The Velvet Underground, "Sweet Jane"

Rest in Peace, Lou Reed. For further study/tribute, I encourage you to take a look at this documentary on the Velvet Underground from 1986.

Pilot, "It's Magic"

The Killers, "Human"

The Temptations, "My Girl" (Live)

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Aloe Blacc, Miki and Jaybo, "Mama Hold My Hand"

Peter Jordan:

Monday was the one year anniversary of a shooting massacre at the Sikh temple (gurudwara) in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. We live a couple of miles away. I greeted an older Sikh gentlemen on his morning walk today.

In the coverage, there has been a lot of focus on the sons of Paramjit Kaur, a woman who was killed in the attack. In an era of angry young men, her sons have every right to very, very angry.

But they aren't. They show incredible poise, incredible character and faith. They speak of peace, of community.

Today's song honors motherhood and yearns to repair lost connections.

Aimee Mann, "Calling It Quits"

Little River Band, "Reminiscing"

Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling, "The Water"

The Strokes, "Under Cover of Darkness"

Metric, "Breathing Underwater"

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, "Wildflowers"

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: The Roots, "Guns Are Drawn"

Guest Post by Peter Jordan

We're staying at home this week. Whatever the particulars of the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman altercation, no one denies that a 17 year old boy was shot and killed. Questlove (Ahmir Thompson) wrote a column about being black and scary in society. We'll borrow one of his songs with a pertinent message:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Turn Into" (Acoustic)

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Miriam Makeba, "Malaika"

Editor's Note: Peter's weekly posts are still actually approaching the frequency of my purportedly daily selections. Let's call it even.

Max complimented me for my regularity, and I promptly missed the next Wednesday. Apologies.

Last week my wife and our older son were at a retreat at a Buddhist temple. Their time at the temple brought back memories of one year ago when our son spent two weeks at the temple as a novice monk. This involved shaving his head, learning chants in Pali/Sanskrit, and wearing orange robes. Just generally looking and acting strange and foreign.

That same week a man attacked a Sikh congregation a few miles from our home, killing six and wounding four before killing himself. Sikh men wear turbans and have long hair and beards. Generally looking and acting strange and foreign.

My response to this kind of hate is to seek justice and stew in righteous anger. "Righteous anger" sounds a bit like justified hate.

I am most astonished by those people who have suffered far greater than I ever will and yet have found a way to move forward in hope and forgiveness. I saw a quote from Nelson Mandela the other day. Something about leaving hatred and vengeance behind as he left prison or he would remain jailed no matter the lack of bars.

This led me to stumble upon a great South African artist performing an East African song in a language foreign to her, yet she brings the song such beauty. Maybe the answer to hate is beautiful songs.
 

Cage the Elephant, "Aberdeen"

Weezer, "Pork and Beans"

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Scala and Kolacny Brothers, "Every Breath You Take" (The Police)

Quickly becoming the most reliable contributor to Tuna Day, Mr. Peter Jordan...

A Belgian choir singing a British song. Simply by posting this I think I slip into the 51% foreign category. Good luck to the NSA sorting out my emails.

I love the soft, beautiful voices making the lyrics and the minor chords that much creepier.
 

Frankie Laine, "Rawhide"

U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (Live in New York)

Recorded two weeks ago, and released yesterday, here is U2, performing an acoustic rendition of their classic song of protest. Recorded on a rooftop in NYC, the band dedicated the performance to those fighting for democracy in Iran. Enjoy.

Michael Jackson, "Dirty Diana"

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Everton Song, "On the March with Moyes' Army"

Once again... Peter Jordan.

Dearest Followers,

Stay close, there are a few blind leaps ahead: 

My eldest is trying out for a new soccer club today. What could be more international than soccer? So I looked at some of the big songs associated with past World Cups, but R. Kelly, Shakira, Ricky Martin, and the Crazy Frog weren't grabbing me. Ah, what we need is a club song, something local, yet global. My son is half-Thai, so I headed straight over to Everton, a Premier League club out of Liverpool who are oddly enough sponsored by Beer Chang, a second-rate Thai beer. 

