Psst. "Purple Haze" didn't even come close to the top 40. And the Dionne Warwick song covered by Naked Eyes fifteen years later. wp.me/pzXeC-lrW

Happy birthday to Mick Fleetwood, a drummer who constantly surprises. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2017/02/02/c...

Psst. "Purple Haze" didn't even come close to the top 40. And the Dionne Warwick song covered by Naked Eyes fifteen years later. wp.me/pzXeC-lrW

Before it collapses into recovery clichés SONG SUNG BLUE understands how dedicating your life to covering an artist like Neil Diamond doesn’t just give meaning to a life of drift but provides a glimpse into a kind of transcendence. I also address the weirdness of Neil Diamond. wp.me/pzXeC-lrH

Before it collapses into recovery clichés SONG SUNG BLUE understands how dedicating your life to covering an artist like Neil Diamond doesn’t just give meaning to a life of drift but provides a glimpse into a kind of transcendence. I also address the weirdness of Neil Diamond. wp.me/pzXeC-lrH

For a while he was a font of melody and of easygoing vibes. The best of Lionel Richie. wp.me/pzXeC-iOF

Machine Gun deserves *three* entries! ;-)

For a while he was a font of melody and of easygoing vibes. The best of Lionel Richie. wp.me/pzXeC-iOF

Imagine enduring this punchable face for months on MTV2. One of the '00s worst singles, this Dave Matthews Band bid for crossover. I look to A Tribe Called Quest and, wow, Depeche Mode. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/06/22/r...

Imagine enduring this punchable face for months on MTV2. One of the '00s worst singles, this Dave Matthews Band bid for crossover. I look to A Tribe Called Quest and, wow, Depeche Mode. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/06/22/r...

I had fun reappraising EMF's SCHUBERT DIP, released 35 years ago this summer. It's loud and often stupid but not offensively so. wp.me/pzXeC-lry

I somehow saw them TWICE touring for that record. Great fun!

I had fun reappraising EMF's SCHUBERT DIP, released 35 years ago this summer. It's loud and often stupid but not offensively so. wp.me/pzXeC-lry

Happy birthday to Green Gartside, my favorite musical poststructuralist. wp.me/pzXeC-6vD

Happy birthday to Green Gartside, my favorite musical poststructuralist. wp.me/pzXeC-6vD

There's a sense in which Billy Wilder was for so many years shorthand for "smart entertainment": jokes and sexy banter and indelible performances; also scenes and lines for which we can congratulate ourselves for feeling superior to the suckers and rubes on screen. wp.me/pzXeC-iPb

I still wonder if Brandon Flowers asks his god why he made him straight when gays have all the fun. Happy birthday to this foxy (pseudo-) queen. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2020/06/21/t...

There's a sense in which Billy Wilder was for so many years shorthand for "smart entertainment": jokes and sexy banter and indelible performances; also scenes and lines for which we can congratulate ourselves for feeling superior to the suckers and rubes on screen. wp.me/pzXeC-iPb

It's fitting that Brandy's birthday was 24 hours ago. She remains a perfect R&B presence. "Big Pimpin'" is terrific but "Full Moon" deserves a close embrace. wp.me/pzXeC-lrm

It's fitting that Brandy's birthday was 24 hours ago. She remains a perfect R&B presence. "Big Pimpin'" is terrific but "Full Moon" deserves a close embrace. wp.me/pzXeC-lrm

I made a Father's Day playlist. Enjoy! humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/06/21/d...

I made a Father's Day playlist. Enjoy! humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/06/21/d...

I still wonder if Brandon Flowers asks his god why he made him straight when gays have all the fun. Happy birthday to this foxy (pseudo-) queen. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2020/06/21/t...

Now I understand what made Lana Del Rey an artist of unusual force and concentration: the affected languor, the absorption of eight generations’ worth of diva posing. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2017/09/26/i...

Now I understand what made Lana Del Rey an artist of unusual force and concentration: the affected languor, the absorption of eight generations’ worth of diva posing. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2017/09/26/i...

Happy birthday to the foxiest and bass-iest member of Duran Duran, John Taylor. I rank J'Ran J'Ran's work. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2018/10/12/r...

"Gonna walk right up to him, give him a great big kiss!” is one of the greatest opening lines of any song. wp.me/pzXeC-lra

"Gonna walk right up to him, give him a great big kiss!” is one of the greatest opening lines of any song. wp.me/pzXeC-lra

Happy birthday to the foxiest and bass-iest member of Duran Duran, John Taylor. I rank J'Ran J'Ran's work. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2018/10/12/r...

To grant that a considerable portion of the American rock canon consists of songs about cars and/or girls doesn't mean I want to listen to songs about cars, surfboards, and/or girls. So I listen to Brian Wilson's production choices instead. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/i...

To grant that a considerable portion of the American rock canon consists of songs about cars and/or girls doesn't mean I want to listen to songs about cars, surfboards, and/or girls. So I listen to Brian Wilson's production choices instead. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/i...

a good list, sir - but as befitting the times, I would've added The Ramones "I Wanna Be Sedated" (and yes, i saw "Psycho Therapy" on the list - but I wasn't sure if you had a one Ramones song-per-list rule)

These songs deal with psychotherapy, psychiatry, and the language (vaguely in places) of the kind in pop songs. wp.me/pzXeC-lr5

These songs deal with psychotherapy, psychiatry, and the language (vaguely in places) of the kind in pop songs. wp.me/pzXeC-lr5

Isabel Aimé González-Sola gives one of the best performances of the year in THE CURRENTS, an Argentinian film about a failed suicide and a woman's trouble caring about husband, kid, and career. wp.me/pzXeC-lqK

Our holidays have always been political statements. Juneteenth is no exception. Bonnie Prince Ronnie hated the thought of Martin Luther King Day as a federal holiday. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2021/06/19/o...

Our holidays have always been political statements. Juneteenth is no exception. Bonnie Prince Ronnie hated the thought of Martin Luther King Day as a federal holiday. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2021/06/19/o...

I hear "My Love" as McCartney chasing George Harrison's "Something" -- and failing to grab its coattails. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2017/11/03/w...

I hear "My Love" as McCartney chasing George Harrison's "Something" -- and failing to grab its coattails. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2017/11/03/w...

Three cheers to the Beatle who had a wealth of fucking weird top ten hits in America. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2019/04/26/r...

People are weird on planes after COVID. Songs about planes. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/06/19/s...

Three cheers to the Beatle who had a wealth of fucking weird top ten hits in America. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2019/04/26/r...

People are weird on planes after COVID. Songs about planes. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/06/19/s...

I redress one of the worst wins in Oscar history. Not that the Academy would ever have gone for my winner. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/06/18/m...

I redress one of the worst wins in Oscar history. Not that the Academy would ever have gone for my winner. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/06/18/m...

1989 was peak Poppy Bush Interzone: middle-aged former pop stars releasing "comebacks" to great acclaim. I have some affection for FLOWERS IN THE DIRT. I wrote a long piece on the occasion of its reissue. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2017/03/27/p...

I'm gonna come out and say that my favorite Beatle Paul song may appear on your list of the greats but didn't top it. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2024/06/18/t...

I'm gonna come out and say that my favorite Beatle Paul song may appear on your list of the greats but didn't top it. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2024/06/18/t...

Happy birthday to Paul McCartney. His combination of whimsy, veiled autobiography, and genre experiments reflect the freedom of an 84-year-old musician whose income doesn’t depend on Spotify's pennies. My favorite of his albums. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2018/09/06/r...

Always good to find a fellow Memory Almost Full enthusiast in the wild