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Song of the Day #4,660: ‘That Year’ – Brandi Carlile

Following the success of The Story, Brandi Carlile was poised for breakout success, and her next album — 2009’s Give Up the Ghost — seemed like just the vehicle for it.

Produced by the legendary Rick Rubin, Give Up the Ghost serves up another batch of resonant folk pop, but sounds even better than her first two records. Carlile sounds looser and freer, and the songs are alternately sadder and more fun. She even duets with her idol, Elton John, on a song that sounds like an alt-country ‘Crocodile Rock.’

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Song of the Day #4,659: ‘The Story’ – Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile’s first album earned critical raves and landed her supporting roles on tour with big-name artists. It also placed three songs on Grey’s Anatomy, giving her a boost in name recognition as she set about recording her second album. T Bone Burnett took the reins as producer.

The Story, released in 2009, went on to sell 500,000 copies and remains Carlile’s top-selling release to date. The collection of poignant country rock tracks is similar to her debut in style and tone but the quality of both the sound and the songs feels like it’s been turned up a notch.

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Song of the Day #4,658: ‘Someday Never Comes’ – Brandi Carlile

Since I finished my Joni Mitchell series, I’ve been itching to jump into another artist deep dive. I enjoyed navigating the highs and lows of a storied career, and discovering new songs along the way.

I settled on Jackson Browne as my next featured artist. Over 42 years he has released 14 studio albums, most of which I don’t know. That’s three solid weeks of material to cover, and no doubt a treasure trove of great songs I don’t yet know.

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Song of the Day #4,657: ‘Chinese’ – Lily Allen

‘Chinese’ is one of my favorite tracks from Lily Allen’s 2009 album It’s Not Me, It’s You. I like it even more after learning, just now, that it’s about her mother.

I always assumed it was about a romantic relationship, but the lyrics about returning home to a comforting meal, relaxing, and being lovingly reassured make a lot more sense when you know she’s writing about a parent.

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Song of the Day #4,656: ‘What is This Thing Called Love?’ – Frank Sinatra

‘What is This Thing Called Love?’ is a Cole Porter tune written for the 1929 musical Wake Up and Dream. It was first performed by Elsie Carlisle, and you can listen to that version here.

The song has been recorded by plenty of artists over the years, and was particularly popular with jazz musicians in the 30s, in versions both fast and slow. Billie Holiday put her indelible stamp on it in the 40s.

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