Music Diary, Vol. -64

The rationale behind this mad project is here. The full playlist is above, also here.

Week of Oct. 17-23, 2022

LYRICS: Joni Mitchell, "Judgement of the Moon and Stars"

SONG: Much as Joni Mitchell's piano prowess is overlooked because she is such a guitar innovator, her music is too often thought of as earnest, oracular, serious to a fault. This rambunctious romp is my fave among many antidotes to that misperception.

LYRICS: Tom Waits, "Broken Bicycles"

SONG: From “May This Be Love” to “16 Blue,” I’m a sucker for an electric guitar ballad. This deep cut from Concrete Blonde is one of my faves.

LYRICS: Toni Childs, "Heaven's Gate"

SONG: Once you're under the incantatory, off-kilter spell of Argentine guitar goddess Juana Molina, good luck breaking out of it. This sinuous, nervy whirlpool of a tune is as good an entry point as any.

LYRICS: St. Vincent, "Happy Birthday, Johnny"

SONG: This was already my favorite song when I was 10, and then Cleo Laine came onto the Muppet Show to sing it alongside a heartbreaking puppet death scene and it utterly destroyed me.

LYRICS: Laurie Anderson, "Sharkey's Day"

SONG: Miriam Makeba's 1978 cover of Jorge Ben's "Xica de Silva" is a genre- and geography-busting masterpiece, Afropop meets bossa meets funk. This track could/should go on forever.

LYRICS: Isao Sato (Sondheim), "A Bowler Hat"

SONG: Lost my dad recently, so yes, that was me openly crying at Madison Cunningham’s show last night when she played this ode to her late grandmother. Some songs just help you grieve, and this is one, and I’m thankful for it.

LYRICS: Madison Cunningham, "Something to Believe In"

SONG: She's best known now for her pioneering electric guitar work, but Sister Rosetta Tharpe could rock an acoustic as hard as Broonzy or Hopkins. Even without a rhythm section, this lively track from 1941 makes me want to get up and dance.