Category Archives: Uncategorized

50 songs for 50 states: Vermont

It’s the unofficial state song, and has been covered by Frank Sinatra and Linda Ronstadt, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, and Willie Nelson. There was never any way I … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

50 songs for 50 states: Utah

It only references Utah once, in the opening line (“On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert”), but the song was based on an actual road trip taken by Springsteen, Stevie Van Zandt, and photographer Eric Meola in 1977. Most … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

50 songs for 50 states: Texas

On a few occasions over the course of this project, I’ve gone with a somewhat idiosyncratic choice. But I’ve generally striven to produce something that would be a fitting objective choice, not just a personal preference. I don’t think I’ve … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Top 50 songs of 2019

I spent 2019 on the road. From the US/Mexico border to London and Paris. From Los Angeles to the Arctic Circle. I spent several months in Geneva, traveled to Stockholm and Uppsala, to Barcelona and Lyon. I visited family in … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Top 20 albums of 2019

For me, the best albums of 2019 were defined by two big musical themes. On the one hand, a set of records that are big and boisterous–grounded in the energy and passion of youth. That’s counterbalanced by a set of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Worst Christmas Songs

I ran a poll this week. It started with one simple question: “If you could ban one single Christmas song – it could never be played, covered, or heard in any form ever again – what would you choose?” I … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Carissa’s Wierd reunion show: A new holiday

On bended knee Will you marry me And on November 16 Everything was buried down Carissa’s Wierd are my favorite band that doesn’t include both Lennon and McCartney. Obviously, the largest part of that love is simply about the music … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Top 25 albums of the 2010s

For me, the last ten years have been a decade defined by the increasing prominence of women. The music industry is still nowhere close to a zone of perfect equality, but it’s more open than it’s ever been. The result … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Top 50 songs of the 2010s

It’s fashionable to complain about the state of contemporary music these days (though really, when has declinism not been in vogue?), and there are some reasons to be a little bit down on what manages to rise to the top … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

50 songs for 50 states: Tennessee

It opens: “The Mississippi Delta was shining like a national guitar / I am following the river down the highway through the cradle of the civil war.” That is pure poetry, evocative and beautiful. And it establishes the multi-layered themes: … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment