I was really angry yesterday, because when I wrote that post, I had just listened to an album by that songwriter that I absolutely loved - and I went into it wanting to hate it because of the things she had done.
But here's the thing. The song was really chosen by Jennifer Warnes, and she chose Joe Cocker - not known for his love ballads - as her duet partner, and it was their contrast that made this a great song that I very much did not appreciate when it was new. THEY won a Grammy for this song. THEY sold the song for the Oscar.
And, given that Jennifer Warnes performed on THREE Oscar-winning songs, she knew a thing or two about successful movie songs.
Even though he was much older, and she was just a childhood fan, from this song grew a 30-year friendship. They continued to perform their song together thought the rest of Cocker's life. This was their final performance, in 2013.
I am extraordinarily angry with Buffy Sainte-Marie.
For many years, Sainte-Marie was seen as a pioneering Canadian Indigenous singer-songwriter and an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights and culture. However, extensive investigative journalism - led notably by CBC’s Fifth Estate - revealed strong evidence that Sainte-Marie was not born into the Cree community, as she long claimed. Instead, her Massachusettsbirth certificate reportedly indicates she was born to white parents - Italian, in fact - contradicting decades of her public narrative.
She was not only not Indigenous - at all - she was also not Canadian - at all. Sainte-Marie, in fact, was a Francophone-sounding version of her birth last name - Santamaria - that her parents changed to due to anti-Italian sentiments after the Second World War.
That, in itself, is pretty bad. But it gets worse.
She spent years claiming an Indigenous identity and then leveraging it - for awards, visibility, resources, and representation, which was meant for other people. By her actions, she told the access of others, and their real First Nations stories. This isn’t just a personal failing but an act that perpetuates erasure, appropriation, and betrayal, especially given how fiercely Sainte-Marie was defended and celebrated for her supposed identity - with statements and threatened lawsuits.
And she claimed she didn't mislead anyone, but this clip from Sesame Street says otherwise.
She may be "real", but her story about her heritage certainly was NOT.
I’m angry because Buffy Sainte-Marie made a career and earned accolades by claiming an identity and heritage that evidence now shows she didn’t have. This isn’t just a personal lie; it’s a harmful act that took away opportunities and space from genuine Indigenous people, betrayed the trust of fans and communities, and undermined the ongoing fight for First Nations voices to be heard and honored.
However, the one thing I cannot take away from her is that she is a songwriter with a rich and long resume. She has won many awards for her songwriting and performing - many of which have rightly been stripped because she earned them at the expense of actual Indigenous voices. However, her Academy Award for Best Original Song - that, I can't take away from her.
She doesn't deserve her Juno Awards, but I can't say she doesn't deserve the Oscar.
This song was featured in the movie An Officer and A Gentleman, and was a huge hit for Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. It was a huge hit, and it was co-written by Buffy Sainte-Marie, in perhaps the most honest moment of her entire career.
It's a real shame, because she made a lot of great music. She's genuinely a gifted musician, and some of her albums are must-listens, even after all this. But she tarnished her own legacy.
Here she is performing the most honest song she ever wrote.
The title song from Snail Mail's second full length album, this is probably the closest thing to a hit she/they have. The stage name of Lindsey Jordan, this project has been met with wide critical acclaim - and with good reason. Jordan writes indie pop with a heart unlike any other artist today.
Personally, I think this is the best modern example of the quiet-loud-quiet structure of music. It opens quiet, and goes to a rockin' chorus. The video is very much a violent Bridgerton homage.
Also, you should be listening to Snail Mail, and now, you have an opportunity.
Of course, Lindsey and her band perform this song an awful lot, and I could have highlighted several performances.
I chose this one for The Current in 2021 because it was the most audible. Also, she sounds amazing and that guitar is very large for her.
But also, this performance from last month, four years after the one above, shows how much Lindsay has matured in those years as an artist.... and also, the guitar doesn't dwarf her anymore.
On Saturday night I was watching Storage Wars and a Michelin commercial came on. I'm not sure if this was the commercial - but this was the song.
