This was a wild summer. Due to a cosmic confluence of events, I ended up more on less on the road for six weeks straight, which hasn’t happened in probably a good 20 years. Back when you could catch a last minute flight to London from the East Coast for $300, my back didn’t hurt just getting out of a chair, and I didn’t have two young humans and a dog to keep alive. Those were the days.
1 cross-country flight, 2 back-to-back transatlantic flights, 5 countries, 7 cities, and not a whole lot of sleep later, my summer soundtrack was unsurprisingly all over the damn place. Here’s what kept me moving and grooving:
Million Dollar Baby by Tommy Richman – I mean, did you not also have this song stuck in your head all late spring into summer?
Cannock Chase by Labi Siffre – I had never heard of Labi Siffre until this song popped up in a pivotal scene during the season 3 finale of “Hacks” and it made me stop to look him up. Turns out this British singer/songwriter/poet has been flying under the radar for decades even as him music has popped up in countless tv and movie soundtracks and been sampled in one of Eminem’s most iconic tracks. The melancholy, bittersweet groove of this one always puts a little lump in my throat even as it nudges me to keep moving forward.
Run Your Mouth by The Marias – I’ll admit it: this was a NPR Weekend Edition discovery for me. I know, so uncool. But The Marias are cool and this song is super catchy and my kids are into it so there.
Blue Savannah (2019 remaster) by Erasure – Enjoyed a lot of retro Euro pop on the radio while riding in a big tour bus from Germany to Austria to Czechia, and went down the rabbit hole. This was always one of my favorites of Erasure’s later songs.
Good Luck, Babe by Chappell Roan – Ok, so I was super late to Chappell Roan but I got there eventually. What’s not to love about this song?
Push by Hamdi, Skrillex, and Taichu – I love a good Skrillex jam and this one felt just right for getting hype before the Olympics (even though I pretty much missed all of them).
Bright (Take 22) by the original cast of Stereophonic – Because I’m a dork, it took back to back episodes of the Freakonomics podcast about the economics of this blockbuster show to convince me that I needed to go see it while I was in New York. Absolutely mind-blowing, even if I still think the fourth act could use an edit. The way this song is threaded through the show is just one of the ways it made my heart ache in a good way.
Can We Talk by Tevin Campbell – Sometimes life takes you back to a certain time and a certain place. Also, young Tevin Campbell was so precious.
Witchy by KAYTRANADA feat. Childish Gambino – I unapologetically love KAYTRANADA and the retro vibe of this track makes me wish I was at the roller rink.
‘Til It’s Over by Anderson.Paak – I feel like this song came and went with nary a whimper but it’s always been one of my favorites from Paak.
H3@ART$ W3RE M3@NT TO F7¥ by Childish Gambino – Part of the Gambino’s grand finale, I love the heart-pumping energy of this track. He opened with it at his show last week and the crowd lost their damn minds.
Fix by Blackstreet – See note above about taking it back to simpler times. Also, Blackstreet is timeless.
Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys feat. Jay-Z – The other show I caught in NY was “Hell’s Kitchen” and I’ll admit that I was not expecting a lot. But Maleah Joi Moon, Shoshana Bean, and OMG KECIA LEWIS were just incredible. Of course the show had to include this love song to the greatest city on Earth but it’s also been my love song to the greatest city on Earth forever.
360 by Charli xcx – Channeling that brat energy.
Freedom by Beyoncé feat. Kendrick Lamar – The anthem of the Harris/Walz campaign bookended a wild DNC aka “Coachella for liberals.”
Pulaski at Night by Andrew Bird – I hadn’t listened to Andrew Bird since his super weird first album came out 20 years ago and clearly I missed a lot. His live show at Wolf Trap with just a stripped down trio was fantastic, and this song got me re-hooked on his kooky stylings while also making me a little nostalgic for sweet home Chicago.
Les by Childish Gambino – A Childish Gambino oldie but new to me…it was wild seeing him playing a huge arena show where everyone knew the words to all his songs from the last 12 years. I still love him most as an actor and cinematic artist/creative genius, but yeah, he’s got some real bops, too.
Champagne Supernova by Oasis – If the announcement of the reunion tour is not the greatest diplomatic achievement of this decade, I don’t know what is. I had forgotten what a damn good song this is, never mind the nostalgic trip back to my college days.