Music Diary, Vol. -79

For the rationale behind this mad effort, explanations here. The full series of Music Diary posts are here. The full playlist is above, also here.

Week of July 4-10, 2022

LYRICS: Stevie Wonder, "You Haven't Done Nothin'"

SONG:Wonder of wonders, my 13-year-old is now recommending music to me. We’re both mildly obsessed with this sweet neo-soul track by Carter Ace, especially the jazzy chords (which we’re having trouble figuring out—any musician friends want to help?)

LYRICS: Kirk Douglas (Hoffman/Gimbel), "A Whale of a Tale"

SONG: I’d wager this dusky-voiced, Weimar-tinged rendition of a Cole Porter standard is what made the makers of Babylon Berlin give a cameo spot to Bryan Ferry, who on my opinion never sounded better than on his 1999 collection of the American songbook.

LYRICS: Public Works cast (Shaina Taub), "Still I Will Love"

SONG: The great American film Nashville ends with a senseless act of violence, followed immediately by this chillingly ironic singalong anthem to denial and unfreedom.

LYRICS: Polyna Stoska (Weill/Hughes), "Somehow I Never Could Believe"

SONG: This outtake from Guys and Dolls might have tilted our sympathies too hard against Sky Masterson, but as it is it just makes me appreciate Frank Loesser’s nimble, larkish wit (and sneaky compositional ambition) all the more.

LYRICS: The Easybeats, "Friday on My Mind"

SONG: Jaw harp, foot stomps, vocal harmonies worthy of the Bulgarian Women’s Chorus, a gritty rap in Portuguese—this all-time great track by Barbatuques is an aural feast. Trust me, if you don’t know this one already, it will become a new favorite.

LYRICS: The Sugarcubes, "F***ing in Rhythm and Sorrow"

SONG: One of my favorite standards gets a sneakily adventurous take from the great Cecile McLorin Salvant, with a spiky piano solo by Aaron Diehl.

LYRICS: U2, "Gloria"

SONG: Christians believe we’re saved by faith, not works, but that doesn’t save us from the feeling of effort and strain to get it right. That’s how I hear this great, sad spiritual by Big Star’s Chris Bell, with a George Harrison-worthy slide solo.