Friday Five : |ˈfrÄ«dÄ – fÄ«v| : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button in iTunes and share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up the media player of your choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
“Thing Called Love” by Bonnie Raitt (from Respect: A Century of Women in Music (disc 5: Hip-Hop, Pop, and Passion), 1999)
The chorus might be “Songwriting for Songwriters 101,” but that’s neither here, nor there; this is the single that broke Raitt to my generation. Sure, “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” or maybe “Something to Talk About,” are the tunes that everyone remembers, but “Thing Called Love” is about as perfect a vehicle for Raitt to display her slide chops.
“Excuse Me Mr.” by No Doubt (from Tragic Kingdom, 1995)
I recently spun though Tragic Kingdom and was nary surprised how well it has held up, despite the watered-down ska overtones.
“Peaches en Regalia” by Frank Zappa (from Hot Rats, 1969)
This is nothing short of a rock and roll symphony. Good God, the acoustic guitar (amped with a phaser, no less) and flute break at 2:34 is nothing short of magical. The bass line—courtesy of Shuggie Otis—simply undulates just beneath the surface.
“My Hometown” by Bruce Springsteen (from Born in the U.S.A., 1984)
This tune might just be my second favorite cut on Born in the U.S.A.; the top spot belonging to “Glory Days.”
“Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers (from Blood Sugar Sex Magik, 1991)
This sent a wave of nostalgia through me that I haven’t felt before. I guess with the record being well over 20 years old I should expect it, but I can’t say I’ve associated this time period with nostalgia up until now. Glory days indeed, eh?
What’s on your shuffle today?
Comments