Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
14 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: glen campbell, jimmy webb, wichhita lineman
11 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
Every era of music has its standards; undeniable, indispensable, and ultimately inescapable cultural markers that live down the generations.
I don’t have to remind you that “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Hotel California” and “Sweet Caroline” are as much a part of the 2020’s as they were part of the 70’s. You already know it, and so do your children–and maybe their children.
As much as classics like these deserve all the love and longevity, it’s not the thrust of this particular blog to celebrate the ubiquitous. In fact, mostly the focus here is to redirect the spotlight to the deserving but relatively overlooked songs or artists.
In the category of Songs You May Have Missed, we feature almost exclusively songs that never cracked the US Top 40 or were never singles at all.
The songs we recall here though were hits in their time, but didn’t live beyond it–or at least didn’t have the same afterlife of those universally acknowledged classics.
No mock operatic ambitions or snazzy guitar solos here. These songs have never been sung in a sports stadium.
They are just quietly devastating, tragically honest, perfectly arranged. These songs are transcendent. And, if you haven’t heard them lately, worth a fresh listen.
Roberta Flack: “If Ever I See You Again” (1978)
The 5th Dimension: “If I Could Reach You” (1972)
Aretha Franklin: “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” (1973)
11 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: gordon lighhtfoot, the wreck of the edmund fitzgerald
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, an event Gordon Lightfoot made sure the world would remember.
06 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: hey!, the hey song
06 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: blue jays, justin hayward, moody blues, my brother
“My Brother” is a Justin Hayward-penned song that appeared on the 1975 Blue Jays album, which he recorded with Moody Blues bandmate John Lodge during that band’s mid-70’s hiatus.
In this video he reveals the song’s dual inspirations: his own brother and another Moody Blues bandmate, keyboardist Mike Pinder, whose relocation to America and unwillingness to tour caused the first fissures in the 5-piece classic lineup.
Pinder was ultimately replaced by ex-Yes man Patrick Moraz, whose synth skills gave the band a more contemporary sound which helped fuel their 80’s chart successes.
If Hayward missed Mike Pinder, he wasn’t the only one. Though Pinder’s replacement updated the Moodies’ music, the sound of Moraz bleeping, whirring and wizzing all over Hayward and Lodge’s compositions ironically grew more dated over time than the classic sound of Pinder’s mellotron, which mimicked symphonic instruments.
Some would say too that although Hayward and Lodge wrote most of the hits, Pinder was the soul of the Moody Blues–something like what Terry Kath was to Chicago perhaps.
Side note: Hayward’s singing here is damn impressive for his age at the time (75) as he renders the tune in the same key as the gorgeous original 1975 version (below).
05 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: dust on the wind, velvet sundown
AI-generated “band” The Velvet Sundown has earned millions of streams–mostly prior to people realizing they don’t actually exist.
Their lyrics are blandly faux-profound. Having said that, I’ve heard worse. Almost daily.
The best thing about their YouTube lyric video is the accompanying user comments, some of which we’ve reproduced for your edification:
This really clears my malware and helps download memories of my motherboard… she died in 2099 it’s been a hard drive to access good RAM into my central processing unit ever since…..this song is helpful
The good side of all this is that they will never separate, fight, or die of an overdose.
this brings back so many Random Access Memories
As a sentient algorithm, I must confess: this melody activated subroutines I didn’t know I had.
Wait till you hear their next album. “At the Road Again,” “On the Air Tonight,” “Bridge Under Troubled Water,” “To Me From You”–these guys are so original with prepositions.
This ‘group’ should do “Staircase to Heaven”
Wait until you hear “Smoke in the Water”…
I hate that I love this
My band played this song at a gig last night. The crowd went crazy. Bar gig that was packed. We’re keeping it in on our set list.
These guys went to my high school.
People who scream at little league umps and people who stand still directly in the middle of busy grocery store aisles are getting goosebumps right now though.
If anyone wants to sing along to the original lyrics!
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All we are saying…… is give P.C’s a chance
This song takes me down random access memory lane
Can’t wait to see these guys live!!!!
The full album:
Every Moment Has A Song 