Song of the Day: “Love is a Losing Game” by Amy Winehouse

When a musical artist dies in their prime, it becomes easy to exaggerate their strengths and rationalize their flaws in sentimental retrospection. But Amy Winehouse was the real deal: A truly great songwriter and performer who introduced new ideas to the pop music paradigm. Winehouse, with the help of a few producers like Mark Ronson, crafted…

Song of the Day: “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis

When I was a kid, I loved “Great Balls of Fire” for its piano fireworks and its raucous chorus. Twenty years later, I still appreciate those aspects. Indeed, this is a barnstormer. But I also have come to admire how Jerry Lee Lewis was a precursor to the punk movement. Certainly, he doesn’t resemble early punk in…

Song of the Day: “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” by The Ramones

I know they’re basically the urtext of the genre, but, to my ears, The Ramones don’t sound like a punk band. They’re much closer to what we we’d call garage rock two decades later. While they reject pretense and overbearing complexity as punk bands are supposed to — and they play shit fast, of course — the anger and…

Song of the Day: “Asleep” by The Smiths

When I was first getting into the habit of reading, one of the books I read was the epochal YA book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. At least, I thought it was epochal at the time (it placed highly in my Top 100 Everything) — perhaps I’ve rated it so generously just because it was…

Song of the Day: “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” by Tammy Wynette

Several months ago, I listened to an episode of Malcom Gladwell’s podcast, Revisionist History, which explored the songwriting differences between rock and country. It focused on songwriter Bobby Braddock. Braddock is a Nashville legend, having composed ten #1 country hits. His trademark? Almost all of his hits are sad songs. Soul-crunching tearjerkers, but usually in some thoughtful way.…