Timeless
song, great vocals by the incomparable Ray Charles, excellent arrangement –
what more could you ask for? Note that this is the only song on the list that’s
an official song for any of the states.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
#24 It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday -- Boyz II Men (1991)
This one
is one of the best – and most successful – a cappella songs of all time. It
never fails to bring a lump to my throat.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Shuffle #30 (September 22, 2014)
Hard Times
– John Legend & The Roots
Love Will
Lead You Back – Taylor Dayne
Party Doll
– Mary Chapin Carpenter
Personal
Jesus – Depeche Mode
Giving Him
Something He Can Feel – En Vogue
Blow On,
Chilly Wind – Jesse Winchester
New York’s
A Lonely Town – The Tradewinds
Titanium –
David Guetta feat. Sia
Coming Up
– Paul McCartney
My City Of
Ruins – Bruce Springsteen
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Shuffle #29 (September 21, 2014)
The Tracks
Of My Tears – The Miracles
The Only
Flame In Town – Elvis Costello
All Is
Mine – The Association
What’s New
Pussycat – Tom Jones
Them That
Got – Maceo Parker
Love On A
Farmboy’s Wages – XTC
Paper Thin
– John Hiatt
My Way
Home – Kanye West
Radio
Nowhere – Bruce Springsteen
Feel It
All – KT Tunstall
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
#25 What's So Good About Goodbye -- The Miracles (1962)
This one
was a favorite of Weasel, back in the heyday of WHFS. It’s not one of Smokey
Robinson’s better-known songs, but is certainly one of his best. (Fellow
Miracle Marv Tarplin does the Duane Eddy-style guitar.) The bridge is classic
Smokey:
“How can
goodbye be good
To a lover
who really cares
And
another thing I would like to clarify
Is how can
farewell be fair.”
#26 Someone Is Standing Outside -- Patti Austin (1988)
Jimmy Webb
was one of the hottest songwriters of the late 1960s, with hits for the Fifth
Dimension (“Up, Up And Away”), Richard Harris (“MacArthur Park”), Glen Campbell
(“By The Time I Get To Phoenix”, “Wichita Lineman”, “Galveston”), and others.
This one was recorded by Thelma Houston (no relation to Whitney) and a few
other folks around that same time, but Patti Austin really made it her own as part
of her fine The Real Me album in
1988, where it actually manages to outshine her excellent versions of
better-known classics such as “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” and “Cry Me A River.”
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Shuffle #28 (September 14, 2014)
I Want To
Be Wanted – Brenda Lee
The Boxer –
Simon & Garfunkel
Pancho
& Lefty – Emmylou Harris
Sunshine
Of Your Love – Cream
Particle
Man – They Might Be Giants
Long
Promised Road – The Beach Boys
In The
Midnight Hour – Wilson Pickett
Heavy Love
– David Ruffin
I Get A
Kick Out Of You – Frank Sinatra
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
#27 The Look Of Love -- Dusty Springfield (1967)
Although English
singer Dusty Springfield did record some upbeat tracks, such as “I Only Want To
Be With You” and “Son-Of-A Preacher Man”, she was never better than on this
sultry Bacharach-David classic, from the Casino
Royale soundtrack. If you’re looking for something for romantic candle-lit
dinners (or dimly-lit bedrooms), this is a great place to start.
#28 Walking On Sunshine -- Katrina & The Waves (1985)
OK, I’ll
admit that many of the songs on this list are pretty obscure – after I started
posting it, a friend of mine asked when I would include something that she had
heard of – but I’d think that most people who were alive in 1985 or later are
familiar with this one (and not just because it’s prominently featured in Nick
Hornby’s book/movie High Fidelity).
Perfect summer song, perfect wake-up music, and a perfect example of what you
can do with the classic three-chord progression (I-IV-V for the
musically-inclined).
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
September 8, 2014 – Nationals 2, Braves 1—Nationals Park
Umpires:
HP: Joe West. 1B: Alan Porter. 2B: Marty Foster. 3B: Rob Drake.
Weather:
70 degrees, cloudy.
Wind: 15
mph, In from RF.
T: 2:39.
Att:
25,448.
Venue:
Nationals Park.
Following
Rafael Soriano’s most recent blown saves and at least temporary demotion from
the closer’s role for the Nats, Matt Williams has insisted that he will be
employing a “closer-by-committee” approach to finishing off close ballgames, at
least until Soriano is straightened out. After watching Drew Storen handle the
ninth inning the last two days, however, one has to wonder whether or not
Storen may be winning the role for good, regardless of a possible Soriano
resurgence.
Although
the Monday night crowd was not especially large, the game had a playoff
atmosphere throughout. The Nats struck quickly for a run in the top of the
first on singles by Rendon, LaRoche, and Desmond. The starting pitchers
dominated the game through the first six innings, with the Nats’ only other
threat being in the bottom of the third – Werth and LaRoche reached third base
and second base with two outs, but Desmond hit a foul fly to Jason Heyward in
right to end the inning. Doug Fister was even better for the Nats, not allowing
at Atlanta runner past first base in his first six innings.
Fister
faltered a bit in the seventh, walking Freddie Freeman to lead off the inning
and Tommy La Stella with two outs. This prompted a mound visit by manager Matt
Williams, who elected to leave Fister in to the delight of the crowd. The Nats
starter then finished off his seven innings of shutout ball by inducing a
grounder to short by Andrelton Simmons.
After the
stretch, the Nats added an important insurance run in the bottom of the frame,
as pinch-runner Jeff Kobernus scored from third on a Rendon grounder, after the
inning started with a Ramos single and an Asdrubal Cabrera double. This run
proved crucial when Tyler Clippard and Matt Thornton, the other two members of
the closer committee, combined to allow an Atlanta run in the top of the eighth
before Craig Stammen came in to prevent further damage. There was no such
suspense in the ninth, as Storen came in to strike out the side, given him 5 Ks
in six batters faced in his Sunday and Monday saves.
Section
135, Row R, seats 10-13 – lower level, down the right field line. Prime foul
ball territory; none came our way, but there was one in the section next to us.
The drive down was uneventful, but the traffic on the freeway and 14th-street
bridge on the way home was even slower than usual. We finally discovered that a
“milling and paving” project was underway that closed the right two lanes of
the bridge as we got close to Virginia, meaning that not only couldn’t we take
our usual ramp to the northbound GW Parkway, but we also couldn’t reach the
southbound Parkway or take the shortcut around the Pentagon parking lots. We
finally got off on Glebe Road and had a leisurely drive through Arlington,
finally reaching the Parkway near the Chain Bridge. (Of course, since it was a
start by the quick-working Fister, I still made it home slightly before
midnight.)
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