Two Doors Down - Dolly Parton

Two Doors Down - Dolly Parton

3:08

Here You Come Again, 1977

Written by Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton died yesterday.  Everyone and their grandmother is missing her or making some sort of tribute, because she was one of the very few, like Mr. Rogers, who seemed to be universally beloved.  Even the red-hat fascist faction loved her, misunderstanding her just as they do the Bible, although she stood against everything they vote for and they despise the politics they refuse to consider she had.  (Come to think of it, Mr. Rogers would probably be pilloried today, just like Ms. Rachel for daring to say that kids should be fed and kept safe.)  Anyway, this rollicking country-pop number is sung from the perspective of a woman who has just broken up with her boyfriend, feeling sorry for herself because there's a party going on two doors down the hall from her apartment. She dries her tears and decides to get out there, with happy results.  It's upbeat, it's got a sing-along chorus with "9 to 5" momentum, it's bright and cheery, just like Parton herself always was.  

Blue Coupe - Twin Peaks

Blue Coupe - Twin Peaks

3:43

single, 2017

Written by Cadien Lake James, Clay Frankel, Colin Croom, Connor Brodner and Jack Dolan

This song begins with soft piano and then settles into a gentle groove.  Bassist Jack Dolan lends lush, understated vocals, painting a picture in scenes of friends the band lost to drugs: "Wake up to the rhythm of the city and I try to remember / Even my brothers have some trouble with each other / Sometimes things fall apart."  Intricate guitar riffs and a steady, unobtrusive bossa nova-style percussion give the song a relaxed, thoughtful vibe.  This Chicago indie group deserves more recognition. 

Boom-Bapa-Boom - Jimmie Vaughan

Boom-Bapa-Boom - Jimmie Vaughan

3:55

Strange Pleasure, 1994

Written by Jimmie Vaughan

A throwback rocker with a '50s sensibility, boogie piano and Chuck Berry-style guitar solos.  Vaughan is no Stevie Ray, so his guitar work features fine, bluesy riffs, but no pyrotechnics.  The lyrics are also simple, drawing inspiration from the teenage rock of an earlier era: "If I made a pass at you / Would you say we were through?"  It's a fun rock 'n' roll song, if nothing original.

Bluestone - Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird

Bluestone - Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird

3:38

Smiles Of Earth, 2022

Written by Lachlan Rose

Singer Lachlan Rose's warm, flexible baritone strikes you first, but that great ascending horn line gives the song its power.  Rose's sparkling synths, the horns, and a chorus of voices all blend into a gospel-like swell, reminding me a little of the Polyphonic Spree.  The lyrics are impressionistic: "Just one grain of your sugar / Would sweeten the ocean / Then the rain on my window / Would sweeten my day," but the chorus sets a scene.  Someone important to the narrator is leaving, but the narrator is stoic about it, even proud of the difficult step.  The group's cumbersome name is taken from that amazing opening monologue in American Beauty.  

Big Long Slidin' Thing - Dinah Washington

Big Long Slidin' Thing - Dinah Washington

2:58

single, 1954

Written by Leroy Kirkland and Mamie Thomas

A sultry, jazzy R&B vocal, arranged by Quincy Jones and dripping with obvious innuendo in the style of Mildred Jones' "Mr. Thrill."  In this song, the narrator yearns for her daddy with his "big long slidin' thing."  This titular, um, instrument is ostensibly a trombone, but I think we all know what we're talkin' about.  First, a guitar man attaches his amplifier to her "plug," but that does not good.  A piano-playing fellow offers to tickle her keys, but that's not what she looking for, either.  As the man himself explains it: "I blow through here / Then I work my fingers and my thumb / I slide it right up / Then I slide it back again."  They really knew how to raise a few eyebrows back in the 1950s. 

Brutus Road - Michigan Rattlers

Brutus Road - Michigan Rattlers

2:25

Michigan Rattlers, 2016

Written by the Michigan Rattlers?

This hard-driving alt-country rocker reminds me strongly of Son Volt's song 'Drown," especially in the vocal delivery.  The chugging train-track percussion rhythm, the upright bass, and the geographical nostalgia are all part of a country aesthetic, with the attitude and tempo of rock.  According to what I read, the band never set out to be alt-country, and in fact later turned away from acoustic arrangements to a synth rock musical aesthetic.  How unfortunate!

She Made My Day - Willie Nelson

She Made My Day - Willie Nelson

2:43

Last Man Standing, 2018

written by Willie Nelson and Buddy Cannon

In the old tradition of country classics like "Once a Day," this lost-love song is built around wordplay and ironic juxtapositions: "Well, she made my day / But it ruined my life."  The lyric features the same kind of witty, tongue-in-cheek mixture of wry regret and stoicism: "We were gettin' along just fine, just me and me / We understood each other perfectly / Then I let my guard down and there she was / Well I guess that's stupid is as stupid does."  It's a simple and pleasant number that fits the template that the then-84-year-old Nelson could toss of in his sleep.

That's All She Wrote - Ricky Nelson

That's All She Wrote - Ricky Nelson

2:13

Rick Nelson Sings "For You", 1963

Written by Keith Colley and Nancie Mantz

Like "Please Mr. Postman," this teenybopper rock number is addressed to a mailman.  The narrator can't believe that his girl wrote such a cold letter to him ("And at the end / Was Just Goodbye my friend / Just a note / That's all she wrote").  He begs the carrier to take the letter away.  I can't fathom why this catchy heartbreak song hasn't become a classic; it's got an irresistibly catchy chorus and a very relatable theme of being dumped.

She's Just Killing Me - ZZ Top

She's Just Killing Me - ZZ Top

4:56

Rhythmeen, 1996

Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard

Frank Beard died yesterday.  This song is one of their hardest, swampiest blues rockers.  The slick, synth-driven MTV sound is in the band's rearview mirror here, and the grit and sludge are back in the guitar solos, tuned way low.  The tempo is rapid, a straight shot down a long Texas highway.  The lyrics are influenced by the content of the movie From Dusk Till Dawn, whose soundtrack it was feature don.  And are the tres amigos still obsessed with fine foxes and crude innuendo?  Yes.  "Her castanets are enormous / Her bongo beat absolute."  It's a fitting reminder that beneath all the MTV polish and cartoonish sex jokes, ZZ Top was always a hell of a blues-rock band, and Beard's drumming was a huge part of that.  Rest in power, Frank.

She Never Spoke Spanish To Me - Joe Ely

She Never Spoke Spanish To Me - Joe Ely

3:33

Joe Ely, 1977

Written by Butch Hancock

This bittersweet country song, infused with Spanish guitar, tells of the narrator's encounter with a Mexican señorita that seems not to have ended the way he wanted.  "Saints and sinners all agree / Spanish is a lovin' tongue / But she never spoke Spanish to me."  The song's wistful disappointment is undercut by the sly punchline of the title, a subtle nod that the narrator will be all right.  Fun fact: Ely sung backing vocals on the Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go."