After a month of musicals, I’m turning my attention to good old-fashioned rock-n-roll, taking a look at a recent class of inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Previously in this Rock Hall series, I’ve featured the classes of 2020, 2019, and 2018. Starting today, I’ll take a look at the five members inducted in 2017.
Don McLean’s 1971 album American Pie is best known for its epic title track, of course, but it spawned another hit single in ‘Vincent.’
This lovely song was inspired by the life and death of painter Vincent Van Gogh, who suffered from mental illness and committed suicide at just 37.
McLean had this to say about the inspiration for one of his most beloved songs:
This is the third Bruce Hornsby song to show up on a Random Weekend in the past nine months. Prior to that, the only Hornsby song on the blog came more than nine years earlier, in September of 2010.
This song is new to me. It’s the fourth track on his debut album, a record I know through its singles: ‘The Way It Is,’ ‘On the Western Skyline,’ ‘Every Little Kiss,’ and ‘Mandolin Rain.’
Concluding my personal ranking of the 25 movie musicals deemed essential by the American Film Institute…
#1. Grease – 1978
(#20 on the AFI list)
I don’t know if this will be a controversial choice as my #1 musical on the AFI list, but I have to say it wasn’t even close. Since I first saw Grease as a kid, this has been not just the best musical I’ve ever seen but one of my favorite movies, period.
This movie is such a blast from start to finish — from the melodramatic beachside embrace to the greatest end-of-school carnival ever. It’s impossible to start Grease and not finish it.
Continuing my personal ranking of the 25 movie musicals deemed essential by the American Film Institute…
#4. The Sound of Music – 1965
(#4 on the AFI list)
My biggest blind spot going into this project. I wrote about my newfound love for The Sound of Music when I kicked off this series back in June.
#3. Meet Me in St. Louis – 1945
(#10 on the AFI list)
My biggest surprise. I knew next to nothing about this beautiful film before watching it, except that it featured one of my all-time favorite songs, ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.’ Now it’s one of my favorite musicals.
Meet Me In Montauk 