My knowledge of Lizzy McAlpine begins and ends with the song ‘Ceilings,’ which my daughters love. I would have predicted that she was around 20 years old and working on her first album.
Turns out I’m not far off on the age. McAlpine is 24. But the Philly-based singer-songwriter already has two full-length albums under her belt and a third on the way next month. So I guess I better get on board before I’m too far behind.
I first learned about Maggie Rogers from my daughter Fiona, who loved the song ‘Dog Years’ back in the late 2010s.
I then watched the viral video of Pharrell Williams listening to her song ‘Alaska’ during an NYU class in 2016. It’s hard not to both appreciate her talent and root for her success after watching that gem.
Somehow, though, I’ve never taken the time to dig deeper into her music. She has released two studio albums and several EPs since 2017, plus two independently produced albums before that, but I haven’t listened to any of them.
The week of March 13, 2004, saw Usher atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Yeah!,’ which occupied the #1 spot for 12 consecutive weeks that year.
At #2 is ‘One Call Away’ by Chingy, an artist I had never heard of until he showed up on Throwback Weekends in August (with ‘Right Thurr‘) and November (with ‘Holidae In‘). Those tracks peaked at #2 and #3, respectively.
Throwing back to the week of March 12, 1994, we find Swedish pop band Ace of Base atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘The Sign.’
Late last year, I featured the band’s previous hit, ‘All That She Wants,’ which peaked at #2. That song, plus today’s track and ‘Don’t Turn Around,’ which reached #4, all showed up on the band’s debut album, Happy Nation. To be more precise, they showed up on the U.S. version of that album, which had a different track order than the initial Denmark release and added three new songs (including ‘Don’t Turn Around’ and ‘The Sign’).
Dire Straits is one of those bands I rarely listen to despite loving everything I’ve heard. The group never found its way into my regular rotation, but that doesn’t stop me from considering Making Movies and Brothers in Arms perfect albums.
I’ve never given Mark Knopfler’s solo career much consideration, either, despite adoring 2000’s Sailing to Philadelphia. That album is an absolute banger, one I would stack up against pretty much anything from either decade it straddled.
Meet Me In Montauk 