The Best Song Ever (This Week)

Join us on “Hitmaker Chronicles” as we delve into the storied career of Toby Keith, spotlighting his groundbreaking duet "Beer for My Horses" with Willie Nelson. Released in 2003, this anthem not only dominated the charts but also ignited discussions on justice and camaraderie, solidifying Keith's place in country music history. From his roots in Oklahoma to his emergence as a country music titan, we explore how Keith's authentic storytelling and musical innovation have captivated fans worldwide. "Beer for My Horses" epitomizes Keith's blend of traditional country and thematic depth, celebrating virtues of patriotism and hard work while navigating the complexities of modern society. This episode unpacks the song's lyrical vividness, musical composition, and its impact, alongside the controversies it sparked, offering a comprehensive look at a track that continues to resonate with listeners and provoke thought. Join host Andrew Irons for this journey through a pivotal moment in country music, courtesy of Toby Keith and Willie Nelson.Follow Hitmaker Chronicles wherever you ger your podcasts.

Christmas standards like "White Christmas" often balance the joy of the season with some melancholy. Donny Hathaway's modern standard of "This Christmas" celebrates the simple pleasures of the season, but the complexities of real life give a tinge of sorrow that presses us to enjoy those joys to the full. You can hear "This Christmas" and more songs by Donny Hathaway in a playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5msQTtkOwzRvTt5NoYk5Ao?si=0146d497298b49f1This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5409105/advertisement

In honor of Shane MacGowan, frontman of The Pogues, who died this week at age 65, we are revisiting an episode from March of last year. "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is a folk song about the WWI battle of Gallipoli, one that MacGowan in his inimitable growl made into something more devastatingly universal. A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5oUG8FGmjhC0ZkzctKvFLP?si=78f2f40c8a934da1This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5409105/advertisement

Author: The Best Song Ever (This Week)"Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers"Monster Mash" has been a Halloween hit for over five decades. Its roots are in the biggest dance craze inspired by a root vegetable -- The Mashed Potato -- and even Boris Karloff himself was a fan. You can hear "Monster Mash" along with 160 other Halloween songs in a 7.5 hour mix here:This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5409105/advertisement

Author: The Best Song Ever (The Week)"How Long Must I Wait for You" by Sharon Jones & The Dap-KingsTold she was "too black and too fat" for a music career, Sharon Jones went to work as a corrections officer in one of the country's most notorious prisons. On the other side of 40, she found her spotlight with some funk and soul revivalists who built a band around her. She beat expectations and even beat cancer -- the first time. You can hear " "How Long Must I Wait for You" along with other songs by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings here: This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5409105/advertisement

Author: The Best Song Ever (The Week)"A Nickel And A Nail" by O.V. WrightThe greatest soul song, by the greatest soul singer, you never heard. Here's the story of O.V. Wright and the Memphis soul maestro who gave him his moment of pop song greatness by harkening back to Gospel roots.You can hear "A Nickel And A Nail" along with other songs by Willie Mitchell and the Memphis Horns here .This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5409105/advertisement

Author: The Best Song Ever (This Week)"Steal My Sunshine" by LenA sample from a disco hit by a porn star looking to change careers gave a career to Len -- if only they really wanted one. This is the story of how "Steal My Sunshine" randomly became an enduring hit from the randomness of the late '90s. You can hear "Steal My Sunshine" along with other songs from The Best Song Ever (This Week) here:This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5409105/advertisement

Author: The Best Song Ever (This Week)"The Köln Concert" by Keith JarrettIt was a disaster: A 17 year-old young woman had filled the Cologne Opera House with jazz fans, but the piano was nearly unplayable. Keith Jarrett called the concert off. She changed his mind, and his performance made history as the best-selling jazz record of its kind. You can hear the Köln Concert here: Or here:This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5409105/advertisement

