Song of the Day for Jun 6-11

JUN 6th 2022

A little history of this song… Take it Easy by Eagles

By the time 1976 had rolled around the Eagles had put out 4 Albums, each having tremendous success. When Elektra Records came to them asking for a Greatest Hits album, The Eagles came out with "Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 " on January 1 1976 and this Album went on to become the 3rd highest grossing album of all-time. From that album is today's Song of the Day 'Take it Easy'. Interestingly, the song was written 5 years earlier by Jackson Browne but he just couldn't seem to finish it. When what was just a songwriting duo (Glenn Frey & Don Henly) heard it they asked Jackson if they could try to finish it for him. They did and it appeared as the first track on the Eagles very first album...'Eagles'in 1972. Glenn Frey later went on to say it was the first of 2 songs that he & Henly wrote together before the band was formed. In 1972, Bud Scoppa wrote in Rolling Stone in his review of the Eagles debut album that 'Take it Easy' was "simply the best sounding rock single to come out so far this year. 'Take it Easy' has retrospectively been regarded as one of the band's best songs. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number three on their list of the 15 greatest Eagles songs, and in 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the song number two on their list of the 40 greatest Eagles songs. Great song... let me know when you get to Winslow Arizona !!!

Enjoy!

JUN 8th 2022

A little history of this song… Good Day by Luce

I would guess that 99% of the people that read /listen to this blog have never heard of the band Luce . Formed in the early 2000's out of the Indie Pop scene in San Francisco by Tom Luce , Luce never seemed to get the air play on radio that they deserved. Heavily influenced by the Beatles, Luce definitely has a catchy pop sound that appeals to an Adult Alternative audience and Tom Luce is a very good singer and better than average writer, yet the band has never really caught on with the public. The song 'Good Day' was prominently featured in the TV show the OC and later was the background music for many commercials in the mid 2000's. The band has 2 other popular songs ( 'Buy a Dog' & 'Amsterdam' ) that are really good songs and have gotten some airplay... but again has never found the right audience and caught on withe public. Luce still play out in San Francisco, mostly the outdoor festival and the club scene; and come out with an album every 4 or 5 years or so. Maybe a hidden gem of a band, or m aybe just not that good. You decide??

Enjoy!

JUN 9th 2022

A little history of this song… What's Going On by Marvin Gaye

The central theme of 1971's 'What's Going On' and the album of the same name came from Marvin Gaye's own life. When his brother Frankie returned from the War in Vietnam, Gaye noticed that his outlook had changed. He put himself in his brother's shoes and wrote a song that stands to this day among the most tuneful works of consciousness-raising in American music.

The Album "What's Going On"looked at the "forces shaping American culture at the beginning of the 1970s, that moment when hippie-era idealism crashed into the realities of poverty, of mystifying war, drug abuse and racial misunderstanding" and Marvin completely shifted gears from 3 minute tuneful love songs to commenting on modern day America and identifying all it's injustices. Needless to say this didn't go over well with Barry Gordy who headed Marvin's record label: Motown. In 1971 Social injustice doesn't sell, concept albums don't sell. The Jackson 5 sell. The Supremes sell... so Gordy sat on this song and album for months before Motown released it. It also didn't help Marvin's cause with Gordy that he was married to Barry Gordy's sister at the time and the marriage was crumbling; another reason not to release it. When the single and album finally did reach the marketplace, both exploded. Marvin was reborn as a crusader. His song helped change the national conversation. And his success forced Motown to give others, notably Stevie Wonder, artistic freedom. This album is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago.

If I'm secluded on a desert Isle, "What's Going On" and song are one of the 5 albums I'm bringing with me, that's how good both are.

Enjoy!

JUN 10th 2022

A little history of this song… You're All I Have by Snow Patrol

From the 2006 wildly popular album "Eyes Open" ( Hmmm, kinda familiar) comes today's Song of the Day 'You're All I Have' from the Scottish-Irish alt-rock band Snow Patrol. It's the first track on the album that pushed this band to Super-star status as the Album also contains the song "Chasing Cars" which became a world-wide smash hit and has close to 1 billion hits since it arrived on the Spotify music streamer. The band is fronted by lead vocalist Gary Lightbody who formed the band while he was a student at the University of Dundee in Scotland in the mid 90's. He also writes most of the band's material. Lightbody says of 'You're All I Have' "Rather than a break-up record this is a make-up record. That is a massive generalisation but it is a more positive record than the last one we made", and "the song is about a damaging but fulfilling relationship, something that terrifies you, but you can't quite bring yourself to look away". I thought for today's selection I'd put up the video for this song. I hope you enjoy it!!