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My music of 2024

Private Life

Here are some representative tracks of my music of 2024, CDs I bought because I’m that way. Most, though not all, are records I had on vinyl. They are listed from most recent to earliest.

Goin’ Down – The Monkees. I bought a five-pack of CDs by the group. There’s a version of the song as an add-on to the album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. It was initially the B side of the single Daydream Believer, which was #1 for four weeks. Goin’ Down, which I heard on a Best of the Monkees album, got all the way to #104 on the pop charts. I think it’s a hoot, and there’s a fun little backstory here.

Love Is A Beautiful Thing – the Young Rascals. Another five-pack. Their second album, Collections, contains my favorite Felix Cavaliere/Eddie Brigati shared vocal. Usually, it’s by one of the two, or Gene Cornish.

Come and Dance – Sam Mukoro. I bought the album Kids African Party at the Smithsonian Museum of African Art.

Waiting In Vain—Bob Marley. I had never owned his 1977 Exodus album until I saw the movie Bob Marley: One Love, the last film at the Spectrum Theatre as a Landmark Theatre.

Cass, Michelle, John, Denny

Safe In My Garden – The Mamas and The Papas. The quartet put out three albums and then broke up. They put out a greatest hits collection, Farewell to the First Golden Era, but then they got back together and released an album called The Papas and the Mamas, from which this song appears. I bought the CD as a twofer with the group’s third album, Deliver, neither of which I had ever owned, although my sister Leslie had them both.

Ex-Wives – from the Studio Cast Recording of SIX. I saw the show at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady.

Habits—Gary Clark Jr. is from the Jpeg Raw album. I probably saw him on a television program, The Daily Show, I’m guessing.

Private Life—Pretenders. I bought the group’s eponymous first album 43 years ago and played it incessantly.

Live and Let Live (Bright-Side Mix) -Peter Gabriel. My friend Rocco turned me onto the 2023 album, i/o

Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore—John Prine. Oddly, I had a couple of Prine albums on vinyl but not the eponymous first one.

Going Down For The Third Time – the Supremes. It is one of my two favorite songs from my favorite Supremes albums, Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland, which is a silly title since most of their songs at that time were H-D-H.

By sheer happenstance, the first and last songs share a common thread.

Annie Lennox is 70 (Christmas Day)

Eurythmics

Annie Lennox poses on the red carpet during an award reception at the Library of Congress for 2023 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song honoree Joni Mitchell, February 28, 2023. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

Scottish-born Annie Lennox dropped out of the Royal Academy of Music to become part of the late 1970s new wave band the Tourists. I wasn’t familiar with them. They had a couple of UK hits, the familiar tune, I Only Want To Be With You (1979) and So Good To Be Back Home Again (1980).

The band broke up in late 1980. Lennox and Dave Stewart split up as a couple but decided to continue working as the musical duo Eurythmics.

I have two of their vinyl albums, plus their greatest hits on CD. After she went solo in 1992, I got two CDs.

Five years ago, my wife and I went to MassMOCA to see ‘Now I Let You Go…’ an art installation by Annie Lennox.

Coverville 1514: The Annie Lennox Cover Story II

Some songs

When Tomorrow Comes – Eurythmics. It was no released s a single in the US.

Missionary Man – Eurythmics. “Upon the single’s US 1986 release, the song was described as being inspired in part by Lennox’s 1984–1985 marriage to devout Hare Krishna Radha Raman. When discussing the song’s inspiration and meaning, Lennox stated ‘Obviously, there is a personal meaning in [Missionary Man] for me, because of my past history. But I also think that there are a great deal of people in the media, in the form of politicians or religious speakers or philosophical people, people who are generally trying to have some power over other people, who I just don’t trust.'” #14 pop (1986), Grammy for Rock Vocal Duo.

Who’s That Girl – Eurythmics, #21 US pop in 1984.

Two Angels

Angel – Eurythmics It “would be the duo’s final single for almost a decade (discounting the re-release of two older singles the following year)… Lennox said in an interview at the time that the song was inspired by the death of her aunt, as she sings about a woman who has killed herself and now has ‘gone to meet her maker.'”