Author: The Best Song Ever (This Week)"The Good Life" by Tony BennettTony Bennett died on July 21, 2023. "The Good Life" remains one of his greatest achievements, a subtle expression of what the good life actually is, given life by an artist who showed that a good life could be, for yourself and others. A playlist with "The Good Life" and other songs by Tony Bennet from his late-50s - early 60s era can be found here:This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5409105/advertisement

Author: The Best Song Ever (This Week)"Reflections" by Diana Ross and The SupremesFlo Ballard was the first leader of The Supremes and gave what would become the biggest "girl group" in the world their name. By the end of the summer of 1967, she was out of the group that would then be known as Diana Ross and the Supremes.A playlist with "Reflections" and other songs from the Diana Ross and The Supremes era can be found here: This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5409105/advertisement

Author: The Best Song Ever (This Week)"Cruel Summer" by Taylor SwiftTaylor Swift's "Cruel Summer" became the song of the Summer of 2023 four years after its initial release because it's what this summer needed: a catharsis. A playlist with "Cruel Summer" and the songs featured on The Best Song Ever (This Week) this episode can be found here: This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5409105/advertisement

"In The Summertime" by Mungo JerryThe summer of 1970 was the summer of Mungo Jerry. Here's the story of one of the top-selling singles in history, told without a mention of singer Ray Dorsey's heroic sideburns. Please forgive the omission. A playlist with "In The Summertime" and 14 other songs by Mungo Jerry can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5scEfev4KPILrFNhXhMeAC?si=efa33dc38fb44879 You can also read The Best Song Ever (This Week) for free at bestsong.substack.com. Recommended if you like footnotes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" could have been a Tom Petty song. Hear the story of how a song written by The Heartbreaker's guitarist Mike Campnbell got to Don Henley and how Henley's lyrics express summer beyond all the fun in the sun. And Henley really did see a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac.  Hear the full interview with Mike Campbell on Brian Koppelman's The Moment podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moment-with-brian-koppelman/id814550071?i=1000519286788A playlist with "Boys of Summer" and other songs relevant to this episode can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Sf2ClX1lP9MJtmfGxGaDt?si=5f71ef53b5ed4532You can also read The Best Song Ever (This Week) for free at bestsong.substack.com. Recommended if you like footnotes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everybody's looking for something... The Eurythmics were looking for a way out of debt and despair when "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" -- an experimental electronic song with no chorus -- surprised them and their record label to become a worldwide hit in 1983. A playlist starting with "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and including 19 more songs by The Eurythmics and Annie Lennox can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1nbLhTcxRqqFBe4XZVSwpM?si=1a8ca0ad052544a3  You can also read The Best Song Ever (This Week) for free at bestsong.substack.com. Recommended if you like footnotes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author: The Best Song Ever (The Week)Morphine's "Buena" 1993's "Buena" was the song that introduced many people to the Cambridge/Boston band Morphine. The three-piece band's sound was baritone saxophone and two-string slide bass. Bassist and singer Sandman called it Low Rock for its deep tones, but Morphine goes deep in other ways, too, even 30 years later.A playlist starting with "Buena" and continuing through other songs from Morphine and Mark Sandman can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6c7GFFHnn8S9QzKFN7DRY2?si=2ff8cf81bb384611You can also read The Best Song Ever (This Week) for free at bestsong.substack.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Split Enz had New Zealand's first international hit with a song that had the chorus of "I don't know why sometimes I get frightened." It was one of those early MTV videos that for the anxious young people who saw it, they themselves felt seen.  