The Best Song Ever (This Week)

Loretta Lynn won fans as her songs were banned by radio. As times were changing, she gave voice to a generation of women by writing the truth she knew. You can hear " Don't Come Home A Drinkin (With Lovin' On Your Mind)" and 20 other songs by Loretta Lynn here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6pCwBy6Gux3D6a6tpjGuSz?si=2d67bfe64f354ba9 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Acid Jazz wasn't very psychedelic or even jazzy, but at its best, it was both soulful and so, so cool. The Brand New Heavies --international, interracial -- were the dream of a cosmopolitan scene come to life. You can hear "Dream On Dreamer" in a 30-song playlist of Acid Jazz songs in a pretty dope playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5npdebb4KXU4VTVnk9kN98?si=a9cfb62a6ee34dd0 See omny...

The 50th anniversary of David Bowie's endeavor to save one of his favorite bands, which resulted in an anthem for a new era in Rock. You can hear "All the Young Dudes," plus a live version with David Bowie and more songs by Mott The Hoople here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/60JWeDN09XRfsP2oKi7u4j?si=fd4b631e55e943a4

She had bigger hits, but "She's Got You" is where you can really hear why Patsy Cline was the greatest. So, too, how Country Music greats Owen Bradley and pianist Floyd Cramer were the best at what they did, and what they did was the Nashville Sound. You can hear "She's Got You" and 15 other songs by Patsy Cline or emblematic of the Nashville Sound here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/33l4VaIe1...

Summer of '82 part 6: Smooth, suave, and seductive, Roxy Music's epicly romantic "More Than This" captures the deepening of love without ever saying the word. You can hear "More Than This" and 23 more songs by Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/58piA9AnrO97hfkTXWLgn7?si=bf414288876848b0

Summer of '82 part 5: Depeche Mode's hit songwriter Vince Clarke hit up Alison Moyet, a blues belter he knew from their school days to cut a demo. Then they changed electronic dance music forever. You can hear "Don't Go," and more by Yaz/Yazoo, here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/58piA9AnrO97hfkTXWLgn7?si=bf414288876848b0

Summer of '82 part 4. How The Gap Band filled dancefloors and took Tulsa's Greenwood, Archer, and Pine streets, and their dark history, around the world You can hear "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," and more by The Gap band, here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6NWyndfhxsFt5mur8AjMjW?si=ef07a89848b04b2b

Summer of '82 Part 3 The idiosyncratic soul of a contrarian one hit wonder that's more than some rolled-up dungarees. You Can hear "Come On Eileen" in a playlist of 17 songs from Dexy's Midnight Runners here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ZKzPrSTCfHChnB3oygJ5M?si=84b0de1ca2a94fbc

Summer of '82 Part 2: "The Message" was the first hip-hop single to really hit hard, and it has some surprising origins and influences (including a double dose of Talking Heads side projects). You can hear "The Message," a few songs that influenced it, and a playlist of songs by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0sHrZvnr4pZJvEf0kuuSKv?si=1110d8cfd6144eae

Summer of '82 Part 1: Missing Persons: plexiglass bikinis, Frank Zapa, and the New Wave band that wasn't. You can hear "Words" and a playlist of Missing Persons songs, plus through from Dale Bozzio's adventurous later career, here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3c1NOlRBJeL0d6OsJEvoiG?si=d41db1f3ad5b45b0

ink Wray's 1958 song "Rumble" was the first instrumental to be banned by radio. Paul McCartney had a copy taped to his record player. With three snarling chords, the half-Shawnee son of backwoods preachers redefined the guitar in rock 'n' roll. You can hear "Rumble" and a 28-song playlist of Link Wray and other rock 'n' roll instrumentals here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7l4difJ7xuYBAeHddIS...

Blossom Dearie taught Saturday morning cartoon watchers about adjectives. She also taught jazz great Bill Evans a thing or two about piano and played with Miles Davis. Her version of the Lorenz and Hart standard often known as "I'll Take Manhattan" stands out because the singer with the girlish voice could swoon but was also always in on the joke. You can hear "Manhattan" and a playlist of other s...

