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Song of the Day #5,028: ‘Joey’ – Sugarland

For a little while, in the mid-2000s, Sugarland was kind of a big deal. The country pop duo (initially a trio, but third member Kristen Hall left the band after their debut record) released five albums between 2004 and 2010, landing three in Billboard’s top ten and two at #1. Four of those albums went Platinum or multi-Platinum, and the band landed five #1 singles on the country chart and four more at #2.

Then, in 2011, the band played the Indiana State Fair, where high winds caused an outdoor stage to collapse, killing seven people and injuring 45 others. Subsequent lawsuits were settled to the tune of $39 million (paid by the band, concert promoter Live Nation, and 16 other defendants).

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Song of the Day #5,027: ‘Dig It’ – The Beatles

I’ve always ranked The Beatles’ Let It Be in the lower half of their albums. That’s not saying too much, given the excellence of everything they released, but still, it’s never been a favorite.

I found a whole new appreciation for the album, however, after watching Peter Jackson’s Get Back mini-series, which documented the creation of Let It Be in fascinating detail. Now when I listen to it, I can picture the laughs, the fights, the creative chemistry that made The Beatles work.

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Song of the Day #5,026: ‘AHHH HA’ – Lil Durk

Closing out the latest installment of ‘What the Kids are Listening To’ is this subtle, intellectually stimulating track by rapper Lil Durk. Just kidding, it’s garbage.

‘AHHH HA’ jumped 16 positions to land at #18 on this week’s chart, behind Doja Cat’s ‘Need to Know‘ at #16 and ‘Save Your Tears‘ by The Weekend & Ariana Grande at #17.

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Song of the Day #5,025: ‘Sweetest Pie’ – Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa

Our first new entry on the Billboard Hot 100 this week is ‘Sweetest Pie’ from Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa. It hits the charts at #15. This collaboration is the first single from Megan’s upcoming studio album, her second.

Megan Thee Stallion is another example of the sexually explicit female rappers I mentioned yesterday in the Latto post. This crop of performers owes a lot to Nicki Minaj, now a grizzled veteran in the 15th year of her career.

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Song of the Day #5,024: ‘Big Energy’ – Latto

Rapper Latto comes in at #14 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 with the song ‘Big Energy.’ The song was recently remixed as a collaboration with Mariah Carey, whose ‘Fantasy’ uses the same Tom Tom Club sample, so it might find its way into the top ten soon.

I didn’t think I’d ever heard of Latto, until I realized she shortened her name from the controversial Mulatto. I’m passingly familiar with her under that moniker, thanks to my daughter.

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