Today’s playlist includes a few tracks from Janelle Monáe, who celebrates a birthday today.
Tunes Du Jour Presents The Weeknd
The Weeknd is one of the most successful and influential artists of the 21st century. His music spans genres from R&B to pop to new wave, and his lyrics explore themes of love, loss, addiction, and identity. He has won multiple Grammy Awards, sold over 75 million records worldwide, and set several streaming and Billboard chart records. Beyond his musical achievements, The Weeknd is also a generous and outspoken philanthropist who supports various causes around the world.
The Weeknd was born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye in Toronto, Canada, to Ethiopian immigrant parents. He grew up speaking Amharic, one of the two main languages of Ethiopia, and attended an Ethiopian Orthodox church as a child. His cultural roots have influenced his music and his philanthropy. In 2016, he donated $50,000 to the University of Toronto to help establish an Ethiopian studies program. In 2021, he donated $1 million to the United Nations World Food Programme to provide meals for people affected by the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
The Weeknd has also shown solidarity with other communities in need. In 2020, he donated $300,000 to Global Aid for Lebanon to help the victims of the Beirut explosion, which killed more than 200 people and injured thousands more. He also donated $500,000 each to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund and to frontline health workers at Scarborough Health Network, the health care network in his hometown. Additionally, he has been a vocal advocate for racial justice and social change. He has donated to organizations such as Black Lives Matter, the Equal Justice Initiative, and the Colin Kaepernick Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative. He has also used his platform to raise awareness and call for action on issues such as police brutality, systemic racism, and human rights violations.
The Weeknd’s music reflects his passion and his vision. His songs often feature collaborations with other artists from different backgrounds and genres, such as Daft Punk, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, and ROSALÍ. His albums showcase his artistic evolution and experimentation, from the dark and gritty House of Balloons to the bright and more pop-oriented After Hours.
The Weeknd is more than just a musical star. He is a humanitarian star who uses his talent and his influence to try to make a positive difference in the world. Thirty of his best tracks are in the playlist below. Hit play and enjoy The Weeknd!
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-20-22
Today’s playlist celebrates the October 20 birthdays of Snoop Dogg, Tom Petty, Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake, Wanda Jackson, The Cribs’ Gary & Ryan Jarman, The Tokens’ Jay Siegel, Eddie Harris, and New Vaudeville Band’s John Carter; and the October 21 birthdays of Dizzy Gillespie, The Cramps’ Lux Interior, The Go-Go’s’ Charlotte Caffey, The Teardrop Explodes’ Julian Cope, Manfred Mann, The Skyliners’ Jimmy Beaumont, Elvin Bishop, Kathy Young, Doja Cat, and Industry’s Jon Carin.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 8-16-22
Today’s playlist celebrates the August 16 birthdays of Madonna, Soft Machine’s Kevin Ayers, Young Thug, Kool & the Gang’s James “JT” Taylor, The Coral’s James Skelly, The Chicks/Court Yard Hounds’ Emily Robison, Golden Earring’s Barry Hay, Ketty Lester, The Music Machine’s Sean Bonniwell, Barbara George, Vanessa Carlton, Al Hibbler, The American Breed’s Gary Loizzo, Sheila of Sheila & B. Devotion, Billy Joe & The Checkmates’ Ernie Freeman, Eydie Gorme, Rina Sawayama, and Joe Sealy.
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My Top 100 Songs Of 2021
Prince, Elvis Costello, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Kool & the Gang. It must be my list of favorite songs of 198-, uh, 2021. The aforementioned veterans rub elbows with Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Wet Leg, serpentwithfeet, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, The Avalanches, Adele and Little Simz.