International soccer is a bit like jazz: I would be a better person if I understood it, but the learning curve is kind of steep. 

The maze of leagues and teams is intensely complex; club songs are not. Club songs are written by drunks to be sung by drunks. 

This is one of several songs attributed to Everton's fans. I'm not sure what the root of the Ku Klux Klan reference is (Man. U?) nor why the Norwegian flag has Hebrew on it, but thought both added even more international mystery. So, pop open a 40 oz Beer Chang and enjoy. (Adjectives follow nouns in Thai and chang is elephant, therefore the brand-name is "Elephant Beer.")

Elton John, "Levon" (Live in 1971)

David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, "Under Pressure" (Isolated Vocals)

H/T to Darla for the lead... and for the link to the backstory of the recording. Enjoy!

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Lena Chamamian, "Ya Mayla Al Ghoson"

Peter Jordan, Guest Contributor:

I almost avoided Syria this week. I put my blinders on and whined about how we just keep hearing about it. Sometimes we keep hearing because really nasty stuff keeps happening. 

I don't know anything about this lady or the music, but the beauty of the music is a deeply ironic juxtaposition to the situation on the ground.The imagery of the video seems a caricature of Western concepts of the Orient. 

The comments, if you go to YouTube, are a mess of crazy and hate. In the end, I decided the weird video and the angry message-boarding are exactly right for a dangerous war with no end in sight.
 

Nirvana vs. Europe, "The Final Teen Spirit" (Mash-up)

Is this terrible or awesome? I don't know yet. Judge for yourself...

Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Minor Thing"

I change the key from C to D, from D to E, from E to G and back to C, now sing with me, you've got to see... sorry... getting carried away. As you were.

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Willie Nelson, "A Song for You" (Live)

I don't necessarily want to roll from disaster to disaster each week, but I also don't want to avoid them just sticking my head in the sand.

I was thinking about the storms and tornadoes in Oklahoma this past week. Of course, that leads to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." I'm always partial to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version, but I also like Willie. Luckenbach, Tx, isn't all the close to Oklahoma, but it's a lot closer than I am.

In the end I went with "A Song for You" because "Rainbow" seemed a bit trite.

Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers, "The Last Mile of the Way"

OPEN REQUEST SUNDAY: Abba, "The Winner Takes It All"

Here are everyone's favorite Swedes with their timeless classic, which earwormed its way into Gustavo's head this last Week. Enjoy!

Paul Simon with Phoebe Snow and the Jesse Dixon Singers, "Gone at Last"

The Futrell Boys, "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (Smokey Robinson cover)

Randomly stumbled across these kids. They're awesome... especially the 11-year-old when he says "Old School." Enjoy.

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Palueigyi, "Burmese Flute"

The inimitable, incorrigible Peter Jordan: 

We had the first Burmese presidential visit to the USA in over 45 years this week. I'm not sure he deserved the welcome, but I do know that engagement usually works a lot faster than embargo.

Musically we've got a flute-like Burmese instrument. I don't have a good ear or any particular knowledge, but I suspect traditional Burmese instruments (like Thai instruments) are tuned with seven steps to an octave instead of eight (or something like that). This makes it impossible to play Burmese music on normally tuned Western instruments and vice versa. The sum total of my ethnomusicology knowledge comes from a single lecture I attended in the early 90's because of a girlfriend, so I may be full of... 

Who knows, I mostly made that up from stuff I might remember or maybe just dreamed, but Burma has a way of doing that to people. I have read Burmese Days by Orwell at least twice.

The Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun"

You can support #Moore response & other disasters by txting REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10, or online at redcross.org
— American Red Cross (@RedCross) May 21, 2013

De La Soul, "A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays""

Well, unfortunately GoogaMooga was cancelled due to inclement weather yesterday. The worst part? No De La Soul! So here's a small consolation prize... five days early. Enjoy!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Despair"

To mark their appearance tonight at Great GoogaMooga, I'm thrilled to present another stellar offering from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' latest album, Mosquito. After a few listens, I think this is the early frontrunner for my favorite song on the album. Can't wait to hear it live. Enjoy. Or despair. Or enjoy despairingly!

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Carabao, "Wa Ni Pok"

This week's selection from Peter Jordan...

Nothing's much grabbing me this week, so we're doing one close to home.  These guys are huge in Thailand, been around for years and years.  

Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Scar Tissue"

Danny Fong, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme" (A cappella cover)

Happy belated birthday, to my younger brother, who's just as dorky as I am.

Kurtis Blow, "The Breaks" (Soul Train)

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Midnight Oil, "Mountains of Burma"

Once again, Mr. Peter Jordan. The opinions and commentary expressed below are his and his alone. Enjoy.

Our faithful blogger has called me a "self-acclaimed music aficionado and news junkie." Today I plan to destroy any delusions of musical taste, self-acclaimed or otherwise.

I am feeling Australia today. My shallow knowledge of Aussie music is INXS, Kylie Minogue, and Midnight Oil.  I don't feel that "Locomotion" has enough international vibe, so Midnight Oil it is. As you listen imagine that big ugly bald dude dancing like he's making a sick joke about disabled persons.

Note: I nearly destroyed my copy of "Blue Sky Mining" in middle school from overplay. Thank God I'm not in middle school anymore.

Beastie Boys, "The Sounds of Science"

Saturday marked one year since the passing of Adam Yauch, aka MCA. From Paul's Boutique, here's the under-appreciated, idiosyncratic, accelerating "The Sounds of Science." Enjoy.

Aerosmith, "Cryin'"

Welcome to '90s Throwback Friday here at Tuna Day. Enjoy!
 

Kris Kross, "Jump"

RIP, Mac Daddy.

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Brett Dennen, "I Asked When"

Peter Jordan presents... 

Dear listeners,

I am seriously under the weather.  As such, I am completely mailing it in this week.  This song isn't really specific to anything, just general bleeding heart politics.  (I couldn't find a song about children bringing germs home from daycare.)

Jet, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"

Cluck., "Some Nights" (Fun. Cover)

Live on Jimmy Fallon Friday night, the all-chicken lineup featured Jimmy, Chris Tartaro, Michael Bublé and Amy Poehler. I'm loving it... may it become a staple of Late Night, until we get sick of it.

George Jones, "She Thinks I Still Care"

Rest in Peace, Possum. You will be missed.

Talib Kweli f. Bilal and The Roots, "Come Here" (Live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

Wednesday night, Talib brought the house down on Jimmy Fallon, with big assists from the silky-smooth Bilal and the ever-stellar Legendary Roots Crew. Now, sit back and get comfortable as a Huxtable. Enjoy!


TKCHJFL by yardie4lifever2

Noisettes, "Never Forget You"

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Anoushka Shankar, "Si No Puedo Verla"

Peter Jordan:

There have been some pretty horrible attacks on women and young girls in India recently. This isn't a new thing and it probably won't go away soon, but I think it's also important to remember there are a billion people in India. One needn't look far to find goodness and greatness.

Here's a truly international tune (Spanish lyrics, sitar accompaniment) from an accomplished Indian woman:

Janelle Monáe f. Erykah Badu, "Q.U.E.E.N."

Fresh off the presses as of yesterday, the Artist Formerly Known as Cindi Mayweather has dropped this seriously funky track, the first from her upcoming album, The Electric Lady. Two bonuses: a guest appearance by Ms. Badu, and these lines:

My crown too heavy like the Queen Nefertiti
Gimme back my pyramid, I'm trying to free Kansas City

Enjoy!

Rory Gallagher, "A Million Miles Away"

Phillip Phillips, "Home"

Rene Rancourt and Entire TD Garden, "The Star-Spangled Banner"

If you haven't seen it yet, take a few minutes to watch the pre-game performance of the National Anthem at Wednesday night's hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres.

