Monday, May 25, 2026

Poll: May 1982 Songs

  May 1982. One month away from graduating.  Not the strongest list I've voted on.  But brought back memories of my last months in High School.

"Don't You Want Me", Human League : 1
"Get Down On It", Kool & the Gang : 2
"Rosanna", Toto : 3
"I Love Rock 'N Roll", Joan Jett & the Blackhearts : 4
"The Other Woman", Ray Parker, Jr. : 5
"We Got The Beat", Go-Go's : 6
"Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go", Soft Cell : 7
"Edge Of Seventeen (Just Like The White Winged Dove)", Stevie Nicks : 8
"Don't Talk To Strangers", Rick Springfield : 9
"'65 Love Affair", Paul Davis : 10
"Open Arms", Journey : 11
"Heat Of The Moment", Asia : 12
"It's Gonna Take A Miracle", Deniece Williams : 13
"Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me", Juice Newton : 14
"If It Ain't One Thing...It's Another", Richard "Dimples" Fields : 15
"One Hundred Ways", Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram  : 16
"Do You Believe In Love", Huey Lewis & the News : 17
"Always On My Mind", Willie Nelson : 18
"Chariots of Fire (Titles)", Vangelis : 19
"867-5309/Jenny", Tommy Tutone : 20
"Did It In A Minute", Daryl Hall & John Oates : 21
"Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)", Elton John : 22
"Freeze-Frame", J. Geils Band : 23
"Make A Move On Me", Olivia Newton-John : 24
"Circles", Atlantic Starr : 25
"That Girl", Stevie Wonder : 26
"Man On Your Mind", Little River Band : 27
"Run For The Roses", Dan Fogelberg : 28
"Key Largo", Bertie Higgins : 29
"Ebony And Ivory", Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder : 30
"Hang Fire", Rolling Stones : 31
"Pac-Man Fever", Buckner & Garcia : 32
"Should I Do It", Pointer Sisters : 33
"You're My Everything", Santa Esmeralda : 34
"Crimson And Clover", Joan Jett & the Blackhearts : 35
"Making Love", Roberta Flack : 36
"Goin' Down", Greg Guidry : 37
"Friends In Love", Dionne Warwick & Johnny Mathis : 38
"Body Language", Queen : 39
"(Oh) Pretty Woman", Van Halen : 40
"The Beatles' Movie Medley", Beatles : 41
"I've Never Been To Me", Charlene : 42 

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Bob Dylan 85 Years Old

   Back in 2014, I participated in an online poll ranking Bob Dylan's songs/albums/cover versions by other artists.  Now on his 85th birthday I'm gonna repost my rankings.  I've decided to keep the rankings as they were originally published.  Maybe on his 90th birthday, I'll update it.

Songs
1.  Like A Rolling Stone
2.  Positively 4th Street
3.  Tangled Up In Blue
4.  Knockin' On Heaven's Door
5.  Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
6.  Lay Lady Lay
7.  Masters of War
8.  Subterranean Homesick Blues
9. Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
10.  It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding
11. Highway 61 Revisited
12. Shelter From The Storm
13. I Want You
14. Ballad of A Thin Man
15. It Ain't Me Babe
16. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
17. Mr. Tambourine Man
18. Blowin' In The Wind
19. Maggie's Farm
20. Just Like A Woman
21. I Shall Be Released
22. All I Really Want To Do
23. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
24. If Not For You
25. All Along The Watchtower
26. Visions of Johanna
27. Stuck Inside of Memphis
28. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
29. My Back Pages
30. Tombstone Blues
31. Simple Twist of Fate
32. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
33. Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
34. She Belongs To Me
35. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome
36. Chimes of Freedom
37. Desolation Row
38. Blind Willie McTell
39. To Ramona
40. Gotta Serve Somebody
41. Brownsville Girl
42. Times They Are A-Changin'
43. Tight Connection To My Heart
44. Dirty World
45. Things Have Changed
46. Hurricane
47. Forever Young
48. Tweeter and the Monkey Man
49. Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35
50. Isis

Top 20 Albums
1.  Highway 61 Revisited
2.  Blonde On Blonde
3.  Blood on the Tracks
4.  Another Side of Bob Dylan
5.  Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
6.  John Wesley Harding
7.  Basement Tapes
8.  Bringing It All Back Home
9.  Love and Theft
10. Nashville Skyline
11. Desire
12. New Morning
13. Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (Live 1966)
14. Times They Are A-Changin'
15. Slow Train Coming
16. Time Out Of Mind
17. Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3
18. Modern Times
19. Before The Flood
20. Bob Dylan s/t (1962)

Covers by Other Artists
1.  All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
2.  Mr. Tambourine Man - Byrds
3.  Tomorrow Is A Long Time - Elvis Presley
4.  I Shall Be Released - Band
5.  You Ain't Going Nowhere - Byrds
6.  If Not For You - George Harrison
7.  It Ain't Me Babe - Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash
8.  Blowin' In The Wind - Stevie Wonder
9.  It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - Them
10. Mighty Quinn  - Manfred Mann
11. Tomorrow Is A Long Time - Rod Stewart
12. She Belongs To Me - Ricky Nelson
13. Emotionally Yours - O'Jays
14. Make You Feel My Love - Adele
15. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Warren Zevon
16. Highway 61 Revisited (Live 30th Anniversary) - Johnny Winter
17. Absolutely Sweet Marie - Jason & The Scorchers
18. All I Really Want To Do - Byrds
19. Tears of Rage - Band
20. Masters of War (Live 30th Anniversary) - Eddie Vedder 