It made me remember how absolutely amazing The Chemical Brothers were for a few minutes. Featuring vocals by co-writer Q-Tip and making heavy use of a song by Morrocan singer Najat Aatabou, the song clearly endures more than 20 years after its initial November 2004 release. It also won a Best Dance Recording Grammy in 2006.
The song is a great pump-up and an absolute banger.
Lest you think they made up that beat and did not sample it, here is the Najat Aatabou song.
Also kind of a banger.
I was concerned that I would not be able to find live performances of this song that is so clearly electronica.
I was wrong.
But this version from the 2019 Glastonbury music festival is.... strange and not really cohesive, although the beat is clearly there.
I did, however, find great footage of Najat Aatabou performing her song live.
This is not one of those times. This is a short 2-minutes song by Mumbai-based Adi - a fusion of EDM, hip hop and Bollywood. This is a cool little song, and a very cool self-made video (that he clearly made in California, not Mumbai)....
.... that looked very familiar to old-time Bollywood fans, as Adi was playing the part of Kishore Kumar, an artist he sampled for this song..... and this is the scene from the Bollywood movie - Chalta Ka Naam Gaadi, a 1958 film - where Kumar appeared. Should look familiar, no?
No one really knew when Run DMC hit the scene, but they had a couple of big hits when they hit the studio for their next recording - but they had to wait, since they were not well-established, for rock band Riot to finish recording. Inspired by their rock sound, they recorded a song with heavy rock guitar over their beats...
... and hated it.
So they chose to release a version without guitar.
However, both versions got released, and it was the guitar version that was a huge hit.... and ultimately won the group over.
Because of course it did. This song is a classic.
Run DMC first said a DJ could be a band, according to Public Enemy. This is the song they said that in, by the way..
I mention this now because this live performance with Jam Master Jay on the turntables really illustrates the power of the DJ.
So Jay passed in 2002. This ended Run DMC as a group - they were no more without their band. That doesn't mean that they stopped performing. Here is DMC in 2011, paying tribute to what he called the first rock-rap song.... and he may very well have been right.
Fast forward to 2021, and they did reform for occasional performances..
I am listening to 1000 albums in a year and I'm going so quickly I'm going to be done in six months.
Album #331 was Dry, the debut album by Polly Jean Harvey. And, as I looked back through my drafts, I saw that this, her debut single (although the 2nd one I heard, as it got a rerelease after the success of "Sheela-Na-Gig", which I realize is ALSO in my drafts) was in my drafts.
The song tells a story of a woman who puts on a dress that is clearly uncomfortable to impress a man. He was not impressed. Famed DJ John Peel lauded the "urgency" of the song, and yeah, I hear it.
There was a 2nd video that clearly shows PJ Harvey (the band, not just Polly Jean) playing the song live. I have seen PJ Harvey live, in 1995. It was one of the most disappointing shows I have ever seen, and part of the reason is that I found it passionless - and she didn't perform this song, and she certainly didn't perform with this much energy.
This is fantastic.
But here's the thing.
This was a week later. On the same tour.
THIS was fantastic.
Remembering that this single was released more than 30 years ago, it is incredible to see PJ Harvey - the person, not the band - still performing this song, as she did at the Glastonbury festival last year.
I have to be honest - before about a month ago, I had not thought about Wednesday Week in decades. Then, strangely, because I was looking at other artists and other music - specifically, Don Dixon. Don Dixon, you see, was a great producer, probably best known for his work with R.E.M. and The Smithereens.
He also produced the Wednesday Week debut album, What We Had. And he wrote this song. Wednesday Week was a band that went through a lot of iterations and names before they got to this particular one, but the core of the Los Angeles band was the Callan sister - Kelly and Kristi. They made a couple of albums before breaking up - and becoming another band, called Lucky.
The band's name comes from an Undertones song, and this song, which was also featured in the movie Slumber Party Massacre 2, is their best known.
The band did break up in 1990, but they got back together in 1998 and STILL occasionally perform. This is from a reunion show in 2014.
