Category Archives: random weekends

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Song of the Day #2,683: ‘When the Stars Come Out’ – Chris Stapleton

chris_stapleton_travellerThe Random iTunes Fairy did me a favor this weekend and served up a track from Chris Stapleton’s debut album, Traveller. I’ve wanted to post something about the record since I picked it up a couple of weeks ago but I’m in the middle of a monthlong flashback series so I didn’t think I’d do it anytime soon.

Stapleton has been kicking around Nashville for years as a songwriter and performer but reached most people’s radars (including mine) following a riveting performance alongside Justin Timberlake at the recent Country Music Awards.

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Song of the Day #2,677: ‘Little Savage (Alternate Version)’ – Elvis Costello

imperialbedroomElvis Costello’s many reissues of his back catalog have unearthed a lot of excellent tracks. Today’s Random iTunes selection is not among them.

This alternate take of Imperial Bedroom‘s ‘Little Savage’ is nearly incoherent, especially vocally, a fact that Costello himself acknowledges in the disc’s liner notes:

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Song of the Day #2,670: ‘Blame Game’ – Kanye West

beautiful_dark_twistedAmid all of Kanye West’s silliness and tabloid shenanigans, it’s easy to forget that he can lay down some fascinating music. Today’s Random iTunes track, ‘Blame Game,’ is a great example.

An emotional climax of West’s excellent 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, ‘Blame Game’ chronicles the end of a relationship with a mix of jealousy, name-calling, self-loathing and bravado. And it’s all topped off with a hilarious Chris Rock monologue riffing on the song’s themes.

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Song of the Day #2,669: ‘The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll’ – Bob Dylan

timestheyareachanging‘The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll’ is a traditional protest song typical of Bob Dylan’s first few albums. This one appears on The Times They Are A-Changin’, Dylan’s most socially and politically charged record, which he released when he was just 22.

The song chronicles the true story of racist tobacco farm heir William Zantzinger (Dylan changed the spelling) who assaulted a 51-year-old black maid with a cane, after which she died. Zantzinger was charged with first-degree murder but ended up serving only six months. This was in early 1963.

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