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Song of the Day #75: ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ – Madonna

I have a decidedly negative opinion of Madonna that has only worsened over the past decade or so as she’s picked up a British accent and added “pretentious ass” to her long line of image makeovers.

But I have to admit, she had a string of hits in the 80s and early 90s that still hold up to this day. Songs such as ‘Borderline,’ ‘Like a Prayer,’ ‘Open Your Heart’ and this one, ‘Papa Don’t Preach.’ This was back when Madonna was sexy without desperately trying to be sexy and, if you ask me, she’s still coasting today on the extraordinary success she had in those years.

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Song of the Day #74: ‘Take On Me’ – A-Ha

This week’s theme, today through Friday, is beloved 80s songs that have memorable videos.

And when I told Alex about the theme, her immediate response was “Like A-Ha?”

I think ‘Take On Me’ might be the most memorable video in MTV history, at least for those of us who were around when MTV first launched. It’s the first video I can remember that complemented the song so well that you almost couldn’t conceive of listening to it separately. To this day, if I hear ‘Take On Me’ I immediately picture the lead singer passing behind that animation/reality screen and the cute blonde finding the crumpled up paper in the diner wastebasket.

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Song of the Day #73: ‘Change is Hard’ – She & Him

I’m kind of at a loss for words in trying to describe the appeal of She & Him, and singer/songwriter Zooey Deschanel in particular.

There’s a mysterious and charming quality to the group’s debut album — it somehow feels simultaneously familiar and brand-new. And almost all of the credit goes to Deschanel and her wonderful voice.

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Song of the Day #72: ‘Found Out About You’ – Gin Blossoms

This song would have fit very well in my theme week on my courtship with my wife. It and the album on which it appeared (New Miserable Experience) were in frequent rotation on my car stereo the summer of 1993.

I know a group that has just one great song is called a one-hit wonder, but what about a group with just one great album? New Miserable Experience is best remembered for this song and another hit, ‘Hey Jealousy,’ but it was strong from start to finish. And it holds up quite well today. That early 90s alterna-pop sound (see also: Toad the Wet Sprocket) was a good one, and is dated only in the literal sense.

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Song of the Day #71: ‘Rise Up with Fists’ – Jenny Lewis

2006 was a strong year for female artists. My top twenty that year featured seven women (including Neko Case, Regina Spektor and Nellie McKay). Among the best of those albums was Jenny Lewis’ Rabbit-Fur Coat, a collection of folksy pop songs featuring backup vocals by The Watson Twins (who look like the creepy girls from The Shining all grown up).

This was my first exposure to Lewis, who is better known as the lead singer of the group Rilo Kiley. I don’t have any of their albums, though her solo work intrigues me enough that I might check them out.

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