When “Sweet Dreams” came out in 1983, it was my favorite song of the year by far. My sisters, who were more in the “rockin’ to REO Speedwagon” school, thought I was a weirdo. Thirty years later, not much has changed.
Rock
Talking Heads
When I was in college, a guy I knew said semiotics (is that a thing anymore?) was the best theoretical system, because all other systems were based on some kind of floor, and in semiotics, there was no floor. And I was like, “But if you say ‘there is no floor,’ isn’t that your floor?”
Oh yeah: He was a big Talking Heads fan.
Supremes
I could have easily put this list under “D,” and I’m sure Diana Ross has already contacted her lawyers to come after me. But to me the group awesomeness was all about Mary and Flo, even if they weren’t so great in the romantic advice department.
Stevie Wonder
If you ever want to make your kids feel bad, remind them that if they live to be 100, they will never accomplish as much as Stevie Wonder did by age 20. On the other hand, they will probably never write a song as dippy as “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” so things kind of even out.
Steve Miller Band
“Abra/Abra/Cadabra/I want to reach out and grab ya.” Those are real lyrics, to a real song.
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is two guys and an endlessly rotating cast of musicians. And yet, all their songs sound exactly the same! And when the two leads have released solo albums … they sound exactly like Steely Dan! So clearly Steely Dan is really one guy, a computer, and a bunch of holograms.
Southern Rock
When Pete and I were about 16, we went to see a documentary about Lynyrd Skynyrd at the University of Delaware movie theater. If you’ve ever met either of us, you might wonder, “Why on earth did you go see a documentary about Lynyrd Skynyrd?” I have no idea, either.
Smiths/Morrissey
I KNOW. The gay police confiscated my ID card years ago. Sorry, if this is what we get as a spokesperson—mopey AND mean—well, blecch.
Sixties British Female Singers
This one is probably right up there with Girl Groups as my favorite list. Why are women so much better than men musically, as well as in general? As a boy who likes boys, this explains a lot about my dating life.
Dusty Springfield AllMusic page
Sixties Blue-Eyed Soul
Could somebody explain to me how the 60s morphed into the 70s? If pot mellows you out and coke speeds you up, shouldn’t the music of the 70s have been louder and rougher than what came before? Did Gerald Ford numb everyone to death? Please help me understand how Mitch Ryder turned into Robert Palmer! Please!
Playlist of the Day 