Category Archives: random weekends

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Song of the Day #4,524: ‘All You Need Is Love’ – The Beatles

In 1967, as many as 700 million people worldwide watched Our World, the first ever live international satellite broadcast. The show featured segments by 14 different countries, presenting scenes of their choice (Japan showed the construction of the Tokyo subway system, while Canada showed a rancher herding cattle).

The United Kingdom won the night by offering up The Beatles, at the height of their popularity, debuting a new song. John Lennon wrote ‘All You Need Is Love’ for the occasion, deliberately penning a tune so simple that anybody in the world could easily sing along.

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Song of the Day #4,523: ‘9-9’ – R.E.M.

‘9-9’ (pronounced “nine to nine,” according to bassist Mike Mills) is a deep cut on R.E.M.’s debut album, 1983’s Murmur.

Murmur is a fascinating album because it not only introduced the jangly pop and soulful folk rock that R.E.M. would perfect, but also weird, discordant, soft-punk songs like this one that pointed to some of the odd detours the band would take throughout their career.

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Song of the Day #4,517: ‘Song For Bob Dylan’ – David Bowie

‘Song For Bob Dylan’ is a track on David Bowie’s excellent 1971 album Hunky Dory. It’s something between a tribute and a jab at Dylan, one of the biggest music stars in the world at that time.

Dylan was checking out in the early 70s. After producing a string of classic, groundbreaking albums in the 60s, he was releasing gentle country albums Nashville Skyline and New Morning, along with Self Portrait, a collection of odds and ends that was easily his worst work to date.

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Song of the Day #4,516: ‘Waterloo’ – ABBA

‘Waterloo,’ the title track of ABBA’s 1974 sophomore album, was the song that launched them to international fame. It is also the first recording released under the name ABBA, as the band’s first effort was billed to Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. The quartet quickly realized that going by their first initials, and ordering them as the palindromic ABBA, made a lot more sense.

‘Waterloo’ won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, and remains the most famous song to do so (at least the most famous on this side of the pond).

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Song of the Day #4,510: ‘Is Anybody Going To San Antone’ – Ron Sexsmith

‘Is Anybody Going To San Antone’ is the closing track on Ron Sexsmith’s 2015 album Carousel One.

The song is a cover of a song released by country music singer Charley Pride in 1970. You can hear that version here.

Pride was a top-selling artist in the 70s. Over the course of his career, he scored 30 #1 Country hits and put 52 songs on the top 10.

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