195: Hoagy Carmichael, ‘Skylark’ “Skylark is prayer in song… in addition to the versions others have mentioned (Ella always) there’s the gorgeous Linda Ronstadt, the aching Paul Desmond, the perfect kd lang, and the underrated Matt Monro, and many others. While we’re on the subject of Hoagy, I just love his Memphis in June and Melissa Errico’s version is stunning…” JoeMarch 15, 2025 @ 7:03am
195: Hoagy Carmichael, ‘Skylark’ “It sends me on a psychic journey, a dream. To sing it is like being under hypnosis and traveling to another time and place. To say I love it is quite the understatement. A singer’s holy grail. Thank you for sharing” MaggieMarch 14, 2025 @ 4:08pm
323: Brian Wilson A Cappella Project “Put me in the “gets Brian Wilson” column. Ever since I heard Warmth of the Sun” so many summers ago. A 7th grade not so popular pre teen who shared the same ocean breeze and sun with Brian and Crew up the street in Hawthorne, CA. I haven’t ventured far, and all I have to do is get down to the shore here in Hermosa Beach and it all comes flooding back. This music is the soundtrack of my most tender years. Thanks for sharing.” MaggieMarch 8, 2025 @ 5:32pm
200: Bert Jansch, “Avocet” “Oh it takes me somewhere. A warm sunlight streaming through gauzy curtains, incense being lifted on the breeze. Good conversation and good company, laughter and rest Thank you for respite.” MaggieMarch 1, 2025 @ 1:10am
218: Bo Diddley, ‘Who Do You Love’ “As much as I respect and revere these original versions of these songs, those British groups and their covers truly spun my head around oh so long ago. They still get me in a very primal place in my psyche. Thank you for revisiting this icon!” MaggieFebruary 21, 2025 @ 6:47pm
218: Bo Diddley, ‘Who Do You Love’ “During my first experience with psychedelics in college around 1972, three of us took mescaline while a friend in the dorm who did not get high stayed with us for a couple of hours. He was in charge of the stereo. First up: Pink Floyd’s “Meddle” (in which Nick Mason’s slowed-down voice screams, “One of these days I’m going to cut you into little pieces”). Don’t know why that was a good idea for a mescaline trip. Next up: Quicksilver Messenger Service’s “Who Do You Love.” I remember telling my unstoned friend: “They’re singing it for me! They’re making up those words for me!” Now I look at the lyrics and think, WTF? One friend on the trip did not take so well to the song. He ran into the bathroom, presumably because he needed to throw up. But he wouldn’t come out. He said god was with him in the stall. Yes, he saw god in the toilet. For better or worse, it changed him profoundly. He dropped out of college and I lost track of him. I ended the evening with a light-hearted movie, Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch.” I couldn’t be sure if I was still tripping or not.” Mark BlockFebruary 21, 2025 @ 3:41pm
218: Bo Diddley, ‘Who Do You Love’ “Regarding his career, Bo Diddley said (if I remember precisely) “I opened the door, and everybody walked through, and I was left holding the door.” Toward the end of his life, he claimed to be working on another new kind of music; but I guess we’ll never know what he had in mind. The Who Do You Love movie was really hard to find (at least from where I am and without spending money) but when I finally saw it I understood it just wasn’t as good as the Cadillac Records movie… except that it did have an exceptional recreation of a Bo Diddley stage performance.” Mark L. LevinsonFebruary 21, 2025 @ 12:53pm
182: The Shirelles, ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ “I just love everything The Shirelles sang and that goes for the up tempo version of this song. I lead frequent sing a longs at tge senior community where I bring music to the residents. This is one of our faves! Thanks for sharing it!” MaggieFebruary 12, 2025 @ 1:06pm
078: Paul Simon, ‘The Late, Great Johnny Ace’ “So helpful to read an insightful column putting Paul’s music into what was going on around him. musically. I love his music but associate it with what was happening in my own life, not in his. So pleased I stumbled onto this website while checking into “who was Johnny Ace”,” Karen DobiesJanuary 19, 2025 @ 5:23am
290: Becca Kristovsky, ‘Bye Bye Baby Blues’ “Becca taught me to play that song we sang it together many times. Thanks so much for sharing this story.” Tamar GollanJanuary 17, 2025 @ 4:39pm
190: Bob Dylan, ‘Boots of Spanish Leather’ “I’m not exaggerating: this song helped me marry my true love. It’s a long story. Martin Simpson’s version and a note… reminded her of what we were, who I had become and what we could be. I’ll always be grateful.” JeffJanuary 13, 2025 @ 10:59pm
