Paramore’s latest album After Laughter has been on steady rotation in my household lately. It’s the rare record all four of us like.
The tracks are mostly upbeat pop songs but today’s SOTD, ’26,’ is an exception. Written by lead singer Hayley Williams as a message to her younger self, the song celebrates the power of hope. In earlier songs, she wrote about staying grounded and not getting lost in the clouds, but here she calls out that worldview as cynical.
Chelsea Rae is another singer with a little-heard song on YouTube (211 total views) and almost no other web presence. In fact, when you search for her name, Google asks if you meant to look for “American pornographic film actor” Chelsie Rae.
That’s a shame because, based on this song, Rae (the singer, not the porn star) has some talent. I’m sure the porn star has talent as well, but that’s for a different blog.
I can offer up no better ’24’ song than Lana Del Rey’s rejected Bond theme, released on her 2015 album Honeymoon.
This track was reportedly submitted for Spectre, the 24th Bond film, but turned down in favor of Sam Smith’s garbage song ‘Writing’s On the Wall.’ Although it was trashed by critics, ‘Writing’s On the Wall’ went on to win both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Song. Weak.
I believe today’s track is the first straight-up love song in the ’31 Numbered Songs’ series, and it’s a beauty. Shakira wrote ’23’ for her partner and the father of her two sons, Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué, who she met when he was 23. She was a decade older.
It’s nice to see a celebrity pairing where the woman is older, even if Shakira could still pass for 25.
Taylor Swift’s ’22’ wasn’t eligible for today’s slot because Swift already made the cut with ‘Fifteen.’ But that’s fine, because I already have a ’22’ song I like better.
Lily Allen’s 2009 sophomore album, It’s Not Me, It’s You, matched, and maybe topped, her celebrated debut. She seemed on the verge of massive stardom, or at least the kind of sustained critical acclaim few pop artists enjoy.
Meet Me In Montauk 