Today begins my countdown of the 20 best songs of 2015, or rather the 20 songs that encapsulate the last year in music for me.
This list is always controversial for one reason or another — usually because I leave off a radio hit or two that my regular readers expect. That will likely happen again this year, though I will say I have more hit singles represented on this list than I have in any year since I started ranking.
My pick for #20, however, did not receive much radio play. Shocker!
I am not a fan of political songs. Nothing turns me off more than a pop star name-dropping world leaders and drumming up sympathy for the down-trodden or hungry.
I once had a rule that any song containing the name “Margaret Thatcher” must suck, until Aimee Mann earned an exception with ‘You’re With Stupid Now.’
I’ve heard plenty of praise for The Black Keys but I haven’t really responded to their music. I appreciate the artistry on the two albums I’ve heard (Brothers and El Camino) but, to quote Woody Allen, nothing hit me on a gut level.
Today’s random SOTD, however, is a pleasant surprise. It’s the first Black Keys song to appeal to me both emotionally and musically.
I’ll wrap up this week’s look back on the movies and TV of 2015 with a scene that is horrifyingly inappropriate but darkly funny. Not a bad way to say goodbye to 2015 and ring in 2016, a year that could conceivably see the coronation of President Donald Trump.
Continuing my look back at the best movies and television of 2015, today I’ll focus on some of my favorite movie scenes/moments this year.
These are in no order, offered up free association style.
