Goodbye Dusty and an Appreciation for the Beastie Boys

A while back, I started copying a friend and posting a song of the day on Facebook and Instagram. It was just a way to post something positive.

I really didn’t think anyone paid attention to it, but I still did it. A couple of friends have since said they try to listen to some of the music I post. I love that they do listen and discover new-to-them music.

Still, it’s often just a post of a song. I decided to expand upon it here. Maybe talk about why I like the song and/or why I posted it.

So here we go

July 25: Webb Pierce: In the Jailhouse Now

I love Webb Pierce and his voice. There Stands the Glass is the perfect classic country song. This is a close runner-up. I hadn’t heard it in years, but thankfully Johnny Knoxville played it on his Outlaw Country show.

July 26: Jungleland by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Clarence Clemons’s solo on this song lives rent-free in my head, and it will never receive an eviction notice. The song has some of Springsteen’s best lyrics, but Clemons’s solo actually says it even more eloquently.

July 27: Black Widow Spider by Dr. John

Sometimes there will be a deeper meaning for the post. Sometimes you just post a song cause it’s incredible.

July 28: Rough Boy by ZZ Top

I’ve always admired ZZ Top but haven’t been a die-hard fan. However, I do know that they may have never released a bad song. This song is a power ballad, but it always seemed more vulnerable than other power ballads of the 80s. Of course, I could have picked a piece like Tush to better display Dusty Hill’s brilliance, but I think he knew he was a Rough Boy as well.

July 29: Intergalactic by the Beastie Boys

“I like my sugar with coffee and cream.” I posted this because a friend commented how his wife’s coffee left little room for coffee, and so I immediately sang this in my head.

I recently watched the Beasties Boys Story on Apple TV. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. It’s a fantastic story. They become a rap group with no idea of what they are doing, become huge, then become caricatures of personas they created. They could have coasted on that and made one more successful but not as successful album. They didn’t. They realized they weren’t party bros; they were so much more. They stayed true to themselves and had a career.

More than that, they had each other. They had a partnership that was more than family. It was love. Pure love. It was/is beautiful.

July 30: This Little Light of Mine by Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

I’m teaching an African American History course, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe will be featured heavily in the music/culture unit. She is a marvel to watch play.

Until next time

I don’t know how many of these I will post, but I will try to keep up with it. I know this is very esoteric. It’s nice to work on something that is only for me in a way.

But if you like it too, that’s amazing as well.