Music
Happiness through music
Looking for greater happiness? Scientists suggest you listen to music from the happiest time in your life. “One of the strong effects of music comes from its ability to remind us of previous environments in which we were listening to that music.” It’s known as context-dependent memory. Let’s say that your college years were the…
Read MoreWhich coincidence would be more coincidental?
Regina Spektor’s song “On The Radio” – a personal favorite – has a chorus that goes: On the radioYou’ll hear ‘November Rain’That solo’s awful longBut it’s a good refrain You listen to it twice‘Cause the DJ is asleepOn the radio (Oh-oh-oh)On the radio So here’s my question: Which would be more surprising based upon these…
Read MoreWorst concert ever
On Sunday Elysha and I went to the Blondie/Elvis Costello concert at Mohegan Sun. I’m not an Elvis Costello fan, but Elysha loves him, and the tickets were a gift from me. And I like Blondie. Of all the venues where we could see a concert, Mohegan Sun is one of our least favorites. The…
Read MoreA tribute to Chris Farley (and me)
I have no intention of ever dying, but in the very unlikely event that I do, I expect my friends to sing a song at least as funny and poignant as Adam Sandler’s song was on Saturday night about his friend, the late, great Chris Farley. It was incredible. You might want to work now,…
Read MoreAdvice from The Beatles
So many times in my life, I see something clever, brilliant, or truly inspired, and I think to myself, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Just last week, the trailer dropped for Danny Boyle’s latest film, Yesterday. It’s the story of a musician who wakes up in a world where The Beatles never existed, except…
Read MoreKids get mad at “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Our kids love music. Much of this is thanks to Elysha. As much as I love music, she loves it even more. But it’s also in large part the result to hours of Spotify playlists playing in the car, the music playing often in our home, the endless conversations about music, and our before-bed ritual…
Read MoreElton returns.
Back in September, Elysha and I saw Elton John perform in Hartford, CT as part of his “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” farewell tour. He was fantastic. Both of us left the concert feeling so good. Then I saw the latest John Lewis and Partners, a high end department store in the UK which is famous…
Read MoreWeezer’s “Africa” is Toto’s “Africa.” I don’t get it.
You’ve probably heard Weezer’s cover of Toto’s song “Africa” at some point this summer. It’s been the #1 song in America for the last three weeks and been on the charts for the last 12 weeks. People love this song. I don’t get it. I’m not opposed to musicians covering the songs of other musicians,…
Read MoreWindows down. Music up.
Driving home alone after performing in Maine last week, I decided to spend the last hour of my four-hour drive with the windows down and the music up. Music blasted. Springsteen. Tom Petty. Tesla. The Ramones. Guns N’ Roses. The Stones. The wind roared through the car. It was fantastic. As I roared down the…
Read MoreEric Carmen’s “Make Me Lose Control” is weird on many, many levels, including being inexplicably stuck in my head.
Standing in McDonald’s yesterday morning, waiting to order, a song came on the sound system that I couldn’t immediately identify but oddly knew by heart. I started singing along and was shocked to discover I knew every single word. The song was Eric Carmen’s “Make Me Lose Control.” It was originally released in 1975 and…
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