There Must Be An Angel (Playing with My Heart)”- Eurythmics. It “features a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder. The song became the duo’s only chart-topper in the United Kingdom. #22 US pop (1985).

No More ‘I Love You’s – a cover of a song by a group called The Lover Speaks, the 1st song on her album Medusa, #23 US pop and a Grammy winner for pop female vocal.

Why -Annie Lennox. “It was taken from her debut solo album, Diva (1992), and reached number five in the United Kingdom. In the United States, “Why” peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Adult Contemporary chart… Stereogum ranked “Why” number one on their list of “The 10 Best Annie Lennox Songs” in 2015.

With QoS

Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves -Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin. “A modern feminist anthem, it was… featured on both Eurythmics’ Be Yourself Tonight (1985) and Franklin’s Who’s Zoomin’ Who? (1985) albums. [I have both albums.] The duo originally intended to perform with Tina Turner, who was unavailable at the time and so they flew to Detroit and recorded with Franklin instead. The track also features three of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers: Stan Lynch on drums, Benmont Tench on organ, and Mike Campbell on lead guitar, plus session bassist Nathan East.” #18 US pop (1985)

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Eurythmics, their breakthrough hit, it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and #1 US pop (1983)

Would I Lie To You – Eurythmics. In the heyday of MTV, it was probably one of the Top 10 favorite videos, #5 US pop (1985).

Annie Lennox has been involved with AIDS activism, wmen’s rights, and antiwar activities. In February 2024, at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, during an in memoriam segment, she performed [with Wendy and Lisa] late singer Sinéad O’Connor’s song Nothing Compares 2 U; Lennox repeated her call for a ceasefire and ‘peace in the world.'”

While it’s a bit precious, I think the description of Eurythmics’ 2022 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is not wrong.

“Much like the moment in The Wizard of Oz when the film turns from black-and-white to Technicolor, the opening strains of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” irrevocably changed perceptions of 1980s pop-rock. Employing the mechanistic funk of Krautrock, the grit of gospel, and the strangeness of psychedelia, Eurythmics’ genre- and gender-fluid pop vision was both futuristic and beholden to past eras, while remaining eminently accessible.”

My favorite Christmas music?

Oíche Chiúin

My wife suggested I post my favorite Christmas music. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I know what that is. Sure, a song from A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi should be on it. But which one? Linus and Lucy seem so obvious. Maybe I’ll put the whole thing.

Kelly always gives me an eclectic array of music during his Daily Dose of Christmas, including music I’ve never heard. The Nutcracker will be included somewhere.

Listen to Coverville 1515: A Very Coverville Christmas Volume 20.

Here are songs I manage to play every year. I have all of them in some physical form.

A list

Christmas Wrapping – the Waitresses. Except for this song. Even though I own this on a vinyl EP, it slipped from my memory for a while.

What Child Is This – Vanessa Williams. From A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 2 (1992)

The Mistletoe and Me – Issac Hayes. A STAX cut.

Jingle Bells – Fab 4. Because tomorrow never knows.

Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday – William Bell. It was a minor soul hit on the Stax label in the mid-1960s.

Louisiana Christmas Day – Aaron Neville

Getting Ready for Christmas Day – Paul Simon. Simon is sampling (!) a sermon from 1941, the year he was born.

Christmas Is a Comin’ – Leadbelly. I have this on an LP my father owned.

The Wexford Carol – Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss

Every Valley Shall Be Exalted – Lizz Lee & Chris Willis & Mike E. from Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration

Christmas All Over Again– Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers from A Very Special Christmas 2 (1992)

Winter Snow -Booker T. & The MG’s. Isaac Hayes wrote this melancholy STAX tune.

White Christmas – The Drifters

Silent Night (Oíche Chiúin) – Enya. It’s one of my favorite versions of this song.

The Coventry Carol – Alison Moyet

What Christmas Means To Me – Stevie Wonder

The Bells of Christmas– Julie Andrews (at 17 minutes). There are at least three other versions of this song by her on these Firestone albums, but this, by FAR, is the best.

