Song of the Day May 29-June 4

May 29 2024

A little history of this song..... Time Like These (Acoustic)      by Foo Fighters

Today's Song of the Day 'Times Like These' has become one of Foo Fighters’ defining tracks. That’s poetic, considering they nearly broke up while recording it. Initial sessions for the band's fourth album, "One By One", during 2002 were strenuous. Despite the success of their first three LPs, Foo Fighters were still struggling to find their distinctive sound. Personal issues – such as frontman Dave Grohl’s divorce and Taylor Hawkins' 2001 overdose – hung over the sessions.’”The late Hawkins said “we were just still trying to figure out how to be a band still. The record that we made just sounded sort of phoned in."Months earlier, Grohl had recorded drums for Queens of the Stone Age's third album, 'Songs for the Deaf'. Those sessions were a far more enjoyable experience than what he was suffering through with Foo Fighters. Frustrated with the situation, Grohl decided to shelve the LP. Soon afterward, he informed his bandmates that he'd accepted an offer to go on tour with Queens of the Stone Age, a move that caught the other Foo Fighters off guard. Hawkins was especially hurt by Grohl, who had been there as he recovered from the overdose. The drummer was still working through his issues, and Grohl's decision felt like abandonment during a time of need."I just went through this awful trauma and I was supposed to be happy that Dave was having such a good time (with Queens of the Stone )," But I wasn't. I wasn't fucking happy for you to go play with another band. Why should I be happy for that?"Hawkins recalled Grohl telling him: "You're a fucking asshole, and if you don't like it, you can fucking leave." He said he would. "As soon as we play Coachella, and we finish this record, do whatever commitments we have, then I'm out of here," Hawkins replied. "If the Foo Fighters are over, the Foo Fighters are over. And I'm OK with that. As fate would have it, the Coachella gig helped quell tensions. Foo Fighters then opted to take a breather, going their separate ways for a while. During this cool-down period, Grohl reflected on his bandmates."'Times Like These' was basically written about the band disappearing for those two or three months and me feeling like I wasn't entirely myself," Grohl explained. "I just thought, 'OK, I'm not done being in the band. I don't know if they are, but I'm not.'"When Foo Fighters reassembled, things immediately clicked: "One By One" was recorded in just 12 days.'Times Like These' quickly became a hit, reaching No. 5 on both the alternative and mainstream rock charts.Decades later, the song would also help the band persevere through their darkest moment.... the suicide of Taylor Hawkins in 2022. This is the Acoustic version of the song that was put out in 2019.

Enjoy!!

May 31 2024

A little history of this song..... White Rabbit      by Jefferson Airplane

Today's Song of the Day 'White Rabbitt' is a song written by Grace Slick and recorded by the Jefferson Airplane for their 1967 album "Surrealistic Pillow". It draws on imagery from Lewis Carroll's 1865 book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass."White Rabbit" is one of Grace Slick's earliest songs, written during December 1965, It uses imagery found in the fantasy works of Lewis Carroll such as changing size after taking unknown pills. Slick said the composition was supposed to be a wake-up call to parents who read their children novels such as these and then would wonder why their children used drugs. Slick has related that Alice in Wonderland was often read to her as a child and remained a vivid memory well into her adulthood. Grace is reported to have written the song after an acid trip, and listening to the song you can see how that may have been a definite possibility. For Slick,'White Rabbitt'  "is about following your curiosity. The 'White Rabbitt'  is your curiosity. For her and others in the 1960s, drugs were a part of mind expansion and social experimentation. With its enigmatic lyrics, 'White Rabbitt' became one of the first songs to sneak drug references past censors on the radio. Many critics of the day and later the 60's historians have rated this song as one of the Masterpieces of the 60's. I whole-heartedly agree and when I see Grace singing it at Woodstock... it still sends chills up my spine.

Enjoy!!

June 2 2024

A little history of this song..... Apollo      by St. Paul & the Broken Bones

St. Paul & the Broken Bones is eight- piece ensemble formed in Birmingham, Alabama in 2011. They burst into the world with their 2014 album debut "Half the City", establishing a sound that quickly became a calling card and landing the band a slew of major festivals including Lollapalooza, Coachella and Glastonbury. Critical praise from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, SPIN and NPR followed. They are described as having a"potent live show that knocks audiences on their ass." Today's Song of the Day 'Apollo' is from the band's 2018 album "Young Sick Camellia" and the songs author told NPR this about the ballad: "As I told my wife, this is the closest thing I’m ever going to get to writing a love song for her. It’s basically kind of this story of this astronaut who is being cut off in space, and the last thing that he wants the world to know and mentally is that, you know, the one that he loves to make sure that she knows that she’s loved or he’s loved. You know, those are the kind of people that you hold on to. And so I told her – I was like that’s the closest thing I will get to a love song, so just enjoy it.”

Enjoy!!

June 4 2024

A little history of this song..... Malibu      by Hole

Hole was an American punk rock/grunge band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. It was founded by singer Courtney Love and guitarist Eric Erlandson. Hole released a total of four studio albums spanning the 1990's and early-2010's and became one of the most commercially successful rock bands in history fronted by a woman. Hole received several accolades, including four Grammy Award nominations. Today's Song of the Day entitled 'Malibu' comes of the Hole's 4th album "Celebrity Skin." Many Music Critics have written that the song is about the time(s) that Courtney Love and husband Curt Cobain spent in rehab in Malibu . In fact Love has stated that the song is not about their rehab at all.  Love has gone on record as saying that the song was actually written about her first boyfriend, Jeff Mann, whom she lived with in Malibu in the late mid-1980s. In 2018, Love revealed at a concert with Smashing Pumpkins that the song was initially written for Stevie Nicks to perform. The lyrics were written solely by Love, while the musical composition and arrangements are credited to Love, Erlandson, and Billy Corgan. When the song was released it was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. A different kind of song from an unusual artist that I normally don't cover ... but this is a great Rock song from 1999, one I think you really enjoy.