173: The Real Group, ‘Nature Boy’ “The first time I heard Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 (a concert at Carnegie Hall in the mid ’80s), I felt dizzy. WTF? That’s “Nature Boy.” I couldn’t wait to buy a CD of it the next day and compare it to Cole’s “Nature Boy.” I was flabbergasted. I guess great art always borrows from the past, either by osmosis or direct homage.” Mark BlockJanuary 10, 2025 @ 5:41pm
048: Sam Cooke ‘Bring It On Home to Me’/The Miracles ‘You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me’ “Back again 4 years later. Ironically, I was doing a search on YouTube yesterday for You Really Got a Hold On Me. I didn’t see Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Sonny Terry or Aretha Franklin. Gotta go back and check again. But I just checked the Wicked Pickett and I couldn’t find it. Best wishes in the secular new year.” Recruiting AnimalJanuary 3, 2025 @ 7:24pm
303: Sara Bareilles, ‘Yellow Brick Road’ “You may have left it off because it’s political. Or because she isn’t the performer. But one of my favorite Sara Bareilles compositions was in response to a request by This American Life (in 2016) to write a song to imagine what President Obama might be thinking about events at the time. She couldn’t sing it, but Leslie Odom did such a beautiful job. And I just love the lyrics. Whatever one’s political persuasion, I would hope they could appreciate the artistry in the composition. “No man’s ignorance will ever be his virtue.” The picture she painted was evocative and gorgeous.” Mary A SullivanDecember 30, 2024 @ 10:44pm
061: The Doobie Brothers, ‘What a Fool Believes’ “Quite a trick to mind-read the guy’s allegedly vain on-stage thoughts from 45 yrs. ago. That’s some analysis. Maybe just enjoy the performance & hold off on the deep take about his capacities next time? It’s pretty funny, decades later, how many guys apparently hold a grudge based on Mike McDonald’s looks. The guy who just sat @ the keys, played & sang. No satin pants, head-tossing, flirting w/the crowd. Ever. lol. Yes, ding him for a rare smile, ” JckDecember 28, 2024 @ 7:16pm
076: Roy Orbison, ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ “I saw Roy Orbison live in 1970 when he played Festival Hall in Melbourne (Australia). I was stunned by the towering charisma he projected simply by standing rock-still for the entire show, churning out hit song after hit song like some sort of rock ‘n’ roll force of nature. Festival Hall in those days held around 7,000 people, and it was easily full for that show. Awesome. (Roy helped me make an important decision of the heart that night: my date was a work colleague, it was our first date, she was very pretty and I was quite keen. As we were leaving after the show I said to her, more or less rhetorically, “Well, what did you think of that?” She replied, “Yeah, it was okay.” There was no second date.)” Ian BoyleDecember 28, 2024 @ 1:18am
SoTW 320: Jeff Meshel, ‘Creston Gold’ (Decapede Cover) “Reading the lyrics and listening to you sing brought a big smile to my face. Congratulations on publication of the novel. What an achievement! So exciting to see it all come to fruition.” LisaDecember 23, 2024 @ 11:31am
SoTW 320: Jeff Meshel, ‘Creston Gold’ (Decapede Cover) “Not bad Jeff, for a song that doesn’t exist. Looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of TGBtNW. Save a seat for me at the launch.” Danny AmirDecember 20, 2024 @ 3:04pm
190: Bob Dylan, ‘Boots of Spanish Leather’ “Mary had the best hair God ever created. We were all enthralled by her, but she wasn’t perceived as a babe. The Folk world was pretty classy.She was right at the top. She presented her sincere singing soulfullness more than sexuality.” jeffDecember 16, 2024 @ 9:18am
190: Bob Dylan, ‘Boots of Spanish Leather’ “I’ve always suspected that Blondie would not have been anywhere near as popular if they didn’t have a beautiful singer and I think the same is true for Peter, Paul and Mary. In these old videos I just find her stunning.” Recruiting AnimalDecember 15, 2024 @ 7:33pm
190: Bob Dylan, ‘Boots of Spanish Leather’ “A thank you. For what you ask? For slowing me down long enough to read the poetry and grow some appreciation for this singular voice. My musical knowledge was sorely lacking until I rid myself of some old irrational attitudes of what beauty sounds like. Once again, thanks for sharing.” MaggieDecember 14, 2024 @ 4:54pm
175: Traffic, ‘John Barleycorn Must Die’ “Love your take on the title cut, but cannot concur that the album was an “underwhelming effort.” Jazzy elements in “Glad” and “Empty Pages,” the menacing “Stranger to Himself” make it a memorable album for me. But you are right that “John Barleycorn (Must Die)” is the standout.” Tyler smithDecember 6, 2024 @ 4:58pm
175: Traffic, ‘John Barleycorn Must Die’ “I’ve long believed that Steve Winwood is the finest voice in Rock. What he sings is no matter, he never fails to transport me to a different time and place. Thank you for reshaping this classic.” MaggieDecember 6, 2024 @ 4:51pm
