It’s been a long time…I shouldn’t have left you. But I’ve spent most of the past month prepping my new podcast Detoxicity, and my writing has had to take a pretty significant back seat. But…it looks like the COVID-19 outbreak is going to corral my social calendar plus I’m going to be working from home.… Read More “Holiday” by Madonna (1983)
“Holding Back The Years” introduced Simply Red to American audiences in early 1986, zooming to the top of the pop charts while also placing respectably on the adult contemporary and R&B listings. Mick Hucknall (who, for all intents and purposes, is Simply Red) wrote the song about his childhood, focusing on the strained relationships he… Read More “Holding Back The Years” by Simply Red (1985)
The biggest knock against Toto was that at times they sounded generic and sterile, which is a pretty fair knock. However, they were studio professionals and at least in one case (David Paich), they were studio professionals who were the children of widely renowned studio professionals. They didn’t grow up bashing instruments randomly in a… Read More “Hold The Line” by Toto (1978)
Drake is the cause of more internal conflict for me than he should be. I initially found him quite charming, and still do from time to time. But there’s a level of posturing that occurs with just about every hip-hop artist that goes from nothing to something, and it’s particularly grating coming from Drake. I… Read More “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake feat. Majid Jordan (2013)
Phil Collins was a very busy man during the ‘80s. Not only did he record four solo albums, but he equaled that productivity as ⅓ of Genesis, and this is to say nothing of his work as a sideman, producer and member of Brand X. Quite simply, the guy was everywhere. So it shouldn’t have… Read More “Hold On My Heart” by Genesis (1991)
“Hold On” was THE song of summer 1990 (for reference, THE song of summer ‘89 was “Keep On Movin” by Soul II Soul and THE song of summer ‘91 was “I Wanna Sex You Up” by Color Me Badd.) En Vogue’s debut single seemed to be coming out of every stereo, booming from every jeep,… Read More “Hold On” by En Vogue (1990)
I’m fairly certain I didn’t know the meaning of the word “lush” the first time I heard Fleetwood Mac’s “Hold Me” (cut me some slack, I was five), but my intro to that song created a mood in my head that I would later grow to understand as the definition of the word “lush”. Christine… Read More “Hold Me” by Fleetwood Mac (1982)
I posted a birthday tribute to Pat Benatar a week or so ago, and one of my Instagram friends left a comment which I think perfectly sums up Pat’s appeal: My broken record phrase for her always is “She kicks your ass with just the sound of her voice and the look in her eyes.”… Read More “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar (1980)
You’re not going to get many statements of purpose more fervent than Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”. It’s a song of faith that stands tall even amongst Stevie’s many excellent declarations of faith. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not an especially religious person. Not an unbeliever, just a skeptic. However, if there’s one person that is… Read More “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder (1973)
Apparently, Thom Yorke doesn’t like “High And Dry”. What is with this guy and his best songs? Anyway, don’t listen to Thom Yorke. “High And Dry” is one of my favorite Radiohead songs, and it’s from what I consider the second most essential Radiohead album, 1995’s The Bends. It’s certainly the song (and the album)… Read More “High And Dry” by Radiohead (1995)
Five Star Jamz 