Also, I kinda hope they get together again. I really enjoyed my trip down memory lane.
Most people didn't know the members of The Sugarcubes outside of Iceland.
However, for most of these musicians, this wasn't their first band. It was, for most of them, at least their third, and some of their past projects had some renown in Iceland. They were, by most measures, a supergroup.
This was their first English-language single that got some pretty heavy rotation on worldwide alternative radio. It all started when renowned British DJ John Peel heard it and played the HELL out of it. Written by Einar Örn Benediktsson and Sigtryggur Baldursson, it literally was the catalyst that propelled Björk Guðmundsdóttir into such a superstar status that she could drop the Guðmundsdóttir.
Also, the song is really cool and full of weird horns. And some really odd lyrics.
But guys.
They were Icelandic, not English.
The band was actually called Sykermolarnir. And this song was called "Ammæli".
In a lot of ways, the song sounds more natural in Icelandic. Probably because it was written in Icelandic and the English version is absolutely a direct translation. Yep, that's right. Those lyrics were there all along. That five year old girl was always threading worms on a string and keeping spiders in her pocket.
So, the Sugarcubes broke up in 1992, but they reunited for one night only in 2006, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of "Ammæli"! And yeah, Björk's voice and Einar's horns were just as fresh as they were 20 years prior.
But yes, during their initial run, they did perform the song in English, and it sounded so amazing, too. It speaks to the talent of these musicians that they could so effortlessly perform in two languages.
Well, as part of my 1000 albums in a year project, I listened to their 1994 ill-timed breakthrough Live Through This. I say ill-timed because it was released less than a week after Kurt Cobain a.k.a. Courtney Love's husband killed himself.
No, I don't think Courtney did it.
Anyway this song - reportedly about Love's pre-Cobain relationship with Billy Corgan - opens the album. It is dark and bombastic and beautiful.
This song was one of the first written for the album, and the band first started performing in live in 1991, a full three years before its official release. I thought about sharing the 1991 Peel Session recording of this song, but I felt this 1993 live version better captured the raw energy of this song.
I actually saw Hole while they were touring in support of this album.
July 26, 1995, Lollapalooza, Hartford, CT.
I desperately looked for video from that performance (Courtney was CLEARLY grieving hard, so I remember the show fondly), but could not find it. I did find Lollapalooza footage from three days later..... and yeah, it absolutely kicked ass.
This song followed their cover of "Pennyroyal Tea" during the set, so if you want to rewind a bit to hear that, be my guest.
As many of you know, I am presently going through a project where I am listening to 1000 albums in a year. I'm past the 300 mark at this point, and I have discovered a LOT of music I would have never otherwise heard.
One such band is The Wanton Bishops. And, before you read any further, listen to this song.
Great Delta Blues sound, right?
The Wanton Bishops is a band, but really, it's one guy - Nader Mansour - from Lebanon.
The country. Not Lebanon, Mississippi. Which, to be fair, is a place that exists. But no. He's from Beirut. Mansour, however, DID travel to Mississippi to learn more about the sound - and he executes it perfectly.
This song is from his/their debut album of the same name, released in 2015. However, in 2025, he's still performing this song. And it sounds fantastic. I really hope they tour the US soon, because I *need* to see this live myself.
Adding to the body count this week, George Kooymans of Golden Earring passed away. He wasn't a household name in the United States - Golden Earring were Dutch - but you know his voice and his work. In the US, they were a one hit wonder. This absolute classic, from 1982, is that one hit. To let you know just the kind of band they were, this song was from their 16th album, Cut.
Kooymans passed away from complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which forced his retirement in 2021. He will be missed.
Our last THREE posts are special editions. What a terrible time.
The most famous fluegelhorn player is best known for the megahit "Feels So Good", but the native Rochesterarian did a lot more than that. For instance, he wrote the official theme for the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, held in Lake Placid, just a few hours from Rochester.
And he performed it there, too. But the poster won't let us embed that, so here's his performance of "Give It All You Got" from that Games's closing ceremonies.
Mangione passed away this week, and he will be missed.
