Summer of 1982: "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

Bob Marley's "Punky Reggae Party”: How did reggae become such a big part of the early UK punk scene? One DJ with more dub than punk in his record case, who also had his own connection to Bob Marley. You can hear "Punky Reggae Party" and songs from that early intersection of punk... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

5 min listen

Robert Wyatt's "Shipbuilding.": A 1982 song about the Falklands War with lyrics by Elvis Costello became an unlikely hit in 1983 for Robert Wyatt, the former drummer in jazzy, psychedelic prog-rock bands who found a second career and new life after falling out of a London apartment... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

5 min listen

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Merry Clayton: A force-of-nature singer, The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," and Simon & Garfunkel's secular hymn made spiritual. A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode can be found here:... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

6 min listen

Betty Davis's "They Say I'm Different": Betty Davis blazed a sexually explicit funk-rock trail. As her ex-husband Miles Davis put it, she was "Madonna before Madonna; Prince before Prince." A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode can be found here:... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

7 min listen

Tracey Thorn, "Protection": Massive Attack's "Protection'' was built around a sample of a sample. That James Brown sample is taken from a song about revenge that he released as an act of revenge itself. Tracey Thorn, whose partner in Everything But The Girl nearly died and spent... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

8 min listen

Shuggie Otis, "Strawberry Letter #23": Shuggie Otis played gigs with his father Johnny "Willie and the Hand Jive" Otis at 11 and was a guitar hero at 15. By the time he was 21, he was making records that influenced Prince, Acid Jazz, and hip-hop. Then, he just sort of stopped making them.... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

8 min listen

Bonnie Raitt, "Angel from Montgomery": John Prine was a 24 year-old mailman when wrote about how being old isn't about age but an absence of youth. Bonnie Raitt made it a classic by singing how that feels to a woman. You can hear "Angel from Montgomery" and a playlist of songs by... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

6 min listen

"Before The Last Teardrop Falls" by Freddy Fender: The first bi-lingual pop hit launched a country career for Freddy Fender, which wasn't at all what he wanted. A playlist of this and other songs in the neighborhood of this playlist is available here:... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

6 min listen

The Records "Starry Eyes": The Records "Starry Eyes" "Starry Eyes" captured a moment when anything seemed possible with guitar pop. Hear the true story behind The Records' scruffy, bittersweet Power Pop classic. You can hear "Starry Eyes" and full history-spanning... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

6 min listen

Bobbie Gentry's "Fancy": Best known for her debut single, the 1969 story song "Ode to Billie Joe," Bobbie Gentry's second and third acts could be more compelling -- Vegas, the NBA, and another great story song about a woman's journey to "move uptown." You can hear a... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

8 min listen

Johnny Cash's "Sunday Morning Coming Down": Kris Kristofferson landed a helicopter on Johnny Cash's lawn to hand him a demo tape. The rest is music history. Hear "Sunday Morning Coming Down" and more songs by Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash and more music in the direction of this episode... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

7 min listen

"The First Cut Is The Deepest" by PP Arnold: Cat Stevens said that this is the definitive version of the song that's been a hit for Rod Stewart and Sheryk Crow, and he should know -- he wrote it. In it, you hear not just an indelible vocal performance, but the woman who PP left an abusive... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

7 min listen

Screaming Trees "Nearly Lost You": Mark Lanegan died on February 22nd. His breakout song with Screaming Trees was a grunge hit that wasn't and got him into living rooms via MTV. His solo albums got him into people's hearts. A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

8 min listen

"Powerhouse" by The Raymond Scott Quintette: From Bugs Bunny to Motown to Moog synthesizers, Raymond Scott was a 20th century music innovator who got his weirdo compositions into American living rooms. A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode can be found here:... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

10 min listen

The Isley Brothers, "Summer Breeze": For the first official week of summer: The Isley Brothers make something hot and funky from a soft rock hit, "Summer Breeze." by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

7 min listen

"Just Like Honey" by The Jesus and Mary Chain: Like love turned fraught, honey can be bittersweet, especially when a band pours it through record-setting guitar feedback. A playlist of this and other songs by The Jesus and Mary Chain can be found here:... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

