Category Archives: Music

“Blue Moon” is a Rodgers and Hart song with a complicated history and a number of iconic versions. The first time it was a hit was when it was recorded by the Velvet Fog himself, Mel Torme: Gotta love the … Continue reading →

I’ve sung the praises of Pete Townshend’s Deep End Live concert before, and here’s another awesome cut from it, “Barefootin’”: Back in the day when mixtapes were a thing, I’d make party music mixes, and this would be my go-to … Continue reading →

I trust this needs no introduction: Have you read the oral history of that video yet? Go ahead, I’ll wait. Besides, you know what’s coming next, right? You’re probably also aware of the Latin translation of the lyrics, which qualifies … Continue reading →

Has there ever been a better free concert than the one Simon and Garfunkel did in Central Park in 1981? Here they are doing “America”: I love Simon’s joke about “the guys who are selling loose joints” donating half their … Continue reading →

This may be the most covered song of all time. Here’s a traditional rendition from The Rogues: I once said on Facebook that all bagpipes come with three songs preinstalled: Scotland The Brave, The Minstrel Boy, and Amazing Grace. Hearing … Continue reading →

Songs from the folks tradition are by definition covers, since there obviously is no original recording. One of my favorites is All Around My Hat. It was a hit for Steeleye Span in the 70s: Later, Status Quo covered Steeleye’s … Continue reading →

This song is almost 100 years old, and it qualifies as a standard. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, here’s the original version, by Marion Harris: I’m impressed there’s still a recording around of that. The first place I … Continue reading →

I didn’t mean to start this series out with two Pete Townshend songs in a row, but I’m going alphabetically and this is what came next. It’s also one of my favorite songs, from one of my desert island CDs: … Continue reading →

Not many rock groups could pull off the “concept album” without it descending into a morass of self-indulgence and wretched excess. The Who was one of the bands that could get away with it, because Pete Townshend was such a … Continue reading →

How is it that I’d never actually seen the video for “99 Red Balloons” before? One of life’s little mysteries, I suppose. And may I just say…leather pants. God, I miss the 80s sometimes. I also got to wondering if … Continue reading →