You can hear "I Got You" along with other songs by Split Enz and the Finn brothers' bands that followed here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5T3b5Lz7XOrm4VM6fjvatD?si=d9e9531930d54585See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Girl from Ipanema" recalls so much loungey, easy-listening kitsch, but that's not the fault of Bossa Nova's history-making song and certainly not Astrud Gilberto, who wasn't even supposed to sing it.  A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3sF2lmLbhbwrq98noI40Me?si=cc58aee82d8d44e6You can read The Best Song Ever (This Week) for free at bestsong.substack.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peggy Lee's performance makes "Is That All There Is" a classic that spoke to both sides of the generational divide of the 1960s and endures today. Written by hitmakers Lieber & Stoller, arranged and conducted by a young Randy Newman, "Is That All There Is" is the song of her life, and she gave them the performance of theirs. You can hear "Is That All There Is" along with 26 other songs by Peggy Lee that we'll hope you enjoy here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4wdSq3foHXvXeDSqOoiO7l?si=bd9a2acb11924075See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Totally Wired" by The Fall"Totally Wired" is a staple of Punk, Post-Punk, and New Wave compilations and playlists. Not that The Fall would allow itself to belong to any scene. The band outlasted any of those with which it was compiled and over the years counted over 60 members. The thing that kept The Fall goin and breaking apart was cantankerous and quotable Mark E. Smith. Please join us on this look into what their seventh album called "The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall." You can hear "Totally Wired" in different versions and more music by the artists involved here: SpotifySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Desmond Dekkar introduced Reggae to the world with "Israelites," and he introduced the song's producer to another singer he knew from his old job as a welder, Bob Marley.  You can hear "Israelites" and more songs by Desmond Dekkar, plus other songs relevant to this episode here:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/36uetjsU7rhqh7UfbgcPbM?si=a376e1a6756b4771See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gordon Lightfoot was one of Bob Dylan's favorite songwriters, a country-folk singer who became an unlikely pop star. "Carefree Highway" is him at his best -- tender vocals, lovely melody, and concise lyrics that hit a bit harder than you might think. You can hear "Carefree Highway" in different versions and more music by the artists involved here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0iFASGcW6Lk5T0inBQRBPZ?si=713346ee3b5e4ac1See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Because The Night" is a study in the power of collaboration -- between downtown New York poet Patti Smith and the ascendant Bruce Springsteen. And 34 years later, between 17X Platinum alterna-pop group Garbage and DIY New Jersey punk band Screaming Females.  You can hear "Because the Night" in different versions and more music by the artists involved here: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Willie Nelson didn't write "Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain," but it's his. The song is the centerpiece of his landmark Red Headed Stranger album. It was his 18th studio album, his first #1, and it was nearly never released. On his 90th birthday, here's to Willie, the song he made his own, and knowing what's right.  You can hear "Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain" and 50 or more songs by Willie Nelson in a curated playlist here:   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard made a Country classic out of a 10 year-old song by a troubled Texas troubador.  You can hear "Pancho and Lefty" and a playlist of songs by Wille Nelson and Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, and songwriter Townes Van Zandt here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Halloween: "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is a spooky, sexy Goth Rock anthem, but Bauhaus's musical influences for the song are from some of the sunniest places imaginable. You can hear "Bela Lugosi's Dead" and other songs by Bauhaus here:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/24uT7mol9EpuFrQUpKgBw8?si=c671052e4df94cf3

