In all of my blathering about A Star is Born in yesterday’s post, I neglected to mention my favorite song from the film’s soundtrack.
‘Maybe It’s Time’ was written by Jason Isbell, a singer-songwriter I discovered earlier this year who has quickly become a favorite of mine. Do yourself a favor and listen to his albums Here We Rest, Southeastern and The Nashville Sound. If you like today’s SOTD at all, you’ll find a lot more just as good and even better on those records.
Writer/director/star Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born is one of the most buzzed-about movies of this year’s award season, and now it has a hefty box office take to match. The only thing keeping it from Oscar glory at this point is the risk of peaking too soon.
I liked the film quite a bit, though I didn’t share the rapturous reception of many critics and fans. I loved the languid first half, which depicts Cooper’s Jackson and Lady Gaga’s Ally falling in love. It’s all warm, syrupy hues and hushed conversations.
Brand New Day, released in 1999, was Sting’s sixth solo album. It’s the last of his albums I chose to own, despite him releasing six more since.
I can’t argue that this album soured me on Sting because, looking at the tracklist, it’s damn good. ‘Desert Rose,’ ‘After the Rain Has Fallen,’ ‘Ghost Story’ and ‘Brand New Day’ are all top-notch. And ‘Fill Her Up,’ today’s random SOTD, is one of Sting’s most successfully ambitious efforts ever.
‘Bartering Lines’ is probably my least favorite song on Ryan Adams’ solo debut album, 2000’s Heartbreaker.
I don’t mean that as a slight to this song, which is fine, but as praise for the rest of Heartbreaker. This is one of the greatest alt-country albums, indie rock albums and break-up albums of all time. Adams followed this record the following year with Gold, an equally good album, and never topped either of those achievements again.
My final one-hit wonder is a painful choice. I adore so much of Fountains of Wayne’s music that I hate to think of them being relegated to the dustbin of history, remembered for their only hit song, ‘Stacy’s Mom.’
And here’s the real kick in the pants: ‘Stacy’s Mom’ wasn’t even that big of a hit. It peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached #3 on the Pop chart. Nothing else the band released ever came close to chart success.
