Today’s random track appears on Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album Blue, her fourth, widely considered one of the greatest singer-songwriter records ever made.
I don’t know Blue well enough to offer my own opinion. I have long had a problem with Joni Mitchell as a vocalist that has kept me at a distance from her work. My loss, I know, because this is clearly next-level songwriting.
Today’s random SOTD comes courtesy of Miranda Lambert and Ram Trucks. ‘Roots and Wings’ is a non-album single Lambert wrote expressly for the Dodge brand back in 2015.
This isn’t a case of Dodge using a song in a commercial, but a partnership between artist and brand that abandons traditional advertising altogether. The video for this song (embedded below) contains a few Ram Trucks but you’d never know that’s the point. It doesn’t even feature product placement where the camera lingers on the brand’s logo.
‘Little Queenie’ is a 1959 release by the late Chuck Berry that includes several of his trademarks, including an oft-imitated opening guitar riff, some rip-snorting solos and a reference to an underage girl.
Could anybody get away with a line like “she’s too cute to be a minute over seventeen” these days? Happily, I think the answer is no.
Before I intervened with some Frank Sinatra, this was the randomly dialed-up song slated for my father’s 75th birthday. Not exactly the best fit.
On the other hand, a pop-rock anthem by Kesha (featuring Eagles of Death Metal) encouraging people to ignore criticism and shine on through the negativity is appropriate on any day, including a milestone birthday.
‘Water Under the Bridge’ is one of the best songs on Adele’s 2015 album 25, which is a fine album start to finish. A fine album, but not a remarkable one, which makes its record-shattering commercial performance even more astounding.
These days it’s rare for an album to sell a million copies. Selling 2 million is a pipe dream. Over the past three years, only Taylor Swift (Reputation) and Ed Sheeran (รท) have reached the 2 million threshold.
That’s 2 million copies, total.
Meet Me In Montauk 