The eagle-eyed among you might have noticed that my Song of the Day number jumped ahead by 10 after yesterday. That’s because, while perusing old blog entries, I stumbled upon a mistake in the numbering.
In May of 2014, during a theme week on my five desert island songs, I posted R.E.M.’s ‘Maps and Legends’ as SOTD #2,117. It should have been #2,127.
I don’t know that any of my favorite artists have quite the effect on me that Tift Merritt does.
Maybe it’s the intelligence and humanity in all of our songs, the generosity of spirit, the earnestness and warmth. Maybe it’s her rich, welcoming vocals. Maybe it’s just the fact that she’s the only one of my favorites I’ve met in person, and I’ve met her twice.
The Random iTunes Fairy seems eerily prescient lately.
Last week she served up a song from the Grease soundtrack the very day Fox aired its live performance of Grease. And this week, in the middle of my Pazz & Jop rundown, the Saturday selection is the opening track of Liz Phair’s 1993 album Exile in Guyville, which topped that year’s poll.
Grease is primarily about the unlikely romance between greaser Danny Zuko and good girl Sandy Olsson, but I always found more emotional resonance in the sub-plot concerning the rebellious Rizzo, played by Stockard Channing.
Rizzo provides comic relief but also has a pregnancy scare that complicates her relationship with Kenickie, and in one of the film’s most touching scenes (embedded below) she gives us a rare glimpse of her vulnerability.
Today’s Random iTunes Selection comes courtesy of a Josh Rouse live CD distributed for free by Noise Trade.
Noise Trade is a site that connects musicians with fans through the free distribution of music. The idea is that the audience an artist can reach through the site’s large network is worth a lot in potential future sales.
Josh Rouse can win new fans through the release of a live sampling of his earlier work, and existing fans (like me) get to download a nice little treat.
Meet Me In Montauk 