Some of Bill Withers’ songs seem always to have existed. It is as if they were always out there in the ether, but needed him to bring them into the world. “Grandma’s Hands,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and “Lean on Me” — the song I’m performing for this week’s #PlagueSong. Here’s the late, great Mr. Bill Withers…
Day 53 of quarantine, and I’m covering… Robyn! On a related note, my apologies to Robyn and her fans. As in all previous posts in this series, I strongly recommend you check out the original version — and, indeed, the cover versions by actual musicians. The song is far, far better than my performance conveys. Here’s…
This week, a song from a different dangerous time that speaks eloquently to our present one. “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” is one of two hits from Bruce Cockburn’s Stealing Fire (1984). The other is “If I Had a Rocket Launcher.” “Lovers…” was the bigger hit in his native Canada, and “… Rocket Launcher” was the…
The final song on the Kinks’ Give the People What They Want (1981) is also one of the most hopeful songs in the band’s oeuvre. It has long been a favorite of mine, but I only just learned it for this Plague Songs series. Unlike previous entries in this series, I had to record this…
Here’s the third — and possibly final — video in my “What Is Your COVID-19 Routine?” video series. These have been fun to make! I hope you’ve found them helpful and/or entertaining, as we all navigate this new world together (separately). Here are links to the charitable organizations named in the video: Second Harvest Camp Read-A-Rama World…
🤦🏼♂️ After last week’s #EpicSkaFail (my apologies to music-lovers everywhere), I’ve chosen a song that I can perform adequately. Composed by Ritchie Cordell, “I Think We’re Alone Now” was a big hit for Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967. The song was again a major hit for Tiffany in 1987 — the singer’s biggest hit,…
This week’s #PlagueSong is a cover of Prince Buster’s “Enjoy yourself” (1963). But I first heard the Specials’ cover version (1980). That said, Prince Buster’s version is itself an adaptation of Guy Lombardo’s 1949 version, which reached #10 on the US pop charts in 1950. Prince Buster retains the chorus of the 1949 song (music…
I’m back with 5 more things I am doing to keep myself going during the pandemic. (If you haven’t watched “What’s Your COVID-19 Routine?” before, may I recommend starting with Part 1?) How are you keeping yourself going? Anything working really well for you? How has your routine changed? Let me know in the comments…
This week’s #PlagueSong is dedicated to my mother, Gloria Hardman. This is her favorite song, her motto, and very good advice. The song is funnier when sung as Eric Idle’s “Mr. Cheeky” character (as it is in The Life of Brian). I suspect the song’s mixture of irony and sincerity is one reason it resonates…
Welcome to the second in my series of #PlagueSongs! As I say in my inaugural #PlagueSongs post, Each Tuesday, I will post a video of me performing a “plague-themed” song, very broadly defined. It is my way of standing on my balcony and singing to you…. I am also inviting you to sing and post…
