Tag: music

NO, TAYLOR SWIFT DIDN’T RUIN MUSIC

September 26, 2026

by Michael McCarthy I’m getting really tired of older rock musicians taking shots at Taylor Swift—and, more broadly, acting like the success of younger pop artists is somehow evidence that music has gone to hell. The latest is Todd Rundgren, who recently called Swift the “apotheosis of mediocrity” and said there’s an argument to be…
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#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.
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LUCKY SEVEN: CHATTING WITH MICHAEL SWEET OF STRYPER

May 1, 2020

interview by Michael McCarthy If you’ve been following Love is Pop for any period of time then I’m sure you’ve realized that one of my favorite people to interview is Michael Sweet of the legendary heavy metal band Stryper. In fact, this interview is the seventh time we’ve spoken since we started chatting about his…
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#songoftheday = JON BON JOVI: “DO WHAT YOU CAN” (LIVE FROM JERSEY4JERSEY) #songsforourtimes #22

April 23, 2020

“When you can’t do what you do / You do what you can,” sings Jon Bon Jovi on his Covid-19-themed song “Do What You Can,” which he debuted last night during Jersey4Jersey, a benefit show on behalf of the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund (NJPRF) to
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#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.
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#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,
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#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?
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#songoftheday = BON JOVI: “ROOM AT THE END OF THE WORLD” (#songsforourtimes #14)

March 31, 2020

One of my favorite songs on the album is “Room At The End Of The World,” which isn’t a song devoid of melancholy, but it’s also one that I find full of hope.
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#songoftheday = CHRIS CORNELL: “SAFE AND SOUND” (#songsforourtimes #13)

March 30, 2020

The late Chris Cornell left us with this gem from his 2007 album, Carry On, entitled “Safe And Sound,” something I hope this finds you all.
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BEING A CHAMPION IN THE TIME OF THE CORONAVIRUS: AN INTERVIEW WITH BIF NAKED

March 29, 2020

interview by Michael McCarthy Doing music interviews in the time of COVID-19 is weird, man. You want to talk about music, but at the same time, it’s the nasty virus that’s at the forefront of everyone’s collective mind. So, I knew we were due for a new interview here on Love is Pop, but at…
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#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…
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#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.”
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#songoftheday = DONNIE VIE: “HOW ARE YOU” (#songsforourtimes #10)

March 27, 2020

Former Enuff Z’Nuff frontman Donnie Vie took to Youtube today to release this version of his classic “How Are You?” recorded live in his home studio.
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#songoftheday = CITY AND COLOUR: “HOPE FOR NOW” (#songsofourtimes #8)

March 25, 2020

Today’s song of the day is “Hope for Now” by City and Colour, which is the moniker the insanely-talented singer/songwriter Dallas Green goes by. It’s a bit of a somber song, but we also feel like it’s an inspiring one.
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#songoftheday = BEN GIBBARD: “LIFE UNDER QUARANTINE” (#songsforourtimes #7)

March 24, 2020

Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard will be releasing a new single called “Life Under Quarantine” any day now, but in the meantime, you can watch him perform it from home in the video above.
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