a remote American rail line…
Everything (2004) – Alanis Morissette
What a strange coincidence. Just over a week ago, in my News on the March segment, I mentioned an old rhyme: “When you’re good, you’re very, very good, but when you’re bad, you’re horrid.” That same split in character is…
To Love Somebody (1967) – Bee Gees
To Love Somebody is one of my favourite love ballads by the Bee Gees. I’m particularly fond of the live version from Las Vegas, 1997, as I am with the rest of their One Night Only show. That concert DVD…
Sofrito (1976) – Mongo Santamaria
Sofrito is a Latin jazz fusion piece by Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaría. At a time when many Afro-Caribbean artists were drifting toward disco or easy listening, Santamaría held a steady course, balancing the sounds of the era with a deep…
Silver Springs (1977) – Fleetwood Mac
A friend forwarded me this song the other night and I was taken aback by its sensitivity and touching melody. I really like Stevie Nicks’ impassioned singing here, with her quivering, lingering voice. The song comes in waves of that…
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (1967) – Frankie Valli
When I recently revisited The Deer Hunter, an early scene caught my attention in which the young men sing today’s featured song, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. It struck me that this track should have been part of my…
Tagged with: Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Frankie Valli and The 4 Seasons, the deer hunter
Posted in Music
Posted in Music
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