Category Archives: song of the day

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Song of the Day #2,738: ‘My Shot’ – Hamilton Cast

hamiltonBest Songs of 2015 – #6
‘My Shot’ – Hamilton Cast

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway phenomenon Hamilton is the latest obsession in my household. My two daughters, in particular, have played it non-stop for weeks. I can only hope it helps bring up their history grades.

Hamilton is the latest cultural bombshell tossed our way by my niece, a sophomore at Boston’s Emerson College. Her enthusiastic pitch (including a sing-along performance of the opening track in her living room) was plenty incentive to buy the album on the spot.

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Song of the Day #2,737: ‘Depreston (Live)’ – Courtney Barnett

courtney_barnett_sometimes Best Songs of 2015 – #7
‘Depreston’ – Courtney Barnett

Last April, I focused the blog on Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett for a couple of weeks, posting a song-by-song discovery of her debut LP, Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit.

My verdict was that Barnett is a gifted storyteller and an exciting artist worth watching. The album is fast and smart, sometimes loud and always thoughtful. In short, one of the highlights of 2015.

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Song of the Day #2,736: ‘Lean On (Live)’ – Major Lazer & DJ Snake

major_lazer_lean_on Best Songs of 2015 – #8
‘Lean On’ – Major Lazer & DJ Snake feat. MØ

Here’s a song I initially resisted before finally succumbing to its charms.

Those charms include singer MØ’s alien charisma and serpentine dance moves in the song’s irresistible video as well as the “ay-oh” ear worm that separates the chorus from the verses.

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Song of the Day #2,735: ‘When We Were Young’ – Adele

adele-25Best Songs of 2015 – #9
‘When We Were Young’ – Adele

Nobody thought NSYNC’s record of 2.4 million albums sold in a week would ever fall. Not so much because NSYNC is some pinnacle of creative success but because the music industry has changed so much that a million-copy sales week is now unheard of. Two million? More? That’s fantasy land.

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Song of the Day #2,734: ‘Run Away With Me’ – Carly Rae Jepsen

carly_rae_jepsen_emotionBest Songs of 2015 – #10
‘Run Away With Me’ – Carly Rae Jepsen

One of my big surprises in reading a ton of year-end wrap ups was how often I saw Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest album, E•MO•TION, listed among the best records of 2015.

It’s not that I don’t consider Jepsen capable of greatness — ‘Call Me Maybe’ alone proves she has considerable hit-making chops — but I figured if she had released a monster pop album, it would have done monster business.

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