Before Sting went solo and decided he was the reincarnation of Shakespeare (or, you know, the guys who wrote the Bible), the Police wrote sharp little pop tunes about stalkers, prostitutes, and pedophiles—not to mention the one about logic that “ties you up and rapes you.” I guess the band name was meant to be ironic.
Rock
Pink Floyd
For our 8th grade graduation from my Catholic elementary school, the teacher asked the students to nominate a class song to be played at the ceremony. Sean Dougherty suggested “Comfortably Numb.” This suggestion was rejected.
Paul McCartney
I debated this one for a long time, given that McCartney’s solo work is pretty much the definition of “middle-of-the-road pop-rock.” But I decided to give him a list, because 1) as pop-rock goes, nobody is pop-rockier; and 2) I saw (well, heard—I was working on the concourse) him at the closing concert for Candlestick Park, where he played nonstop for almost three hours, was in great voice, and had Springsteen-level energy—all at age 72. That alone deserves some kind of shout-out.
Patti Smith
When I was a freshman in college, my friend Joanne used to perform in our dorm common room lip synching to “The Warrior” by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth. Actual lyrics from the chorus: “Shooting at the walls of heartache/Bang bang.”
This is the other Patti Smith.
NRBQ
Last night Marcia and I went to a show of Latin/flamenco interpretations of Monk, which was awesome. That prompted me to dig up an old Monk tribute CD, which is also awesome. That CD introduced me to (top 3 all-time favorite, always-awesome) Carla Bley. It also contains tracks by NRBQ. Which is a long way of saying, I don’t know much about NRBQ, but clearly they are awesome.
Nineties Alt Rock Women
By the time the 90s rolled around, women in rock had come a long way from “Going to the Chapel” and “Be My Baby.” And, you know—yay for girl power and all that—but on balance, I’d probably rather have lunch with the Chiffons.
Nineties Alt Rock Men
When I first heard that there was a #1 song called “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” I figured it was a novelty tune along the lines of “Oh Mickey you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind” or Alvin and the Chipmunks. Then I actually heard the song. Um … wrong.
New Wave
A brief evolution of white people music as the 70s turned into the 80s:
- Punk—We only know four notes on our instruments, and we don’t know how to write a tune.
- New Wave—We only know four notes on our instruments, but we’ve learned how to write a tune.
- Techno Pop—Thanks to synthesizers, we never had to learn to play any instruments. But boy can we write a tune!
It’s been all downhill from there.
Neil Young
Given their shared Canadian-ness, childhood bouts of polio, and musical restlessness, I’m tempted to call Neil Young the male Joni Mitchell. But he doesn’t seem like he has much sense of humor, so maybe I’ll rethink that. Bonus points for the annual Bridge School Benefit, which raises money for an organization serving individuals with severe speech and physical impairments. Even more bonus points for putting up with Crosby, Stills, & Nash for so many years.
Madonna
I totally called it. When Madonna’s Erotica album and Sex book flopped (relatively), I predicted she would disappear for a year or two and then return all mature and matronly. And that’s exactly what she did—with an actual kid, no less. I did not, however, predict the pom-poms at the Super Bowl. That was just embarrassing.
Playlist of the Day 