Yesterday’s Oprah wasn’t only notable for the… More »
Songs used on MSNBC during the cable net’s run-up… More »
So yesterday was the big Obamabration on the National Mall, and to celebrate the looming inauguration of this country’s brand-new president, you had your artists subtly reminding the American public that they had new albums on the horizon and that they could bring hope back to the music industry if they actually purchased said products, as well as your now de rigeur will.i.am sighting. But by far the strangest bit was when Bettye LaVette and Jon Bon Jovi took on Sam Cooke’s stone classic “A Change Is Gonna Come,” which was not odd for the song choice as much as it was for JBJ getting kind of creamed by Bettye on the song’s vocal track. (Seriously, Jon: Stick with country as your crossover genre of choice.) Cleanse your palate with Mary J. Blige busting out “Lean On Me” after the jump.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s radio division is so excited about the imminent Presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, they’ve decided to make him a 49-song mix of Canadian music divided into categories. And in the spirit of democracy, listeners are being asked to vote on the mix’s contents: there are 100 finalists, divided into categories of English-language pop, Francophone, classical, and whatever you’d call a category that unites Diana Krall, Michael Bublé, and a version of “Surrey With The Fringe On Top.”
I contributed a few blurbs to Spin‘s October feature “Strange Bedfellows,” which detailed the odd nexus where rock music and politics convene. One entry was about the first copyright-snubbing cut-up artist Dickie Goodman and his 1973 assemblage “Soul President Number One.” In it, the first “soul” president is elected, quotes Barry White and the Temptations, and appoints Superfly to head of the FBI. Here’s Dickie’s skewed take on the 1980 presidential campaign:
