As a fan of a wide variety of popular (and not-so-popular) music from the 1950s (and sometimes even earlier) up through the present, one of my bucket list projects for years has been to put together a list of my 100 favorite songs of all time. At some point I decided that, once I got around to figuring that out, I could put it out on a blog, for the infinitesimally small proportion of the Internet world that might be interested. So, here we are. While the Top 100 will be a major focus, I also plan to post on a variety of other musical (and occasionally non-musical) topics, in which you may or may not be interested. (If a particular posting doesn’t ring your bell, you’re only a few clicks away from a dancing cat video on YouTube.)

Friday, December 29, 2023

Favorite Music of 2023

Another good year song-wise, with several “comeback acts” in the AAA list, although I only bought 3 albums of new material in the past 12 months.

 

Songs (AAA division)

 

1.      The Narcissist – Blur (#19 WTMD Top 89)

2.      Trinity River – Charley Crockett

3.      Talk To Me – The Record Company (#86)

4.      Are You Gonna Run? – Low Cut Connie

5.      Love Is The Way – Thee Sacred Souls (#69)

6.      Ghosts Again – Depeche Mode

7.      Nothing Left To Lose – Everything But The Girl

8.      Psychos – Jenny Lewis (#24)

9.      More Than A Love Song – Black Pumas (#16)

10.   Go Down River – The Heavy Heavy (#21)

11.   Evicted – Wilco (#48)

12.   Lost – Linkin Park

13.   Running Away – Thee Sacred Souls (#10)

14.   Now And Then – The Beatles (#5)

15.   Rescued – Foo Fighters (#58)

 

Songs (Top 40 division)

 

1.      Makeba – Jain

2.      Cupid – Fifty Fifty

3.      Dance The Night – Dua Lipa

4.      Hell N Back – Bakar

5.      Flowers – Miley Cyrus

6.      Sure Thing – Miguel

7.      Die For You – The Weeknd

8.      Snooze – Sza

9.      Cruel Summer – Taylor Swift

10.   Creepin' – Metro Boomin

11.   Satellite – Harry Styles

12.   Special – Lizzo

13.   Star Walkin’ – Lil Nas X

14.   Favorite Song – Toosii

15.   Made You Look – Meghan Trainor

 

Albums

 

1.      The Record Company – The Fourth Album

2.      Jenny Lewis --- Joy’All

3.      Once More: Jenni Muldaur & Teddy Thompson Sing The Great Country Duets

 

None of these albums made the mvyradio top 25 for the year. I was somewhat surprised by the absence of Jenny Lewis.

Monday, December 25, 2023

Shuffle #169 (December 25, 2023)

Like It’s Christmas – Jonas Brothers

That Spirit Of Christmas – Chuck Brown & Eva Cassidy

River – Joni Mitchell

You’re My Christmas Present – The Skyliners

This Christmas – Donny Hathaway

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love

Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town – Bruce Springsteen

White Christmas – The Statues

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – The Pretenders

Do You Hear What I Hear? – Whitney Houston

Monday, December 4, 2023

Shane MacGowan

https://variety.com/2023/music/global/shane-macgowan-dead-dies-the-pogues-frontman-fairytale-of-new-york-singer-1235814277/

 

If nothing else, Shane MacGowan would have been a perfect fit for GrooveLily’s great song “Screwed-Up People Make Great Art.” The Pogues are best known for the ubiquitous (although hardly universally-loved) holiday classic “Fairytale Of New York” (in which MacGowan duets with Kirsty MacColl); one hopes that his passing will bring more attention to her work as well.

 

Other favorite tracks by The Pogues:

A Pair of Brown Eyes

The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Dirty Old Town

Sally MacLennane

The Irish Rover