230. Hootie and the Blowfish — “Tucker’s Town” — The first time I heard the transcendent opening chords, I wanted to go to Tucker’s Town, wherever that might be. 229. Doves — “Pounding” — As the name suggests, it has a pounding beat, but that’s just the starting point for a band that knows how to layer sounds in […]
240. Michael Jackson — “Black or White” — A classic riff, and the song has an interesting subtext because it came out during the time that MJ’s skin color was changing from black to white due to a rare medical condition. 239. Filter — “Hey Man, Nice Shot” — This is the first heavy, scary-sounding song that I actually […]
250. Britney Spears — “Sometimes” — If pop songs had flavors, this one would taste like strawberries. 249. Tonic — “Head on Straight” — For some bizarre reason, I and the Grammy Awards voters were the only people who liked Tonic’s “Head on Straight” album. It consistently rocks, although oddly, there isn’t one song that stands out from the […]
260. Gnarls Barkley — “Crazy” — For about a month in 2006, I thought this was the catchiest song ever. I’m not as crazy about it now, but the craftsmanship is still undeniable. 259. Bruce Springsteen — “Darkness on the Edge of Town” — One of my favorite early epics of Bruce’s. It probably has a more specific meaning, […]
270. Bruce Springsteen — “Streets of Philadelphia” — Another Boss song where you start off like “Well, that beat’s pretty repetitive and obvious” and then you get into the lyrics and a few minutes later you’re a puddle on the floor. 269. Chantal Kreviazuk — cover of John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane” — I like “Leave your […]
280. Everclear (pictured) — “Wonderful” — It’s nostalgic (the ‘Star Wars’ poster on Art Alexakis’ bedroom door) and upbeat at first glance, but it soon becomes clear that it’s sarcastic and negative. 279. The Ramones — “I Wanna Be Sedated” — I thought about using The Offspring’s cover from the “Idle Hands” soundtrack, but then realized that would be […]
290. Gin Blossoms — “Hey Jealousy” — The Gin Blossoms knew the ’90s were here before a lot of their contemporaries did, as this 1992 song demonstrates. 289. Natalie Imbruglia — “Torn” — Natalie is all torn up by a recent breakup, and her emotions come through in this song that was overplayed even as the singer herself managed […]
My friend Chance recently cranked out his 300 favorite songs on his Facebook page, and that inspired me to create my own list. I’ll post 10 songs a day over the next 30 days. Feel free to share your reminiscences of these songs and comment on whether you love ’em, hate ’em or are indifferent. […]
“Futurama” made a habit of exposing — in a funny way — all that was wrong with the world when it ran from 1999-2003 on Fox. But for me and many other “Futurama” fans, all will seem right with the world when the show returns with its two-episode season premiere at 9 p.m. Central Thursday on […]
The great thing about the TV conveniences of the 21st century (Hulu, DVRs and DVDs) is that not only can you watch shows outside of their timeslot, but also you can watch them completely out of season.