Loretta Lynn won fans as her songs were banned by radio. As times were changing, she gave voice to a generation of women by writing the truth she knew. You can hear " Don't Come Home A Drinkin (With Lovin' On Your Mind)" and 20 other songs by Loretta Lynn here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6pCwBy6Gux3D6a6tpjGuSz?si=2d67bfe64f354ba9

Acid Jazz wasn't very psychedelic or even jazzy, but at its best, it was both soulful and so, so cool. The Brand New Heavies --international, interracial -- were the dream of a cosmopolitan scene come to life. You can hear "Dream On Dreamer" in a 30-song playlist of Acid Jazz songs in a pretty dope playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5npdebb4KXU4VTVnk9kN98?si=a9cfb62a6ee34dd0

The 50th anniversary of David Bowie's endeavor to save one of his favorite bands, which resulted in an anthem for a new era in Rock. You can hear "All the Young Dudes," plus a live version with David Bowie and more songs by Mott The Hoople here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/60JWeDN09XRfsP2oKi7u4j?si=fd4b631e55e943a4

She had bigger hits, but "She's Got You" is where you can really hear why Patsy Cline was the greatest. So, too, how Country Music greats Owen Bradley and pianist Floyd Cramer were the best at what they did, and what they did was the Nashville Sound. You can hear "She's Got You" and 15 other songs by Patsy Cline or emblematic of the Nashville Sound here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/33l4VaIe1b3S0FJLciaEje?si=06a3cb3b38724951

Summer of '82 part 6: Smooth, suave, and seductive, Roxy Music's epicly romantic "More Than This" captures the deepening of love without ever saying the word. You can hear "More Than This" and 23 more songs by Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/58piA9AnrO97hfkTXWLgn7?si=bf414288876848b0

Summer of '82 part 5: Depeche Mode's hit songwriter Vince Clarke hit up Alison Moyet, a blues belter he knew from their school days to cut a demo. Then they changed electronic dance music forever. You can hear "Don't Go," and more by Yaz/Yazoo, here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/58piA9AnrO97hfkTXWLgn7?si=bf414288876848b0

Summer of '82 part 4. How The Gap Band filled dancefloors and took Tulsa's Greenwood, Archer, and Pine streets, and their dark history, around the world You can hear "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," and more by The Gap band, here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6NWyndfhxsFt5mur8AjMjW?si=ef07a89848b04b2b

Summer of '82 Part 3 The idiosyncratic soul of a contrarian one hit wonder that's more than some rolled-up dungarees. You Can hear "Come On Eileen" in a playlist of 17 songs from Dexy's Midnight Runners here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ZKzPrSTCfHChnB3oygJ5M?si=84b0de1ca2a94fbc

Summer of '82 Part 2: "The Message" was the first hip-hop single to really hit hard, and it has some surprising origins and influences (including a double dose of Talking Heads side projects).You can hear "The Message," a few songs that influenced it, and a playlist of songs by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0sHrZvnr4pZJvEf0kuuSKv?si=1110d8cfd6144eae

Summer of '82 Part 1: Missing Persons: plexiglass bikinis, Frank Zapa, and the New Wave band that wasn't. You can hear "Words" and a playlist of Missing Persons songs, plus through from Dale Bozzio's adventurous later career, here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3c1NOlRBJeL0d6OsJEvoiG?si=d41db1f3ad5b45b0

ink Wray's 1958 song "Rumble" was the first instrumental to be banned by radio. Paul McCartney had a copy taped to his record player. With three snarling chords, the half-Shawnee son of backwoods preachers redefined the guitar in rock 'n' roll. You can hear "Rumble" and a 28-song playlist of Link Wray and other rock 'n' roll instrumentals here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7l4difJ7xuYBAeHddISBnM?si=f43b82c33faa49d5

Blossom Dearie taught Saturday morning cartoon watchers about adjectives. She also taught jazz great Bill Evans a thing or two about piano and played with Miles Davis. Her version of the Lorenz and Hart standard often known as "I'll Take Manhattan" stands out because the singer with the girlish voice could swoon but was also always in on the joke. You can hear "Manhattan" and a playlist of other songs by Blossom Dearie: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/77tuoQOzIufZmKMsHPzc43?si=6f9e60bf97404114

"LIfe's What You Make It" is the inflection point whereTalk Talk went from a Duran Duran also-ran to an innovative band that proved to be a big influence on Radiohead, St. Vincent, and many, many others. It's also a great song and good advice. You can hear "Life's What You Make It" and a playlist of other songs from Talk Talk, from their first hit "TalkTalk" through their final, atmospheric records that stretched the boundaries of popular music here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VB3wVOGVAlTyWtolJxq0p?si=7331fe073ab44061

Massive Attack's "Protection'' was built around a sample of a sample. That James Brown sample is taken from a song about revenge that he released as an act of revenge itself. Tracey Thorn, whose partner in Everything But The Girl nearly died and spent months in the hospital, turned it into more than a love song; she made it a song about love. You can hear "Protection" and a playlist of other songs from Massive Attack and Tracey Thorn, as well James Brown and other artists touched upon in this episode, here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7v48O0Svbp2I8CKHteDkxU?si=6f11508ccfc845c1

