Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac has died

November 30, 2022

Fleetwood Mac singer and keyboardist Christine McVie has died at age 79.

She wrote many Fleetwood Mac songs, including “Don’t Stop,” on their 1977 album Rumours.

As you can see in this video, Christine McVie sang the second verse, after the first verse was sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. They sing the last verse together.

I love this song.

“Don’t Stop” is featured in The War Room, a great documentary about Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. Here’s the post on my movie blog where I chose it as my favorite movie of 1993. (That post includes links to stream it on HBO Max or the Criterion Channel.)

President Bill Clinton ended his speech at the 2000 Democratic convention, when Al Gore was nominated, by saying: “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow,” right as that song started playing.

Christine McVie in concert on June 8, 2019 (via Wikipedia).

Happy 30th birthday to Miley Cyrus!

November 23, 2022

Miley Cyrus turns 30 today. My favorite song (co)written by her is “Plastic Hearts,” from her 2020 album of the same name:

Live version outdoors:

She’s also an excellent interpreter of other people’s songs — here she is singing her godmother Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” (1973):

A guest singer with Metallica on “Nothing Else Matters” (1991):

And she’s hilarious …

300 years of The Well-Tempered Clavier

November 18, 2022

300 years ago this year, in 1722, Bach finished the first of two books of The Well-Tempered Clavier.

Wikipedia says this sprawling composition — “two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard” — “is generally regarded as one of the most important works in the history of classical music.”

Here’s the first of the two “books,” starting with the beautifully serene Prelude in C:

Jerry Lee Lewis has died

October 28, 2022

Jerry Lee Lewis has died at age 87. (New York Times obit.)

Here he is performing a medley of “Great Balls of Fire,” “What’d I Say,” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On”:

Now the last of the greats of ’50s rock ’n’ roll has gone.

Buddy Holly (1936 - 1959)

Elvis Presley (1935 - 1977)

Bo Diddley (1928 - 2008)

Chuck Berry (1926 - 2017)

Little Richard (1932 - 2020)

Jerry Lee Lewis (1935 - 2022)

R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People

October 5, 2022

30 years ago today, in 1992, R.E.M. released their 8th album, Automatic for the People.

“Drive”:

“Man on the Moon” is a tribute to the subversive comedian Andy Kaufman. This song is featured in the 1999 biopic about him, also called Man on the Moon, starring Jim Carrey and directed by the great Miloš Forman. You can stream the movie for free on Tubi (with ads).

“Everybody Hurts”: