Tag Archives: Hero

by

Song of the Day #5,670: ‘Hero’ – Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey has the most #1 songs by a solo artist (19), so it stands to reason she’ll show up on Throwback Weekends. The week of January 8, 1994, saw her top the charts with ‘Hero,’ her eighth #1 in her first four years of recording.

Carey co-wrote the song but initially wasn’t moved to record it herself and planned to give it to Gloria Estefan. She eventually reconsidered and ended up with one of her signature songs, one she has performed at multiple live events, including the inauguration of President Obama.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #4,578: ‘The Things That Everybody Does (Live)’ – Tift Merritt

Concluding the chronological presentation of my 25 favorite songs…

‘Easy From Now On‘ – Miranda Lambert (2007)

The last time I posted Miranda Lambert’s ‘Easy From Now On,’ during a series on my favorite female vocalists, frequent commenter Dana suggested that Lambert was “this year’s model” and that “with time and perspective” I might not list her in my top ten.

That was a little more than a decade ago.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #2,933: ‘I Wish I Was’ – Maren Morris

maren_morris_heroI have a few more new albums and songs to cover this week, starting with Hero, the major label debut of Texas native Maren Morris.

The 26 year-old Morris is a new-school country performer in the vein of Kacey Musgraves, with a modern sensibility and a love of pop and hip-hop that reveals itself in between the bars of her otherwise traditional country tunes. She also has a penchant for profanity, about which a New York Times reviewer wrote that “she’s breaking what may be country’s last remaining taboo.” You mean Johnny Cash never dropped an f-bomb?

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #2,471: ‘Hero (Live)’ – Family of the Year

boyhood_heroMy second Richard Linklater film in this list, Boyhood uses music both to set the mood and to establish the setting.

Gliding through time, depicting Ellar Coltrane’s metamorphosis from a little boy to a young man, Linklater serves up the hits of the day to anchor us in each moment. Songs do such a good job of transporting us back to specific times in our lives.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #2,407: ‘Hero (Live)’ – Family of the Year

boyhoodOne point I forgot to make in yesterday’s Oscar post… I hate that the Academy passed up their best chance to honor two of America’s most talented and unique auteurs — Wes Anderson and Richard Linklater.

A Best Screenplay Oscar for the former and Best Director Oscar for the latter were so tantalizingly possible. And given the alchemy of luck and timing involved in winning an Academy Award, it’s quite possible neither will ever be that close to the prize again.

Continue reading →