“Music is the Universal Language of Mankind”*
Boomers who grew up listening to Top 40 radio regularly heard songs that were not in English: Remember "Sukiyaki" and ""Al Di La?" “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu?” In addition to “La Bamba,” Latin inspired songs were, and still are, especially popular: In 1974, Spanish...
It’s Not “Wicked Game,” But It’s Pretty Good, Anyway…
Few songs are as haunting and mesmerizing as Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game," but Dutch singer/songwriter Duncan Laurence's "Arcade (Loving You Is A Losing Game)" gives it a go. To date, it's the most streamed Eurovision song on Spotify, it has topped the charts in the...
These Ladies Don’t Take Prisoners…
Joan Jett's rowdy “I Love Rock N' Roll” set a high bar for female rockers, and "Drunk (and I Don't Wanna Go Home)" has that same level of hell bent for leather intensity and attitude. Country superstar Miranda Lambert and singer/songwriter/actress Elle King stomp,...
If You Can’t Be Happy, Then You Can at Least Be “Way Less Sad”
Brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Met, collectively known as AJR, have hit their stride. After 15 years together, the band hit it big last year with "Bang," which charted on both pop and rock charts (BMU 12/7/2020). Their newest, "Way Less Sad" has a hook filled beat,...
Love Rekindled: Imagine Dragons’ “Follow You” Inspired by Lead Singer Dan Reynolds’ (almost) Divorce.
True love—it waxes, it wanes...for almost everyone, even rich and famous rock stars like Imagine Dragons lead singer and songwriter Dan Reynolds. He and his wife were on the outs; a divorce was imminent. But then, she sent a "life changing text"—they met for...
A Modern Break-up Song: From “Cuts Like a Knife” to “Without You”
In 1983, the youngest Boomer was 19 y/o, the oldest, 37, and Bryan Adams, at 24, was loosely in the middle; his break-up song (male point of view) “Cuts Like A Knife,” went deep into the depths of emotional pain, hitting a generational sweet spot, so he and his song...
It’s the End of a Love Affair, Not the End of the World!
"This song, while sounding like the most romantic song I’ve ever written, is about acceptance as well. The lyrics, 'I’m gonna love you knowing we don’t have forever' is about how it’s more important to have had the chance to love than to stay in love." That's a...
Post Malone Covers Hootie & The Blowfish
July 1995: Hootie & The Blowfish released their soon to be #1 Top 40 hit “Only Wanna Be with You," Pokeman debuted, and Post Malone was born. Fast forward twenty-five years: Pokeman is the biggest media franchise in the world, and Post Malone is a hip-hop, pop and...
“If We Break Up, I Don’t Wanna Be Friends”*
Most of the time, women are weepy after the breakup, but sometimes they are victorious, and here we have the latter... "Beautiful Mistakes" is a collaboration between Maroon 5 and Houston rap sensation and recent Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion. Adam Levine’s...