And what did I choose to celebrate the life of the now-late Ozzy Osbourne?
His only solo Top 40 hit, which reached #28 on the Hot 100 in 1991. It's a power ballad that I ABSOLUTELY hated when it was new.... and I have come to appreciate. Co-written by Osbourne, Zakk Wylde, and Lemmy Kilmester of Motörhead, it was originally written on piano, but moving it to guitar really amped up the power.
It is rare that we get such a soon final performance of a song like this. But we have it here.
July 5, 2025.
It was to be his and Black Sabbath's final performance, and... well, you can tell he's weak, and he threw EVERYTHING he had into this performance.
Ozzy Osborne has passed. His voice will be missed.
Connie Francis - born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero in a time when Italians weren't exactly beloved in this country (hence the stage name), actress and singer, passed away yesterday at age 87 - and news has broken on this today.
Now, modern music fans probably don't think much of this, but in 1960, when she first hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 - her first of three #1 hits - she was the FIRST woman to do that. She was also the first woman to have three #1 hits and that record held until 1979 (Donna Summer, for the record) .
She was a big deal, guys.
This song was not her biggest hit - but it is an enduring one, from the movie of the same name (that she also starred in). This song hit #4 in early 1961.
By the way, in 1989, 29 years after the song's release, Connie Francis performed it on Today.
In Fort Lauderdale, where the movie was set.
And she sounded great.
She would return to Fort Lauderdale Beach in 2010 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the movie.
I sincerely thought she was going to be from Buffalo. I mean, she co-wrote and performed a song that makes you think she's from middle America.
Hell, the song even SAYS "....hotel middle America, you can never leave here."
Nope.
Nova Scotia.
Still, this artist - real name Kayleigh O'Connor (at the end of this video, you hear an older woman reference her by name) who is very much up-and-coming, is worth your listen. The video is a combination of Baby Nova standing in an empty room posing and what look like old home videos. It's kind of cool.
Angèle is from Brussels, Belgium. This song is a love letter to her hometown and her home country. Written during the pandemic, when she was forced to be away from Brussels, she wrote what will undoubtably become their tourism anthem..... and an anthem for a unified Belgium (yes, the country splitting apart on language lines is a real possibility).
This was the lead single off her 2022 album Nonante-Cinq, or, as we say in numbers, 95. She was born in 1995, so... well, title makes sense.
Anyway, the song was a hit in all of Belgium, and elsewhere in Europe. And it's delightful.
By the way, not joking about it being a tourism anthem. This is unofficial but, still.
But you didn't come here for the TikToks. You came for the cool live performances.
And the first is from French television, and it's not the electro-pop version, but rather a quiet, piano-driven one. Her voice pairs so well with the piano, which she is playing.
Worry not, friends. She also does the original version live - extending this version in Montreal to north of eight minutes that do NOT seem wasted. It's high energy, even when it's a love letter for a different city - and listen to all the Quebecois singing along about Brussels.
Last week, the Polaris Prize committee announced their short list.
Ten great Canadian albums.
Which I like to think of as ten great albums that happen to be Canadian.
I listened to all ten of them. In a day. Which is insane. (Full disclosure - I had previously listened to one of the nominees - Nemhasis - and posted about her during Maple Leaf March).
All of them were good.
One of them was a lot better than the rest.
Bite Down, by Ribbon Skirt.
Previously known as Love Language, this Montreal, QC band is amazing, with a rock sound - and this album is my favorite of 2025 so far. Give them a listen.
Got that down? Good. Now listen to their SXSW 2025 performance of the same song. It's practically star-making.
So I'm flipping through Spotify a couple of days ago and I hear THIS.
JoJo Siwa covering a nearly-forgotten 80's classic song was NOT on my 2025 bingo card. However, it's pretty solid - an electronic update of the Kim Carnes classic. Her raspiness matches the song well.
But let's talk about the 1981 Kim Carnes version - which adds a sultry breathiness to the raspiness. THIS version - Carnes's biggest (but not only - she isn't a one-hit wonder) - spent nine weeks at number one on the US charts, and won the Grammys for Song and Record of the Year.
