Category Archives: song of the day

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Song of the Day #3,239: ‘The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now)’ – David Byrne vs. Taylor Swift

Today’s Montauk Madness matchup is similar to yesterday’s, in that it pits a modern-day juggernaut against an established artist likely past his prime.

Apart from Adele, nobody has the four-quadrant appeal of Taylor Swift. She parlayed country stardom into pop superstardom and is now pretty a much a genre unto herself. David Byrne is an indie rock, New Wave and world music pioneer who has influenced scores of modern musicians. Note: For the purposes of this face-off, we are considering only Byrne’s solo work, and not Talking Heads.

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Song of the Day #3,238: ‘Sandcastles’ – Beyoncé vs. Tom Petty

Somewhere Tom Petty is slamming his fist against a table and crying out, “Why did I have to draw Beyoncé in the first round?!”

Mrs. Carter rules pop culture right now, musically, socially and politically, while Petty is a deeply respected classic rock dinosaur. Is it even a fair fight?

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Song of the Day #3,237: ‘So Far’ – Eminem vs. Dave Matthews Band

We’re entering Week Four of Round One of Montauk Madness, just about halfway through the bloodbath that will result in 32 acts who live to fight another day.

Today’s matchup is a funny one, but then any pairing with Eminem was bound to be a little odd. Eminem is the only rapper represented in the contest, a fact that reflects both my general ambivalence to the genre and my admiration for the work of Marshall Mathers.

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Song of the Day #3,236: ‘If I Die Young’ – The Band Perry

Another Random iTunes Weekend that falls on a holiday — in this case, Mother’s Day.

Before I spin the wheel and see what musical tribute the Random iTunes Fairy serves up for the mothers in the audience, I’d like to offer a shout-out to the mothers who make my own life so special.

Happy Mother’s Day to my own sainted mother, to the love of my life and mother of my children, to her wonderful mother, to the lovely mother of my fabulous niece and nephew, to the darling mothers of all my cousins and to all mothers the world over. I think that covers it.

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Song of the Day #3,235: ‘Pop Muzik’ – M

Today’s Random iTunes Selection comes courtes of the soundtrack to Sing Street, one of my very favorite movies of last year. If you haven’t seen it, remedy that immediately!

Sing Street follows a group of Irish teens in the early 80s who start a pop band, inspired by the music of the era. This song and others serve as templates for their own original material (which is quite good).

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