Here are my top 100 songs of 2021:
- Same Size Shoe – serpentwithfeet
- Love Again – Dua Lipa
- Body – Megan Thee Stallion
- Black Like Me – Mickey Guyton
- Easy On Me – Adele
- Thot Shit – Megan Thee Stallion
- Up – Cardi B
- Save Your Tears – The Weeknd
- Good Days – SZA
- Under the Table – Fiona Apple
- Wet Dream – Wet Leg
- Rumors – Lizzo & Cardi B
- Find My Way – Paul McCartney
- Levitating – Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby
- Chaise Longue – Wet Leg
- I Love You, I Hate You – Little Simz
- Best Friend – Saweetie feat. Doja Cat
- Brando – Lucy Dacus
- So I Lie – Miguel
- We Go On – the Avalanches feat. Cola Boyyy & Mick Jones
- Twerkulator – City Girls
- MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) – Lil Nas X
- Butter – BTS
- Cold Heart – Elton John & Dua Lipa
- Therefore I Am – Billie Eilish
- Your Power – Billie Eilish
- INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow
- Point and Kill – Little Simz feat. Obongjayar
- Scratchcard Lanyard – Dry Cleaning
- Security – Amyl and the Sniffers
- Puppy and a Truck – Jenny Lewis
- Don’t Judge Me – FKA twigs, Headie One, Fred again…
- Pursuit of Happiness – Kool & the Gang
- Savage Good Boy – Japanese Breakfast
- Pay Your Way in Pain – St. Vincent
- ARE YOU WITH THAT? – Vince Staples
- Hot Summer – Prince
- Diamond Studded Shoes – Yola
- Solar Power – Lorde
- chinatown – Bleachers feat. Bruce Springsteen
- The Divine Chord – the Avalanches feat. MGMT & Johnny Marr
- Don’t Go Yet – Camila Cabello
- Strong Feelings – Dry Cleaning
- Rainforest – Noname
- Working for the Knife – Mitski
- Take My Breath – The Weeknd
- Boomerang – Yebba
- ooh la la – Run the Jewels feat. Santa Fe Klan & Mexican Institute of Sound
- Candypaint – Joey Purp
- Free from Gravity – Django Django
- Spanish Doors – Liz Phair
- Roaring 20s – Flo Milli
- Rhetorical Figure – John Grant
- THAT’S WHAT I WANT – Lil Nas X
- The Doll – Audiobooks
- Strange – Celeste
- WUSYANAME – Tyler, the Creator feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Ty Dolla $ign
- White Dress – Lana Del Rey
- family ties – Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar
- Starlight – Yola
- The Melting of the Sun – St. Vincent
- Pick up Your Feelings – Jazmine Sullivan
- I am not a woman, I’m a god – Halsey
- Hertz – Amyl and the Sniffers
- Please – Jessie Ware
- The Adults Are Talking – the Strokes
- Got Me – Laura Mvula
- We’re Good – Dua Lipa
- Kiss Me More – Doja Cat feat. SZA
- I Don’t Live Here Anymore – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius
- Magnificent Hurt – Elvis Costello & The Imposters
- 34+35 – Ariana Grande feat. Doja Cat & Megan Thee Stallion
- Just One Sec – the Antlers
- Love Is Back – Celeste
- Let Me Love You Like a Woman – Lana Del Rey
- Down – St. Vincent
- Amoeba – Clairo
- Don’t Forget Your Neighborhood – Cola Boyy feat. The Avalanches
- All My Favorite Songs – Weezer
- Sober & Skinny – Brittney Spencer
- Unblu – Jenny Lewis/Serengeti
- Living Proof – The War on Drugs
- Prisoner – Miley Cyrus feat. Dua Lipa
- NDA – Billie Eilish
- In His Arms – Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall
- Walking at a Downtown Pace – Parquet Courts
- Lost Cause – Billie Eilish
- Dancing with the Devil – Demi Lovato
- Hope – Arlo Parks
- Oh My God – Adele
- My Path – Raphael Saadiq
- Unsmart Lady – Dry Cleaning
- t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l – Willow feat. Travis Barker
- Reason to Believe – Vagabon feat. Courtney Barnett
- Paprika – Japanese Breakfast
- Thumbs – Lucy Dacus
- Happier Than Ever – Billie Eilish
- Be Sweet – Japanese Breakfast
- Hurt – Arlo Parks
- More Life – Cordae feat. Q-Tip
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