Sing we all with one accord

A king is born, glad angels say

Roger singing, Trinity AME Zion Church, age 6

There’s a song from my childhood – my sister Leslie remembers it too – that I can’t seem to find on YouTube.

I think these are the words:

Now sing we all with one accord

on Christmas Day in the morning

The tidings of our glorious Lord

on Christmas Day in the morning

something something glad tidings bring

oh sing Noel in the morning

A king is born, glad angels say

oh sing Noel in the morning

Sing we all Noel.

The tune: Low means below middle C, the 2 or 3 is the number of beats. The lowercase b is a flat sign.

low G C2 G F2 G Eb2 D C2

low Bb low G2 C C D lowBb C3 C3

Leslie reminds me that it was done as a round.

No, it’s NOT this: Now We’ll Sing with One Accord

Or this: Now Let Us All with One Accord

Or this: Sing We Now Of Christmas

And definitely not this: I Saw Three Ships

I don’t specifically remember when we sang this. It was probably in high school, although it could have been in junior high. I’m hoping that one of my former Binghamtonian choristers can shed light on this question because it’s driving me freaking nuts. And I don’t mean chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

Meanwhile

I came across a few other tracks:

Gaudete – Steeleye Span. Last year I bought a box set of Steeleye Span

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence – PICARDY

E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come. My choir sings this Paul Manz piece almost every Advent. Unfortunately, I missed that particular Sunday, having seen Rebecca Jade with Dave Koz in New Haven the night before.

Random Christmas stuff

where contempt backfires

Here’s some random Christmas stuff. The last item isn’t about the holidays per se but perhaps “peace on earth, goodwill to all.”

ITEM: Whist perusing YouTube, I happened to catch one of The Three Tenors singing Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem. When he pronounced the town, he sang Beth-LEE-Hem instead of Beth-leh-hem. It distracted the heck out of me, as it reminded me of a country album I own. Several years ago, I bought many Christmas CDs from a grocery store, usually for $2.99. One was Country Christmas Classics. I’m not sure who it was – it might have been Charlie Pride – but the male singer sang the geographic location the same way, which bothered me more than it probably should.

ITEM: State ornaments: Every year, ordinary Americans make one-of-a-kind ornaments representing every U.S. state, territory, and District of Columbia. These artists give their time and talents to designing and creating ornaments that symbolize their homeland’s history, heritage, and culture. The America Celebrates display, which surrounds the National Christmas Tree, is free and open to visitors throughout December.

ITEM: Unusual Christmas Ornaments Make the Holidays Weird and Wonderful, from a homemade Harry Potter garden gnome to a vintage scary clown ornament.

ITEM: Why Do We Say “Bah, Humbug!”? We know Scrooge’s famous “Bah, humbug!” from “A Christmas Carol,” but the phrase meant something more nuanced than simple grumpiness in Dickens’ time.

ITEMS: Chevrolet’s chopping onions on my blog again and 2024 New Zealand Christmas TV Ads

Tiny ripples of hope

ITEM: From the Dignity Index: “As they do each December, Merriam-Webster recently announced its word of the year. ‘Polarization’ is the selection for 2024, which their dictionary defines as ‘division into two sharply distinct opposites…’

“It might seem a long way off – but if we can each create a tiny subculture of dignity, millions of subcultures can mount a powerful challenge to the larger culture of contempt.

“In June of 1966, Bobby Kennedy made a trip to South Africa, where the government refused to welcome him, and its ministers refused to meet with him. Yet the Black residents rushed to greet him. At the University of Cape Town, in perhaps his most famous speech, he said:

“‘It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.’

“Numberless acts of dignity – creating numberless dignity subcultures – also send out tiny ripples of hope, with the same powerful, reinforcing effect – leading, we hope, to a time, not far off, where the tide changes, where contempt backfires, where the culture shifts, and the dictionaries in the United States announce in December that the word of the year, for that year, is ‘Dignity.'”

Yes, this is way more optimistic than I am, but I’m willing to give a good thought.