Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-10-23

With its songs about war, addiction, loneliness and death, John Prine’s self-titled album is just what I need to take my mind off all of the horrible news these days.

The late John Prine was born on this date in 1946. Several of his tunes are included on today’s playlist.

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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-7-23

One night in December 1994 my friend Kathy and I attended the WDRE Acoustic Xmas show at New York City’s Beacon Theater. There were multiple artists on the bill, each getting a short slot to perform three or four songs. The acts were The Go-Go’s, Big Audio Dynamite, Jesus and Mary Chain, frente!, Love Spit Love, Black 47, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. I looked up online who performed, as the only act I recall seeing there were the Radiohead guys. The band had one album out at that time, 1993’s Pablo Honey. Kathy and I just wanted them to do their hit – “Creep” – and then skedaddle. They didn’t play “Creep.” They played some song about plastic trees and one about an iron long and some other mess. Kathy and I knew this band would never be heard from again.

Oops.

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke was born on this date in 1968. Lots of Thom’s work on today’s playlist.

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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-3-23

Eddie Cochran was only 19 years old when he recorded “Summertime Blues,” a song he wrote with his manager in 45 minutes. A self-taught guitarist, Cochran played all the guitar parts and sang both the lead and bass vocals. Less than two years after “Summertime Blues” became a hit Cochran was killed in a car accident.

Eddie Cochran was born on this date in 1938. A few of his songs are included on today’s playlist.

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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-2-23

In the same room where Ian Fleming wrote James Bond novels Sting of The Police wrote what he called a “nasty little song” about his feelings of jealousy and obsession over his first wife following their divorce. I’m not sure if hearing the song everywhere helped him get over those feelings, but the money the song generated may have lifted his spirits.

Sting was born on this date in 1951. Lotsa Police songs on today’s playlist.

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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-1-23

In 1993, humor columnist Dave Barry surveyed his readers to find the worst song. The clear winner for Worst Overall Song and Worst Lyrics was “Mac Arthur Park.” Culture critic Joe Queenan disagreed with the results “because ‘Ebony and Ivory’ exists, as do ‘You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,’ ‘Baby, I’m-a Want You,’ ‘Feelings,’ ‘Benny and the Jets,’ ‘Witchy Woman’ and ‘Sussudio,’” adding “On a planet where somebody thought it would be a good idea to write ‘Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,’ the best ‘MacArthur Park’ is ever going to earn in the sucky-song sweepstakes is a tie.”

The late Richard Harris was born on this date in 1930. Celebrate his birthday with a piece of soggy cake and by listening to today’s playlist, which includes the song many hate.

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