Category: Pop

#songoftheday / #amlistening = Lady Gaga – “The National Anthem”

January 21, 2021

Here’s Lady Gaga singing “The National Anthem” yesterday. I do believe you’ll agree that she did a fine job. And I’m so glad my country elected Joe Biden president. I’m sure he’ll do things I don’t agree with at some point, as all politicians eventually do, but I definitely think he’s the right person at…
Read more
#songoftheday / #amlistening: Gabrielle Aplin – “Happy XMas (War Is Over)”

December 2, 2020

I’m in love with Gabrielle Aplin’s version of the John Lennon classic “Happy Xmas (War Is Over). It tugs at the heartstrings, ya know? I swear, she has the voice of an angel. So beautiful and perfect. I might even prefer this version over the original.
Read more
#songoftheday / #amlistening = DEMI LOVATO: “COMMANDER IN CHIEF”

October 16, 2020

Brilliant. Watch. Listen. Vote.
Read more
#songoftheday = ANNIE: “THE STREETS WHERE I BELONG”

September 29, 2020

Annie, Annie, Annie… Welcome back!
Read more
#songoftheday / #amlistening = MICHAEL RIDER: “BREAKTHROUGH”

July 3, 2020

As a thick bass line lulls you in and gently massages your brain while stabbing piano keeps you from getting overly relaxed on Michael Rider’s intoxicating new single, “Breakthrough.”
Read more
#songoftheday = Lolo Zouaï: “Alone With You”

June 29, 2020

“I’d rather be alone / Than be alone with you,” purrs pop songstress Lolo Zouaï on her luscious new single, “Alone With You,” which hails from her recently released Beautiful Lies EP, something I’ve been listening to on a loop lately.
Read more
MICHAEL RIDER, AMERICAN FIGHTER: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

June 18, 2020

interview by Michael McCarthy I’ve known singer/songwriter/painter Michael Rider for several years now. Their piano-centric indie pop blends irresistible pop hooks with thought-provoking lyrics that sometimes feel like poems and occasionally sound like journal entries, which I mean in the best way possible. Insightful is the first word to describe Michael that came to mind…
Read more
#songoftheday = Emeli Sandé: “HOPE” (#songsforourtimes #22)

May 18, 2020

I’ve always loved this little ballad by Emeli Sandé and was surprised that it wasn’t a single. In fact, so far as I could tell, the audio hasn’t even been officially posted on Youtube, hence this fan-made lyric video.
Read more
#songoftheday = METALLICA: “ONLY HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS (LIVE)” (#songsforourtimes #20) + A-HA: “LIVING AT THE END OF THE WORLD (#songsforourtimes #21)

April 20, 2020

Yeah, yeah, I know, this isn’t exactly a hopeful song and it isn’t about the end of the world either. But I do feel like “Only Happy When It Rains,” a Garbage song which Metallica covered at the Bridge School Benefit on 10/27/07, has the vibe many of us are feeling right now.
Read more
#songoftheday = DAVID ARCHULETA: “AIMING FOR HOPE” (#songsforourtimes #19)

April 10, 2020

The chorus of this gorgeous ballad by David Archuleta says it all: “When you’re alone And don’t know when the night will end
Read more
#songoftheday = Ilse De Lange: “Carry Hope” (#songsforourtimes #17)

April 7, 2020

“When I can’t see tomorrow / I carry hope,” sings Ilse De Lange on her beautiful 2006 ballad “Carry Hope” from her album The Great Escape. If you’re listening above, you don’t need me to tell you what a beautiful, dreamy and inspiring song it is,
Read more
#songoftheday = BRITNEY SPEARS: “TILL THE WORLD ENDS” (#songsforourtimes #16)

April 3, 2020

What could be more uplifting right now than a high octane Britney Spears dance track about, you guessed it, dancing until the world ends?
Read more
#songoftheday = KODALINE: “HIGH HOPES” (#songsforourtimes #15)

April 1, 2020

Kodaline often churns out inspiring songs, but none seem more appropriate right now than “High Hopes,” the chorus to which goes
Read more
#songoftheday = ANE BRUN & PETER GABRIEL: “DON’T GIVE UP” (#songsforourtimes #12)

March 29, 2020

Peter Gabriel’s classic “Don’t Give Up” originally appeared on his album So with Kate Bush singing the duet with him, Gabriel singing the verses, Bush, the chorus. He re-recorded the track with singer/songwriter Ane Brun for his album New Blood and her collection Songs 2003 – 2013 and it’s this lesser-known version that we’re pleased…
Read more
#songoftheday = MATT NATHANSON: “I HOPE THAT SOMETHING BETTER COMES ALONG” (#songsforourtimes #11)

March 28, 2020

“Don’t mean to scare ya, my friend, but I betcha / Come Father’s Day, the litter bug is gonna getcha / The urge is righteous, but the face is wrong / Well, I hope that somethin’ better comes along,” sings Matt Nathanson optimistically on The Muppets classic, “I Hope That Something Better Comes Along.”
Read more