‘The Wicked MEssenger’ is a track from Bob Dylan’s 1967 album John Wesley Harding, the first record he released after his mysterious motorcycle accident a year earlier.
Dylas has said the accident gave him an excuse to “get out of the rat race” after a two-year span that saw the release of three classic, era-defining releases (Bringing it All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde). John Wesley Harding was a far quieter, less mind-bending album than that trio.
‘New Frontier’ is a standout track from Donald Fagen’s acclaimed 1982 album The Nightfly. This was the second single released from the album and it reached #70 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The previous single, ‘I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)’ made it to #26.
This swinging tune depicts a young man in the 60s holding a party in his parents’ bomb shelter. It uses JFK’s promise of a “new frontier” as a symbol for the romantic yearning of youth, toeing a line between satire and bittersweet sincerity.
Here’s a delightful track from Harry Nilsson, from his 1972 album Son of Schmilsson. This album was the follow-up to 1971’s Nilsson Schmilsson, his most successful release.
While the former album contained a few hits (including ‘Coconut’ and ‘Without You’), this one was a bit more eccentric and produced just one single (‘Spaceman’).
Today’s song is the second single from Mary Chapin Carpenter’s 1992 album Come On Come On. ‘Not Too Much To Ask’ is one of seven tracks from the album to reach the top 20 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart (it peaked at #15).
Four of those cuts made it to the top five, helping make this the best-selling album of the country singer-songwriter’s career.
‘Leah’ os a lovely grace note in the middle of Bruce Springsteen’s 2005 album Devils & Dust, an otherwise somber collection. This song isn’t exactly ‘Walking on Sunshine,’ but compared to some of the downers on this record, it may as well be.
Springsteen has released a lot of good albums in the 15 years since Devils & Dust, but I’d call this record his last great one. It has an intimacy and power you don’t encounter very often.
Meet Me In Montauk 