Our next numbered song is one of the unlikeliest hits of the 80s, British electronic artist Paul Hardcastle’s spoken-word Vietnam war anthem ’19.’
Inspired by a documentary on PTSD, Hardcastle sampled news reports and interviews over a bed of electronic music, centered around the (possibly incorrect) statistic that the average age of a soldier in Vietnam was 19.
The Random iTunes Fairy has served up another track from Adele’s debut album, 19, apparently still derisive (or appreciative) of my dismissal of it a few weeks back.
This track is better than the last one I featured, though still fall short of the material on 21. The production is fuller and Adele, as always, is in fine voice. But the tune itself falls a little short.
Sometimes the iTunes “randomness” is downright creepy.
A week ago I wrote about the difference in quality between Adele’s first and second albums, and this week the Random iTunes Fairy serves up a track from her debut to either prove or refute my point.
I’d argue that this little ditty completely supports my description of the album, 19, as a “bore.”
To really showcase how much Alex means to me, today I am highlighting a Bob Dylan song that is not sung by Bob Dylan. As a die-hard Dylan fan, that’s a difficult thing for me to do. But nobody said love is easy.
This song has actually been covered by a laundry list of performers… everybody from Kelly Clarkson to Neil Diamond, Bryan Ferry to Joan Osborne. The best-known versions belong to Billy Joel and Garth Brooks, both of whom landed on the singles chart with the song.
My choice, Adele, has also had success with the track overseas and is releasing it in the U.S. as the next single from her well-received album 19.
Meet Me In Montauk 