I’ve had a complicated relationship with Taylor Swift over the past ten years. She is an extremely talented songwriter and performer who too often gives in to her worst tendencies. Something holds me back from embracing her completely.
This might seem like an odd comparison, but my reaction to Swift reminds me of my reaction to Quentin Tarantino. His movies are undeniably great, but he can’t help but slip in a few moments here and there that turn me off and keep me from buying in entirely.
This song appeared on Michael Penn’s 1997 Resigned, the singer-songwriter’s third album, and third great album at that.
Penn would release two more albums over the ensuing eight years and then hang up his pop music hat for good. Or at least it seems that way, 15 years later. Maybe Penn will surprise his once-devoted fans with a new album release one of these days. I won’t hold my breath.
This is the third Leap Day since I started my Song of the Day blog back in 2008. That was a leap year as well, but I started posting songs in July so February had already passed.
My previous two Leap Day posts surprisingly contain no mention of the date. In 2012, I featured The Shins’ ‘Saint Simon’ during a week of unrelated songs (I did a lot fewer theme weeks in the blog’s early days).
Yesterday I hoped for a strong finish to my latest chapter of ‘What the Kids are Listening To,’ and my wish was granted with Billboard’s #15 track, ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd.
The second single from his next album is an 80s-fueled synth-tastic bop, and right up there with Dua Lipa’s ‘Don’t Start Now’ as the best song I’ve featured over the past two weeks.
Justin Bieber claims the 14th spot on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Yummy,’ the first single from his upcoming album Changes. It has been five years since Bieber’s last album, the well-received Purpose, so expectations are high.
If ‘Yummy’ is any indication, we shouldn’t get too excited. This is a repetitive and nonsensical song, and another disappointing entry in one of the bleakest ‘What the Kids are Listening To’ segments.
Meet Me In Montauk 