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Song of the Day #5,945: ‘I Hate Love Songs’ – Miranda Lambert

Continuing my ranking of the songs on Miranda Lambert’s new album, Postcards from Texas…

#5. ‘I Hate Love Songs’

Miranda Lambert has been married to her current husband longer than she was married to Blake Shelton, and she’s seemingly happier than ever. So I was quite surprised to find her writing at least a couple of songs on this album that explore the breakup of her first marriage.

‘I Hate Love Songs’ is one of them, and while I have no evidence that it’s about Blake Shelton, it’s hard to imagine it being about anyone else. And a song still to come on this list supports the theory.

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Song of the Day #5,944: ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’ – Stevie Wonder

I’ve mentioned the song that topped Billboard’s Hot 100 the week of October 13, 1984, three times before on the blog, but this is its first appearance as a song of the day.

Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You,’ the lead single from the film The Woman in Red, is famous — in my book — for winning the Best Song Oscar over much superior competition. This treacly love song beat out Deniece Williams’ ‘Let’s Hear it for the Boy’ and Kenny Loggins’ ‘Footloose’ as well as Phil Collins’ ‘Against All Odds’ and Ray Parker Jr.’s ‘Ghostbusters.’

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Song of the Day #5,943: ‘Then Came You’ – Dionne Warwick & The Spinners

Throwing back to the week of Oct. 12, 1974, we find Billy Preston atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Nothing from Nothing,’ one of his three #1 hits, and one I’ve already featured on the blog.

At #2 that week was a collaboration between Dionne Warwick and The Spinners — ‘Then Came You’ — that eventually gave both artists their first chart-topping hit.

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Song of the Day #5,942: ‘Bitch on the Sauce (Just Drunk)’ – Miranda Lambert

Continuing my ranking of the songs on Miranda Lambert’s new album, Postcards from Texas…

#6. ‘Bitch on the Sauce (Just Drunk)’

The back half of Postcards from Texas features only one foot-stomper, and it’s a great one. ‘Bitch on the Sauce (Just Drunk)’ finds Lambert drinking and thinking about calling an ex, unsure if her feelings are legit or just a product of the alcohol.

This song, like at least one other on the album, was written in 2015 in the aftermath of Lambert’s divorce from Blake Shelton. Musically it’s a bit of a romp, but the lyrics are pretty dark, and Lambert introduces hints of weary sadness in her vocals.

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Song of the Day #5,941: ‘Living on the Run’ – Miranda Lambert

Continuing my ranking of the songs on Miranda Lambert’s new album, Postcards from Texas…

#8. ‘Looking Back On Luckenbach’

Another wistful ode to a Texas town, this song nods to Luckenbach (pronounced Luke-en-bach), a tiny town 90 miles west of Austin.

The city had its heyday, such as it was, in the late 1800s and early 1900s before becoming a ghost town through most of the 20th century. Its current listed population is three — yes, three. But it is still home to frequent musical events and one of the only active businesses is a souvenir shop where you can pick up a t-shirt featuring the town’s motto, “Everybody’s Somebody in Luckenbach.”

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