In the #2 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week is Pharell Williams’ ‘Happy,’ a song first released last summer on the soundtrack of Despicable Me 2.
Williams released the single in mid-December 2013 and it has climbed to the second spot on the charts and parked there.
I’ve seen Despicable Me 2 twice but I don’t recall this song (I’m guessing it played over the end credits).
During the great “radio hits” debate of late 2013, I agreed to dedicate time each month this year to the songs topping the charts. That way I won’t be ignorant of some ubiquitous smash when populating my year-end list with deep album cuts by bands like Belle & Sebastian.
I’ll probably still leave those hits off my list, but at least I’ll do it consciously.
The Random iTunes Fairy got cute today, serving up a second helping of Elvis Costello after yesterday’s belly-aching about not finding enough time to listen to all of his music.
She even went straight to one my favorite Costello albums, the sublime King of America, zeroing in on one of its signature sad ballads.
I wonder if at some point an artist can release too many albums, too many songs.
I don’t mean that in the sense of running out of steam, though that is certainly the case for some long tenured musicians (The Rolling Stones, for example, who continue to record despite their best work being 40 years behind them).
Game of Thrones is the first TV show I’ve watched that is based on a series of books I’ve read.
In the case of some shows based on novels, I haven’t experienced either. Dexter, True Blood, Gossip Girl and House of Cards are a few (somewhat) recent examples. In other cases, I’ve watched the shows but haven’t read the books (Friday Night Lights, The Walking Dead, Justified and Orange is the New Black come to mind).
Meet Me In Montauk 