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Song of the Day #4,730: ‘Spanish Doors’ – Liz Phair

Liz Phair is an artist I had no expectation of hearing from in 2021. It’s been 11 years since her last release, the half-assed, grab-bag double album Funstyle, and 16 years since her last serious release, 2005’s forgotten (and forgettable) Somebody’s Miracle.

Before that came 2003’s Liz Phair, which earned her a minor hit in ‘Why Can’t I?’ but also the derision of fans who accused her of selling out by teaming up with pop hitmakers. When you looked past the glossy production, and the whiplash effect of seeing an indie trailblazer in such a different context, that album wasn’t half-bad.

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Song of the Day #4,729: ‘Lost Cause’ – Billie Eilish

Has any solo artist achieved as much success at as young an age as Billie Eilish? She is the youngest artist ever to win the Album of the Year Grammy, and the youngest ever to win Record of the Year (which she has won twice, making her also the second-youngest behind only herself).

She is one of only eight people to sweep the Grammys top three awards (Album, Record, Song) in one ceremony, and by far the youngest to do that. She is one of only two to add Best New Artist to that tally, joining Christopher Cross, who was 30 when he did it.

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Song of the Day #4,728: ‘My Cleveland Heart’ – Jackson Browne

It’s been exactly a month since I wrapped up my deep dive into the albums of Jackson Browne, and now he’s back with the first single from his upcoming release.

Browne’s 15th studio album, Downhill From Everywhere, is due out next month, seven years after what I suspected might be his last effort, 2014’s Standing in the Breach.

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Song of the Day #4,727: ‘Panic’ – The Smiths

‘Panic’ is one of the better-known tracks from Louder Than Bombs, The Smiths’ 1987 compilation of singles and B-sides that hadn’t had a U.S. release. Pound for pound, this album rivals any of the band’s studio releases.

The story goes that Morrissey and Johnny Marr wrote ‘Panic’ after listening to coverage of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster followed immediately by a silly pop song. The opening verses describe a chaotic scene as people react to world events, before the chorus shifts to a call to arms against the DJ whose music choices are too frivolous.

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Song of the Day #4,726: ‘Write My Ticket’ – Tift Merritt

I was surprised to see that today’s random track is only the second song I’ve posted from Tift Merritt’s 2004 sophomore album Tambourine. Even more surprising is that the first time was just last summer, when another of its songs showed up on a random weekend.

My love for Tift Merritt is well-documented on the blog, and I have featured her more than 40 times, yet somehow only two of those posts come from this album, the first of hers I heard.

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