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Song of the Day #3,951: ‘Juice’ – Lizzo

If you haven’t heard of Lizzo yet, that’s about to change. The Houston-based rapper/singer/flautist just released her third album, Cuz I Love You, and pop culture has finally caught up with her unique brand of sass, humor and positivity. And once you’re exposed to her infectious personality, it’s hard to look away.

I first heard about Lizzo late last year when my daughter started working her songs into her ‘family drive’ playlists. The opening line of one song, ‘Truth Hurts,’ sums up the funny, frank style that makes Lizzo so refreshing: “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that bitch.”

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Song of the Day #3,950: ‘I Took a Long Hard Look’ – Belle and Sebastian

Here’s a track from The Third Eye Center, a collection of previously unreleased tracks Belle and Sebastian put out in 2013.

This is a mostly forgettable collection. There’s a reason these songs weren’t put on official album released in the first place. But it’s worth a listen for completists.

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Song of the Day #3,949: ‘Dear Mr. Fantasy’ – Traffic

I’m temporarily pausing Random Weekends in order to offer up a quick, completely spoiler-free appreciation of Avengers: Endgame, which opened yesterday.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, have delivered what may be the best Marvel movie yet, one that builds on the careful world-building and character development of the series’ previous 21 films. Pop culture has never seen a project of this scale and magnitude executed over so long a period of time, let alone one that sticks the landing this effectively.

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Song of the Day #3,948: ‘Care of Cell 44’ – The Zombies

Of all of this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, The Zombies have waited the longest for the honor. They first became eligible 30 years ago and were previously nominated in 2014, 2017 and 2018 before finally making the cut.

The delay is probably due to the fact that The Zombies’ influence is essentially limited to one album and a few singles. The band split up after just a couple of years and two studio album releases in the mid 60s (before reuniting in the 2000s).

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Song of the Day #3,947: ‘More Than This’ – Roxy Music

Roxy Music has been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 1997, but the English glam rock band was nominated for the first time this year. The wait paid off, as they made the cut on their first try.

The band was formed in 1970 by singer and songwriter Bryan Ferry, previously an art school teacher. Soundscape master Brian Eno got his start with the band as well, though he left after a couple of years due to creative differences with Ferry. The band released eight albums over 11 years before disbanding in 1992, having influenced a whole generation of artists through both their music and their style.

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