Who but Randy Newman can deliver both laugh out loud funny and hauntingly sad songs with the same finesse?
Today’s SOTD, ‘Same Girl,’ from Newman’s 1983 album Trouble in Paradise, is a somber declaration of love from a pimp to one of his prostitutes. Another thing I love about Newman… he writes songs about things very few artists would ever consider.
John Hiatt is a singer-songwriter worthy of more attention than I’ve ever given him. I own a couple of his albums and know some of his most famous songs (Bonnie Raitt’s ‘Thing Called Love,’ ‘Have a Little Faith’). But I haven’t listened to him, not really.
2000’s Crossing Muddy Waters is one of the Hiatt albums I own. It’s a stripped-down acoustic record of mostly heartbreak songs and though I can’t remember the last time I listened to it (probably the year it came out), sampling its tracks just now I didn’t come across a weak one.
So many yacht rock songs are performed by artists completely alien to me. One- or two-hit wonders who never hit my radar no matter how well I know their songs.
Take ‘I’d Really Love to See You Tonight,’ a song I know quite well. With a gun to my head I could never have come up with England Dan & John Ford Coley as the performers. They sound like characters in a movie about Billy the Kid, not soft rock stars.
If there’s a patron saint of yacht rock, it’s gotta be Michael McDonald. The velvet-throated soul singer has either penned or contributed vocals to multiple classic songs from the era.
My favorite McDonald moment remains The Doobie Brothers masterpiece ‘What a Fool Believes,’ but among his solo work, ‘I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)’ is the clear standout.
Our next yacht rock staple comes from Toto’s classic 1982 album Toto IV. This record won multiple Grammys, including Album of the Year and Producer of the Year. Today’s SOTD, ‘Rosanna,’ won ‘Record of the Year’ as well.
The album’s other hit single, ‘Africa,’ is as well-known and well-loved as this one, but I’ve featured it on the blog before, so today is ‘Rosanna’s moment in the spotlight.
Meet Me In Montauk 