Stranger Things introduced Kate Bush to a new generation of fans and put a 37 year-old song on the pop charts. It's fitting -- even when "Running Up That Hill" was new, Kate Bush's music always did seem out of time. You can hear "Running Up That Hill" and a playlist of other songs from Kate Bush's career here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7g78AHKnVNDWOCdwLlaLTp?si=451ee997649044ea

For the first official week of summer: The Isley Brothers make something hot and funky from a soft rock hit, "Summer Breeze."

Dave Brubeck's nerdy time signature experiments have their roots in Patton's Army and a Turkish street musician named June Eighth. You can hear "A "Blue Rondo à la Turk" and a playlist of songs by The Dave Brubeck Quartet here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/02FDdJVLmIn6zbvrcaeOl9?si=21fa8bcbdbc94b2a

John Prine was a 24 year-old mailman when wrote about how being old isn't about age but an absence of youth. Bonnie Raitt made it a classic by singing how that feels to a woman.You can hear "Angel from Montgomery" and a playlist of songs by Bonnie Raitt and John Prine here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5KqW8FTVAM0kEWBbv8FxZm?si=23ae55f5d7cd402a

Popcorn started in a barn in Belgium where couples touch-danced to slowed-down R&B. It was the last great underground scene in Europe. You can hear "Anyway You Wanta" and full scene-spanning Popcorn playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0lQMelkkBynNCgSpR6B71D?si=f24024a963ba4d1b

The Records "Starry Eyes" "Starry Eyes" captured a moment when anything seemed possible with guitar pop. Hear the true story behind The Records' scruffy, bittersweet Power Pop classic. You can hear "Starry Eyes" and full history-spanning Power Pop playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ImrlrbYD7TgWdEh9VGAG1?si=e7f217fabdc044bc

Shuggie Otis played gigs with his father Johnny "Willie and the Hand Jive" Otis at 11 and was a guitar hero at 15. By the time he was 21, he was making records that influenced Prince, Acid Jazz, and hip-hop. Then, he just sort of stopped making them.You can hear "Strawberry Letter #23" and more songs by Shuggie Otis here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0KTRgHAZrY4tHpVS8Iso1W?si=40064cb384b94ce6

Rock 'n' roll might not have happened without Big Joe Turner, but he was bigger than that. You can hear "Flip, Flop & Fly" and more songs by Big Joe Turner here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vRaOhpMMkLa9EDgo0Iy4l?si=76449189a7464363

How Waylon Jennings unintentionally started the outlaw movement in country music. You can hear "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" and songs from Waylon Jennings here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4IL4qbYw9fa36Pmyq0akNG?si=66a38091e2cd4191

"The Girl from Ipanema" recalls so much loungey, easy-listening kitsch, but that's not the fault of Bossa Nova's history-making song and certainly not Astrud Gilberto, who wasn't even supposed to sing it. A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3sF2lmLbhbwrq98noI40Me?si=cc58aee82d8d44e6You can read The Best Song Ever (This Week) for free at bestsong.substack.com.

Cat Stevens said that this is the definitive version of the song that's been a hit for Rod Stewart and Sheryk Crow, and he should know -- he wrote it. In it, you hear not just an indelible vocal performance, but the woman who PP left an abusive marriage and the United States to chart her own path. A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6VEiHErgtmae4tBKRNieMR?si=253a26d4cd2d4b5d You can read The Best Song Ever (This Week) for free at bestsong.substack.com.

Like love turned fraught, honey can be bittersweet, especially when a band pours it through record-setting guitar feedback.A playlist of this and other songs by The Jesus and Mary Chain can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3M2DDGAyfh1yaaHvdSk8In?si=4bb8007eaaaf49f2