by Kevin Burton From the heart of the Motown era came a million-selling hit that typified the Detroit sound. But the song has been doubly mistaken through the years, shortchanging the artist whose vocal command made it a classic. That song was “Rescue Me,” and it was a bit of a rescue …
Category Archives: music
Is Burton Cummings Rock’s Best Vocalist?
by Kevin Burton He croons, he growls, he soars, he swoops, he screams, he quivers. Burton Cummings has a voice made for rock and roll. He grabs a song and will, not, let it go. So glad he took up music rather than whatever else he could have pursued as a high …
Karen Carpenter, Born 72 Years Ago Today
by Kevin Burton No rock and roll artist discussion can make me more happy, but at the same time more sad and more angry than that of Karen Carpenter. None of my other favorites, from Steely Dan to Gerry Rafferty, Motown to the Beatles, to Supertramp, Billy Joel, Elton John, Flans from Mexico, …
“The Immigrant” Didn’t Fit John Lennon
by Kevin Burton For about three minutes and fifty seconds a tidy story unfolds from the pen of lyricist Phil Cody and the voice of the great Neil Sedaka. Attempt to read between the lines though and you have a mess on your hands, especially with Sedaka dedicating the song to ex-Beatle John …
Sign Me Up, Forever In Blue Jeans
by Kevin Burton We talk Neil Diamond for the second time this week today, but first, a short digression back to my college days. My college friend Matt once commented that “the only things Kevin Burton and I agree on are Billy Joel and freedom of the press.” We favored both, for the …
Brother Neil’s Travelling Controversy
by Kevin Burton Hard feelings and Neil Diamond songs usually don’t go together as far as I know. But we have two examples of such today. Diamond is the latest artist to be featured in our 2022 look at songs that peaked at number 22 on the American chart. The songs “Brother …
Simon At His Best On “Me And Julio”
by Kevin Burton The lyrics say crime and punishment, the delivery, whimsy and jest. The package came from Paul Simon, and he was hot in the early 70s. So I am amazed to learn that this song qualifies for inclusion in our 2022 series on songs that peaked at number 22 on the …
Music For The Master, A True Joyful Noise
by Kevin Burton “It’s not just a song, it’s music for the Master.” I used to hear that just about every weekday on Christian radio when I lived in Ohio. The guy who did the afternoon shift on WFCJ radio called his show Music for the Master. I can still hear his distinctive …
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Eddie Money’s Definition Of Paradise
by Kevin Burton A song that Cash Box called “an excellent punchy rocker” has become a necessary part of our shared musical vocabulary. The signature song of the late Eddie Money, “Two Tickets To Paradise,” peaked at number 22 on the American chart. So it has a place in our 2022 series. …
70s Elvis And The Fiction Of “My Way”
by Kevin Burton In a 50th year retrospective, The Guardian called the song “My Way” a monument. True enough in the musical sense, but I say it’s a sad one. This look at My Way is part of our 2022 series on songs that peaked at number 22 on the American chart. You …
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