"LIfe's What You Make It" is the inflection point whereTalk Talk went from a Duran Duran also-ran to an innovative band that proved to be a big influence on Radiohead, St. Vincent, and many, many others. It's also a great song and good advice. You can hear "Life's What You Make It" and a playlist of other songs from Talk Talk, from their first hit "TalkTalk" through their final, atmospheric record...

Massive Attack's "Protection'' was built around a sample of a sample. That James Brown sample is taken from a song about revenge that he released as an act of revenge itself. Tracey Thorn, whose partner in Everything But The Girl nearly died and spent months in the hospital, turned it into more than a love song; she made it a song about love. You can hear "Protection" and a playlist of other songs...

Stranger Things introduced Kate Bush to a new generation of fans and put a 37 year-old song on the pop charts. It's fitting -- even when "Running Up That Hill" was new, Kate Bush's music always did seem out of time. You can hear "Running Up That Hill" and a playlist of other songs from Kate Bush's career here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7g78AHKnVNDWOCdwLlaLTp?si=451ee997649044ea

For the first official week of summer: The Isley Brothers make something hot and funky from a soft rock hit, "Summer Breeze."

Dave Brubeck's nerdy time signature experiments have their roots in Patton's Army and a Turkish street musician named June Eighth. You can hear "A "Blue Rondo à la Turk" and a playlist of songs by The Dave Brubeck Quartet here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/02FDdJVLmIn6zbvrcaeOl9?si=21fa8bcbdbc94b2a

John Prine was a 24 year-old mailman when wrote about how being old isn't about age but an absence of youth. Bonnie Raitt made it a classic by singing how that feels to a woman. You can hear "Angel from Montgomery" and a playlist of songs by Bonnie Raitt and John Prine here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5KqW8FTVAM0kEWBbv8FxZm?si=23ae55f5d7cd402a

Popcorn started in a barn in Belgium where couples touch-danced to slowed-down R&B. It was the last great underground scene in Europe. You can hear "Anyway You Wanta" and full scene-spanning Popcorn playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0lQMelkkBynNCgSpR6B71D?si=f24024a963ba4d1b

The Records "Starry Eyes" "Starry Eyes" captured a moment when anything seemed possible with guitar pop. Hear the true story behind The Records' scruffy, bittersweet Power Pop classic. You can hear "Starry Eyes" and full history-spanning Power Pop playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ImrlrbYD7TgWdEh9VGAG1?si=e7f217fabdc044bc

Shuggie Otis played gigs with his father Johnny "Willie and the Hand Jive" Otis at 11 and was a guitar hero at 15. By the time he was 21, he was making records that influenced Prince, Acid Jazz, and hip-hop. Then, he just sort of stopped making them. You can hear "Strawberry Letter #23" and more songs by Shuggie Otis here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0KTRgHAZrY4tHpVS8Iso1W?si=40064cb384b94ce...

Rock 'n' roll might not have happened without Big Joe Turner, but he was bigger than that. You can hear "Flip, Flop & Fly" and more songs by Big Joe Turner here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vRaOhpMMkLa9EDgo0Iy4l?si=76449189a7464363

How Waylon Jennings unintentionally started the outlaw movement in country music. You can hear "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" and songs from Waylon Jennings here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4IL4qbYw9fa36Pmyq0akNG?si=66a38091e2cd4191

"The Girl from Ipanema" recalls so much loungey, easy-listening kitsch, but that's not the fault of Bossa Nova's history-making song and certainly not Astrud Gilberto, who wasn't even supposed to sing it. A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3sF2lmLbhbwrq98noI40Me?si=cc58aee82d8d44e6 You can read The Best Song Ever (This We...

Cat Stevens said that this is the definitive version of the song that's been a hit for Rod Stewart and Sheryk Crow, and he should know -- he wrote it. In it, you hear not just an indelible vocal performance, but the woman who PP left an abusive marriage and the United States to chart her own path. A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode can be found here: https://open.spotify.co...