The song also reached gold and platinum status, and Carnes sent gold and platinum records to Bette Davis herself - who was very appreciative of the song and of course hung those gifts up prominently.
So the thing about the Grammy for Song of the Year - it's a songwriter award. Kim Carnes did not write this song. Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon wrote this song, so they won the Grammy.
However, even though they won the Grammy in 1982, they WROTE the song in 1974, and DeShannon was the original artist. Although her version is VERY different, I don't think she was terribly upset that her song was made into a hit by Carnes.
I thought it would be a fun detour here to hear a man cover the song.
So who better than Liga Joe, from Brazil? We've featured them before. This is straight-ahead rock and I don't really care where they're from - this is a great song.
Other artists, however, have made this song into a hit. Shockingly, Gwyneth Paltrow is one of them.
Anyway, this version - from the movie Duet - went platinum in Australia, and was a top five hit there. And, although not as raspy, it's still well done.
Although Taylor freaking Swift performed the song live, and did so beautifully on an acoustic guitar, it did not become a hit from her.
That does not mean it wasn't great.
T-Swift isn't the only pop superstar to cover this song live. Kylie Minogue did it, too, and did it a little less acoustically.
And we come back full circle to JoJo, who performed it live before she went into a studio.
Not gonna lie - I like this version better. The raspiness is more natural.
BLACKPINK is back (in your area) and they have a new song.
I honestly thought they were done.Seriously. These four women don't need each other anymore. They've all got successful solo careers. Heck, a couple of them are acting.
Anyway, their new song is solid..... but also, this is one of the most messed-up videos I've ever seen.
This post caused me to make an edit to X's Wikipedia page.
You see, it said that X WAS an American punk rock band. I changed the WAS to IS. Yes, they are on a farewell tour, but it is NOT over yet. Hold off on the breakup, Wikipedia.
This song, which also lent its title to a documentary about the band (and that's where this video comes from), is among my favorites by the band. It's about not hearing anything but smooth chords and no hard chords (not hardcore, which a lot of people think it says).
It's a GREAT song.
Some of you may have heard the song in its live version in the movie The Decline of Western Civilization, a documentary about the LA punk scene. This is THAT version.
Later live versions are slower and include the most punk instrument, a marimba.
The first is the #1 hit - and 2025 Grammy nominee song written by Sabrina Carpenter, Jack Antonoff and Amy Allen, and performed by Sabrina Carpenter. The single following her enduring hit "Espresso", THIS song was her first #1 single in the US ("Espresso" only made it to #3). It was, in fact, the 16th biggest US hit of 2024 by any artist (to be fair, "Espresso" was 7th).
Anyway, this song - a country-tinged masterpiece (more on that performance in a moment) is delightful and fun, and the video gritty and somewhat hilarious, featuring Carpenter's then-boyfriend Barry Keoghan.
I mentioned two national treasures.
The second is Dolly freaking Parton.
This version, a duet between Dolly and Sabrina, was released in early 2025 as part of a deluxe version of the Short 'n Sweet album - reached #17 on the US Country charts (Carpenter's first appearance on that chart, not surprisingly).
Also, I have now learned that we can't swear in front of Dolly - but also, leaving out the word "motherfucker" was probably a concession to country music radio.
This twangier version is still delightful.
TO be fair, Sabrina made the lyric change when performing it live in BCC's Live Lounge as well.
She definitely did NOT change the lyric for NPR, though. However, she also talks about the song and how it came to be, and it's a great story (and a great performance).
When The D.O.C. was new and the best bud of all the guys in N.W.A., I didn't give him a chance.
I should have. No One Can Do It Better is a classic album that absolutely serves as a preview for Straight Outta Compton. This is where they honed their G-funk sound that combined funky beats with hardcore rap.
This particular song was written by The D.O.C. and contains significant Marvin Gaye samples.
Because of an accident, The D.O.C. lost his unique voice early on, but his songwriting lives on.
Oh, he's not dead, people. He literally had a car accident that damaged his voice box.
