by

Song of the Day #5,482: ‘Radioactive’ – Imagine Dragons

Audiences were in a frisky mood during today’s Throwback Weekend week of July 6, 2013. Topping the Billboard Hot 100 that week were Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ and Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky.’ Both songs have been featured on the blog, so that brings me to the week’s #3 song.

Imagine Dragons have never had a #1 hit, but the’ve had five songs reach the top ten (with four of those making the top five). ‘Radioactive’ performed the best of all, peaking at #3 but setting some impressive records in the meantime. For nearly a decade, this song was the track with the most consecutive weeks in the Hot 100 (87) before it was topped by The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ and later Glass Animals’ ‘Heat Waves.’

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,481: ‘This is the Night’ – Clay Aiken

Throwing back to the week of July 5, 2003, we find American Idol second-place contestant Clay Aiken’s debut single, ‘This is the Night.’ This slice of cheese debuted at #1, becoming only the 11th song in history to accomplish that feat.

‘This is the Night’ was released simultaneously with ‘Flying Without Wings,’ debut single by Ruben Studdard, the man who won that season of Idol. Studdard’s song made it to #2, suggesting the musical marketplace saw things differently than American Idol voters. Both men would go on to have two other top ten hits in their careers (including a shared credit on an Idol finalists version of ‘God Bless the U.S.A.’

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,480: ‘vampire’ – Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo is the heir apparent to Taylor Swift, a preternaturally talented teen singer-songwriter whose confessional songs feel like they speak for a generation.

It’s been two years since Rodrigo’s debut album, Sour, became a smash hit, spawning #1 singles ‘Drivers License’ and ‘Good 4 U’ and dominating playlists for more than a year. Last year was quiet for Rodrigo, but now she’s back with a new album — Guts — due in September, and a new lead-off single, ‘vampire,’ poised to dominate the conversation, if not the charts.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,479: ‘Cupid’ – Fifty Fifty

In a couple of months some mysterious cabal will crown a ‘Song of the Summer,’ with songs such as Taylor Swift’s ‘Karma,’ Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers,’ and Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ already vying for the title.

I want to put an early vote in for ‘Cupid,’ the breakout single by K-Pop girl group Fifty Fifty. This song has reached a growing audience through a sped-up TikTok version and an English-language ‘Twin version,’ as well as the original Korean version presented here. It’s a bouncy, glittery, yet somehow melancholy, song about unrequited love. I guarantee it will get stuck in your head.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,478: ‘If You Insist’ – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

I’ve heard Jason Isbell’s new album, Weathervanes, all the way through just once but I already know it’s a work of art. This is Isbell’s ninth solo release (and sixth with backing band the 400 Unit) and the man somehow just keeps getting better.

Actually, I take that back. “Getting better” suggests his early work was any less resonant and assured than the latest collection, and that’s simply not the case. He emerged from his six years with the Drive-By Truckers as a fully-formed, brilliant artist whose every release demands attention.

Continue reading →