Professor Longhair, Tipitina
First time listening. Is it jazz? Blues? Cajun? This is cool as hell. I feel like having a hurricane and a beignet.
The Lovin' Spoonful, Do You Believe in Magic
I'm watching the performance from the Ed Sullivan Show, and it's just a sunny little time capsule: the hair, the fashion, the sound, the early attempts at special effects. I feel like this color palette was mined for Hanna Barbera Saturday morning cartoons.
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent, Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Frankie's legend supersedes his songs. He loved the ladies, and loved to woo and marry 'em. Problem is, he didn't like to divorce them, so there were quite a few Mrs. Lymons running around. Sadly, he died of a heroin overdoes at the age of 25, so pretty close to being an eternal teenager.
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Free Bird
Hm. Not a favorite, the legend around this song had led to idiots screaming "Free Bird!" at the first lull in a concert. Doesn't matter who the performer is; for some reason, these guys think it's even funnier at concerts that aren't Lynyrd Skynyrd. Prefer Sweet Home Alabama in this spot.
Madonna, Like a Virgin
This was her big song, the big break, the big IT. I was a HUGE Madonna fan back in the day, that lasted right up to Music in 2002. She was, as I recall saying, the patron saint for repressed Catholic school girls everywhere.
I loved the exploration of her sexuality, and her asserting that we had the right to be sexual. And funny. And provocative. Then she started to explore more: acting, musicals, other religions, other theories on life and living. Then she started having babies, adopting babies, getting remarried then divorced. She slipped a little, and started following trends instead of leading them. Personally, I would have loved to have seen her delve into aging gracefully instead of some desperate cougar holding onto scraps of youth culture.
I still love you, Madge. The albums Like a Prayer, True Blue and Ray of Light are masterpieces.
The Mamas and the Papas, California Dreamin'
What a soap opera of people treating other people poorly. Mama Cass deserved better. This song is gorgeous.
The Marcels, Blue Moon
Classic doo-wop from the era. Second generation, we remember it from Grease and also my friend Leslie's hilarious skating routine with a prosthetic bum.
Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lively Up Yourself, No Woman No Cry
In order to go to college in the 90s, you should arrive at your dorm or apartment with a hide-a-bed couch, a pallet of ramen noodles, the excuses to party poster, stuff you nicked from your parents' liquor cabinet, and the greatest hits albums from Steve Miller Band, Elton John, Queen, The Beatles, Aerosmith, and Bob Marley. When someone would blast Bob mid-afternoon on Friday, the party was started. No Woman No Cry is my absolute favorite of his songs.
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