Friday, May 15, 2026

Playlist for 5/15

Kacey Musgraves - Middle of Nowhere 
Ringo Starr - Long Long Road
Band of Heathens - Country Sides
Black Crowes - A Pound of Feathers 
Lemon Twigs - Look For Your Mind
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Future Soul 
Luke Combs - The Way I Am 
New Pornographers - Former Site of

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Ranking: Songs from Billy Joel - The Stranger

  It took Billy Joel 3 albums on Columbia before number four broke him in a big way.  Today The Stranger is a diamond selling album.  Its fate when first released in 1977 was far away from those sales projections.  But the lead single, "Just the Way You Are" peaked at #3 and the album had three more top 40 singles.  The momentum carried over in to 1978 when 52nd Street became his first number one album.  Never a critics favorite, Joel's music was often dismissed by critic during his peak as slight.  But listeners, including me, disagreed.  The Stranger remains my favorite Billy Joel album.

1.  Only The Good Die Young
2.  Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
3.  Just The Way You Are
4.  Vienna
5.  Songs From An Italian Restaurant
6.  She's Always A Woman
7.  The Stranger
8.  Get It Right the First Time
9.  Everybody Has A Dream

Thursday, May 07, 2026

Best Mother's Day Songs

Updated for 2026

When most people think of Mother's Day songs, sentimentality usually wins out.  I've got a few of those listed below, but also some that avoid the teardrops.
                                                                                                                                             

Anais Mitchell - Little Big Girl
Anthony Hamilton - Mama Knew Love
Beatles - Julia
Bill Anderson - Mama Sang A Song
Boyz II Men - Song For Mama
Brandi Carlile - The Mother

Bruce Springsteen - Wish
Carrie Underwood - Mama's Song
Dolly Parton - Coat Of Many Colors
Electric Light Orchestra - Mama
Elvis Presley - Mama Liked The Roses
Gerry Rafferty - Mary Skeffington
Gregory Porter - Mother's Song
Intruders - I'll Always Love My Mama
Jamie O'Neal - Somebody's Hero
Judds - Mama He's Crazy

John Lennon - Mother
Joni Mitchell - Little Green
Junior - Mama Used To Say
Kacey Musgraves - Mother
Lefty Frizzell - Mom and Dad's Waltz
Lenny Kravitz - Thinking Of You

Linda Ronstadt - Sweetest Gift
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man
Merle Haggard - Mama Tried
Miracles - Shop Around
Miranda Lambert - Mama's Broken Heart
Outkast - She's Alive
Paul Simon - Loves Me Like A Rock
Pink Floyd - Mother

Randy Travis - Angels
Romy - Enjoy Your Life
Ruth Brown - Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean
Shirelles - Mama Said
Sizzla - Thank U Mamma
2Pac - Dear Mama
Spinners - Sadie
Sufjan Stevens - Fourth Of July
Taylor Swift - Best Day

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Playlist for 4/30

Black America sings Stevie Wonder - Various
Wednesday Morning 6AM-Radio Hits from the Small Hours 70-83 - Various
Mitski - Nothing's About to Happen to Me
Iron & Wine - Hen's Teeth
Delines - The Set Up
Johnny Blue Skies/Sturgill Simpson - Mutiny After Midnight
Harry Styles - Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally 

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Poll: April 1968 Songs

   April 1968.  I'm a month away from turning four years old.  I don't think I remember these songs from that month.  But artists?  The Beatles, Monkees for sure.  



"(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay", Otis Redding : 1
"Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell : 2
"La-La Means I Love You", Delfonics : 3
"Tighten Up", Archie Bell & the Drells : 4
"Mrs. Robinson", Simon & Garfunkel : 5
"Dance To The Music", Sly & the Family Stone : 6
"The Good, The Bad & The Ugly", Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra : 7
"Cry Like A Baby", Box Tops : 8
"Lady Madonna", Beatles : 9
"I Thank You", Sam & Dave : 10
"A Beautiful Morning", Rascals : 11
"Scarborough Fair / (Canticle)", Simon & Garfunkel : 12
"Love Is Blue", Paul Mauriat : 13
"Valleri", Monkees : 14
"Cowboys To Girls", Intruders : 15
"Do You Know The Way To San Jose", Dionne Warwick : 16
"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition...)", First Edition (Kenny Rogers) : 17
"Jennifer Juniper", Donovan : 18
"Love Is All Around", Troggs : 19
"(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone", Aretha Franklin : 20
"Take Time To Know Her", Percy Sledge : 21
"Summertime Blues", Blue Cheer : 22
"MacArthur Park", Richard Harris : 23
"If You Can Want", Smokey Robinson & the Miracles : 24
"Sweet Inspiration", Sweet Inspirations : 25
"The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo)", Manfred Mann : 26
"Simon Says", 1910 Fruitgum Co. : 27
"Honey", Bobby Goldsboro : 28
"Forever Came Today", Diana Ross & the Supremes : 29
"Soul Serenade", Willie Mitchell : 30
"I Got The Feelin'", James Brown & the Famous Flames : 31
"The Unicorn", Irish Rovers : 32
"(Theme From) Valley Of The Dolls", Dionne Warwick : 33
"Kiss Me Goodbye", Petula Clark : 34
"Playboy", Gene & Debbe : 35
"Young Girl", Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett : 36
"The Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde", Georgie Fame : 37
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