’29’ is one of my niftiest finds of the ’31 Numbered Songs’ series. This track, written and performed by multi-hyphenate Lorene Scafaria, played over the end credits of director Drew Barrymore’s 2009 film Whip It.
For the uninitiated, Whip It is a great film starring Ellen Page as a young woman who finds herself through roller derby. I’m guessing it’s the only great film about a young woman who finds herself through roller derby.
Prior to discovering today’s SOTD, my knowledge of Machine Gun Kelly was limited to his performance as rapper Kid Culprit in the 2014 film Beyond the Lights.
That film, written and directed by Love & Basketball‘s Gina Prince-Bythewood, is one of my favorite romantic dramas, and a stellar showcase for my favorite actress, Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Paramore’s latest album After Laughter has been on steady rotation in my household lately. It’s the rare record all four of us like.
The tracks are mostly upbeat pop songs but today’s SOTD, ’26,’ is an exception. Written by lead singer Hayley Williams as a message to her younger self, the song celebrates the power of hope. In earlier songs, she wrote about staying grounded and not getting lost in the clouds, but here she calls out that worldview as cynical.
Chelsea Rae is another singer with a little-heard song on YouTube (211 total views) and almost no other web presence. In fact, when you search for her name, Google asks if you meant to look for “American pornographic film actor” Chelsie Rae.
That’s a shame because, based on this song, Rae (the singer, not the porn star) has some talent. I’m sure the porn star has talent as well, but that’s for a different blog.
I can offer up no better ’24’ song than Lana Del Rey’s rejected Bond theme, released on her 2015 album Honeymoon.
This track was reportedly submitted for Spectre, the 24th Bond film, but turned down in favor of Sam Smith’s garbage song ‘Writing’s On the Wall.’ Although it was trashed by critics, ‘Writing’s On the Wall’ went on to win both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Song. Weak.
Meet Me In Montauk 