5 min listen

"The Girl from Ipanema" by Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto, Joao Gilberto & Antonio Carlos Jobim: "The Girl from Ipanema" recalls so much loungey, easy-listening kitsch, but that's not the fault of Bossa Nova's history-making song and certainly not Astrud Gilberto, who wasn't even supposed to sing it. A playlist of this and other songs... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

7 min listen

"The Message" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five: Summer of '82 Part 2: "The Message" was the first hip-hop single to really hit hard, and it has some surprising origins and influences (including a double dose of Talking Heads side projects). You can hear "The Message," a few songs that... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

8 min listen

Harvey "Anyway You Wanta": Popcorn started in a barn in Belgium where couples touch-danced to slowed-down R&B. It was the last great underground scene in Europe. You can hear "Anyway You Wanta" and full scene-spanning Popcorn playlist here:... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

7 min listen

"And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" by The Pogues: A folk song about the WWI Gallipoli campaign has nothing to do with St. Patrick's Day, but everything to do with the truth Shane MacGowan and The Pogues could find in a song. A playlist of this and other songs relevant to the episode can be found... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

6 min listen

Waylon Jennings, "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?": How Waylon Jennings unintentionally started the outlaw movement in country music. You can hear "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" and songs from Waylon Jennings here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4IL4qbYw9fa36Pmyq0akNG?si=66a38091e2cd4191 by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

8 min listen

Big Joe Turner, "Flip, Flop & Fly": Rock 'n' roll might not have happened without Big Joe Turner, but he was bigger than that. You can hear "Flip, Flop & Fly" and more songs by Big Joe Turner here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vRaOhpMMkLa9EDgo0Iy4l?si=76449189a7464363 by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

7 min listen

"Rumble" by Link Wray & His Ray-Men: ink Wray's 1958 song "Rumble" was the first instrumental to be banned by radio. Paul McCartney had a copy taped to his record player. With three snarling chords, the half-Shawnee son of backwoods preachers redefined the guitar in rock 'n' roll.... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

7 min listen

Talk Talk's "Life's What You Make It": "LIfe's What You Make It" is the inflection point whereTalk Talk went from a Duran Duran also-ran to an innovative band that proved to be a big influence on Radiohead, St. Vincent, and many, many others. It's also a great song and good advice. You... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

9 min listen

The Dave Brubeck Quartet, "Blue Rondo à la Turk": Dave Brubeck's nerdy time signature experiments have their roots in Patton's Army and a Turkish street musician named June Eighth. You can hear "A "Blue Rondo à la Turk" and a playlist of songs by The Dave Brubeck Quartet here:... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

8 min listen

"Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners: Summer of '82 Part 3 The idiosyncratic soul of a contrarian one hit wonder that's more than some rolled-up dungarees. You Can hear "Come On Eileen" in a playlist of 17 songs from Dexy's Midnight Runners here:... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

8 min listen

Summer of 1982: "Don't Go" by Yazoo (a k a Yaz): Summer of '82 part 5: Depeche Mode's hit songwriter Vince Clarke hit up Alison Moyet, a blues belter he knew from their school days to cut a demo. Then they changed electronic dance music forever. You can hear "Don't Go," and more by Yaz/Yazoo,... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

7 min listen

Patsy Cline's "She's Got You": She had bigger hits, but "She's Got You" is where you can really hear why Patsy Cline was the greatest. So, too, how Country Music greats Owen Bradley and pianist Floyd Cramer were the best at what they did, and what they did was the Nashville Sound.... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

7 min listen

Summer of 1982: Roxy Music's "More Than This": Summer of '82 part 6: Smooth, suave, and seductive, Roxy Music's epicly romantic "More Than This" captures the deepening of love without ever saying the word. You can hear "More Than This" and 23 more songs by Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry here:... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

6 min listen

Missing Persons' "Words": Summer of '82 Part 1: Missing Persons: plexiglass bikinis, Frank Zapa, and the New Wave band that wasn't. You can hear "Words" and a playlist of Missing Persons songs, plus through from Dale Bozzio's adventurous later career, here... by The Best Song Ever (This Week)

8 min listen

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Summer of 1982: "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

Summer of 1982: "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

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