Category Archives: song of the day

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Song of the Day #4,813: ‘Boogie On Reggae Woman’ – Stevie Wonder

1974 was a great year for releases by musical legends, as my previous six Decades posts have shown. Imagine getting albums from Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Randy Newman and David Bowie all in the same year. Now add Stevie Wonder to that mix, and know I still have eight more posts to go. What a time that must have been for music fans!

Wonder’s 1974 release was Fulfillingness’ First Finale, his 17th studio album. This one won the Best Album Grammy the following year, one of three times Wonder won that award (he won all three in a four-year span, becoming the only artist in history to win Best Album for three consecutive releases).

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Song of the Day #4,812: ‘September Gurls’ – Big Star

Diving back into my Decades series, and specifically the year 1974, brings me to Radio City, the sophomore album by American power pop band Big Star.

This album was one of only three released by the pioneering act, who recorded between 1972 and 1978 before breaking up. Their work was hugely influential on the alternative movement, with R.E.M. and The Replacements among their biggest fans.

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Song of the Day #4,811: ‘Waiting for a Dream’ – Rufus Wainwright

Hearing today’s random selection drift out of my headphones immediately put me back in 2004, when Rufus Wainwright’s Want Two was released. I remember lying on the floor of the same room where I’m writing this post now, lyric sheet in hand, taking in the newest release by one of my favorite artists.

Want Two was Wainwright’s fourth album, and the second part of the Want suite. Want One had quickly become one of my favorite albums and cemented Wainwright’s position in my personal pantheon. This album delivered on the promise of its predecessor while exploring new musical territory.

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Song of the Day #4,810: ‘Midnight Rider’ – The Allman Brothers Band

Today’s song is a great example of one of my favorite kinds of Random Weekend selections — a classic tune with an interesting backstory.

The Allman Brothers Band’s ‘Midnight Rider’ is one of the band’s most popular and beloved tracks. It has been covered by a host of other artists, including Gregg Allman on a solo release. His version reached Billboard’s Top 20, the highest showing for the song.

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Song of the Day #4,809: ‘Going, Going, Gone’ – Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan’s 1974 Planet Waves was released between the album widely considered his worst (1973’s Dylan) and one widely considered his best (1975’s Blood on the Tracks).

Planet Waves definitely falls closer to the Blood on the Tracks side of that continuum, even if it doesn’t come close to the heights of that classic. Its songs are thoughtful meditations on love and death with rich backing music provided by The Band, and it fits nicely just below the top tier of Dylan albums.

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