huey lewis & the news

Playlist #140

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Happy New Year, folks! It’s now 2024, which means…well, not a whole lot, on the blog side of things. The playlists will continue until morale improves. That said, here’s this week’s.

  1. Andrew Bird, “Auld Lang Syne”: How this went from a song sung when folks were being generally lauded to a song about the end of one year and the beginning of a new one is beyond me. Maybe someone should research that.
  2. Brian Fallon, “Forget Me Not”: I know I just featured this one a couple of weeks ago, but I really like this song and it’s basically been playing on repeat in my brain for those two weeks.
  3. Frank Turner, “The Gathering”: I always enjoy a Frank Turner rave-up, and one that features Jason Isbell? That’s just icing on the cake.
  4. The Horrible Crowes, “Mary Ann”: Maybe I just really like songs where Brian Fallon shouts someone’s name, okay?
  5. Huey Lewis & the News, “It’s All Right”: Even these guys, the whitest of white guys, know you clap on the two and the four. Get it together, white folks.
  6. Ingrid Michaelson, “Be OK”: I think we can all admit that 2023 was lousy for a whole lot of us. Here’s hoping we’ll all be okay in 2024.
  7. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Climb That Hill”: But it’s not enough to just be okay, is it? No, we want to reach the summit, achieve new heights, do great things. And we will. We just have to go out there and do it.
  8. Tom Waits, “Cold Cold Ground”: Read a thing last week that rated all of Tom Waits’ albums, and this one (Franks Wild Years, without an apostrophe because Tom Waits) was ranked mid-tier. Which is crazy to me, because any album that features this song is automatically top-tier if you ask me.
  9. Wilco, “Quiet Amplifier”: I find it hard to believe Jeff Tweedy has a quiet amplifier. I’ve seen Wilco in concert. He gets loud just like everyone else.
  10. Sting, “Brand New Day”: It is a brand new day, at the start of a brand new year. Make the best of it, folks.

Playlist #119

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Hey, folks! Sorry this is late, but time and house hunting make fools of us all.

  1. case/lang/viers, “Atomic Number”: Still a heartbreakingly beautiful song. These three women sing with so much soul and urgency that it’s hard not to fall in love with the song.
  2. Cat Stevens, “Father and Son”: What always cracks me up about this song is when Cat Stevens sings, “Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy,” and I’m just like, dude, you’re all of 22 when you recorded this song. I have t-shirts older than that.
  3. The Chicks, “Gaslighter”: I’m a sucker for a female empowerment song, especially one as rowdy and fun as this one.
  4. The Clash, “Rebel Waltz”: It’s an actual waltz from The Clash. It has a harpsichord in it.
  5. Courtney Barnett, “Pedestrian At Best”: “I think you’re a joke, but I don’t find you very funny” is one of the best put-downs since Dylan’s “Positively 4th Street.”
  6. Daniel Lanois, “Where Will I Be”: I like the murky atmosphere this guy develops in all his songs.
  7. Elliott Smith, “Oh Well, Okay”: If I can one day be half the singer, songwriter, or guitar player that Elliott Smith was, I will be able to die a happy man.
  8. Foo Fighters, “Cold Day In The Sun”: An acoustic Foo Fighters song? In this economy?
  9. Hem, “Great Houses of New York”: Every song by this band has a sweeping, panoramic, cinematic feel to it, and I love them.
  10. Huey Lewis & the News, “You Crack Me Up”: You know that band your dad always talked about making with his buddies, but it was really just an excuse to get together in the garage and drink some beer and jam on the weekends? That’s Huey Lewis & the News. And they remain glorious.

Playlist #61: Mom’s Birthday, Take 2

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Last year, I posted a playlist for my mother’s birthday that really didn’t reflect her favorite musicians or bands. This year, I make up for that. I present to you Version 2.0 of my Mom’s Birthday Playlist!

  1. Supertramp, “Take The Long Way Home”: One of the few CDs mom had when we were young was a Supertramp greatest hits collection. We listened to it a lot on car trips.
  2. Simon & Garfunkel, “A Hazy Shade Of Winter”: She also had a Simon & Garfunkel CD. This song was not on it, but it’s still a good song.
  3. The Eagles, “Take It To The Limit”: Mom likes the Eagles. I like the Eagles. My wife hates the Eagles with a fierce, fiery passion.
  4. Electric Light Orchestra, “Sweet Talkin’ Woman”: Who doesn’t love ELO? Commies, that’s who.
  5. The Moody Blues, “Ride My See-Saw”: I mean, they have that one song where they spend the last couple minutes just talking, but this song doesn’t do that. It’s just a fun, uptempo bop.
  6. Huey Lewis & The News, “It’s All Right”: I had a Huey Lewis button on my jean jacket growing up. It was awesome.
  7. Carole King, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”: This woman writes a song better than damn-near anybody. I will fight you on this.
  8. Carly Simon, “You’re So Vain”: You probably think this song is about you. It’s not.
  9. The Band Perry, “If I Die Young”: I heard this song in the doctor’s office earlier this week. I then recalled that a coworker had me learn how to play this song for our school talent show several years ago.
  10. Don Henley, “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”: And make romance.