Category Archives: song of the day

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Song of the Day #1,227: ‘Oh, Marion’ – Paul Simon

I notice a pattern in Paul Simon’s early work of competition and jealousy surrounding Art Garfunkel. Despite Simon’s status as the songwriter of all those wonderful tunes they recorded together, it sometimes feels as if he saw himself in Garfunkel’s shadow.

Take his nagging regrets over letting Garfunkel take the lead on ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ or the cryptic songs he wrote about their partnership sometimes without even letting Art in on their meaning.

I wonder if Simon decided to jump into acting in large part because Garfunkel had found success there (in films such as Carnal Knowledge and Catch-22).

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Song of the Day #1,226: ‘God Bless the Absentee’ – Paul Simon

Five years after reaching the pinnacle of his solo career (to that point) with Still Crazy After All These Years, Paul Simon made the bizarre move of writing and starring in a movie.

1980’s One-Trick Pony featured Simon in the semi-autobiographical role of a fading folk rock star attempting a comeback in the face of professional and personal obstacles. While supporting characters in the film are loosely based on people in Simon’s own life, the main character seems like a stab at a self-destructive, self-fulfilled prophecy.

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Song of the Day #1,225: ‘Something Good Coming’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Wrapping up my three-week Tom Petty series is his most recent album with The Heartbreakers, 2010’s Mojo. But first, an aside.

In 2006, Petty released a self-titled album with Mudcrutch — a band made up of Petty, Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, and former collaborators Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon. The five men formed Mudcrutch in Gainesville, Florida, in 1970 but disbanded before recording a studio album.

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Song of the Day #1,224: ‘Down South’ – Tom Petty

By 2006, Tom Petty was in need of a comeback. It had been 12 years since his last great album, Wildflowers, with the three releases during that span all underwhelming for one reason or another.

In 2006, Petty decided to team up once again with Jeff Lynne, producer of Full Moon Fever, to record his third solo album. The record was Highway Companion and, while it never reaches the heights of previous solo efforts Full Moon Fever or Wildflowers, it did signal a return to form.

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Song of the Day #1,223: ‘The Last DJ’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

It was yet another three years before Tom Petty’s next release, 2002’s The Last DJ. This is another Petty album I don’t own, though I can’t recall if I bought it and sold it back or just didn’t give it a chance based on the so-so reviews.

The record is partially a concept album about the music industry, inspired by Los Angeles DJ Jim Ladd, who is notable for being one of the few remaining DJs (and the most prominent) to personally select every song he plays on his station. Radio programming has been completely taken over by computers and research and a guy like this is a charming anachronism.

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