Paul Simon, "Me and Julio down by the Schoolyard" (Sesame Street version)

If you're looking for something to smile about this week, you've come to the right place.

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: James Taylor, "Fire and Rain" (Live)

Peter Jordan, guest contributor...

Sometimes sappy feels just about right.  We're all singing along with you, Boston.

Junior Kimbrough, "Lonesome in My Home"

The Black Keys, "Little Black Submarines"

The White Stripes, "Hotel Yorba"

One of my ten favorite songs of all time, from 2001's White Blood Cells. Why have I not posted it yet? Beats me. Enjoy. And try not to shake the room with your foot stomping.

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: The Pogues, "Maggie May" (Rod Stewart)

Once again, Sir Peter Jordan...

We lost an astonishing politician this week. Baroness Margaret Thatcher died Monday morning. Do I love her? Do I hate her? Maybe the song/band choice will give a hint.

The Rolling Stones, "Angie"

Let me whisper in your e-a-ar...

Talib Kweli f. Kendrick Lamar and Curren$y, "Push Thru"

Major catch-up day... get ready, y'all.

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Dodou, "Lingala Music"

Ladies and Gentlemen, once again, Mr. Peter Jordan:

 

A few weeks ago a passenger plane crashed in eastern Congo killing 36 people. You didn't know that? Yeah, no one did.

 

Today we honor Congolese music to remind us to pay attention to issues and concerns around the world, not just in New York, New Jersey, and some of Connecticut.

 

(Note 1: I'm posting a song with strong female voices to honor the Women in the World conference and the really horrible conditions for women in eastern Congo.)

 

(Note 2: I can't do a translation. The song talks about marriage, children, lost love, losing one's way/path, hearts and spirits, but it's too fast for me to put it all together. I think Dodou rushed into some things and now is being entreated to do the right thing.)

 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Sacrilege"

From the YYYs upcoming album, Mosquito, here's the first single, produced by Andrew Launay and TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek. Tune in this afternoon for an online listening party at 3pm ET, when you can hear the album in its entirety. Enjoy!

BONUS! MARCH OF THE COVERS: Jimmy Fallon and the Chickeneers, "Ho Hey" (The Lumineers)

OPEN REQUEST SUNDAY/MARCH OF THE COVERS: Mahalia Jackson, "Elijah Rock" (Traditional)

Though the final chapter in EJ's KU career was unfortunate, we'll always have this. And this. Thanks, Wade, for the selection.

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Wilson Pickett, "Hey Jude" (The Beatles)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: The Jackson 5, "I Was Made to Love Her" (Stevie Wonder)

;)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: The Blues Brothers, "Stand by Your Man" (Tammy Wynette)

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY/MARCH OF THE COVERS: k.d. lang, "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen)

Today marks the latest installment in a weekly series of guest posts by the self-acclaimed music aficionado and news junkie, Peter Jordan. Each week, the post will loosely relate to  some aspect of current events. Mr. Jordan has been given complete, unfettered editorial control over the Wednesday posts. This month, he must meet the additional requirement of using a cover song in his post. Enjoy.

Today we've got k.d. lang covering Leonard Cohen. That's right, a gay person taking a hetero's best known musical child and raising it right.  SCOTUS, are you listening? (Alito is a huge Tuna Day fan.)

PS--As Canadians, lang and Cohen have socialized medicine, too. If Canada wasn't a frozen wasteland, it might be nice to live there.

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Sonic Youth, "Superstar" (The Carpenters)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Johnny Cash, "Personal Jesus" (Depeche Mode)

OPEN REQUEST SUNDAY/MARCH OF THE COVERS: Cat Power, "I Found a Reason" (The Velvet Underground)

And a belated posting of yesterday's request from Sara--a beautiful cover of a beautiful song. Enjoy!

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Otis Redding, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (The Rolling Stones)

Catching up after the weekend of #madness, this one's for Saturday...

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Feist f. The Constantines, "Islands in the Stream" (Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton)

This. Is. Awesome.

MARCH OF THE COVERS: The Clash, "Pressure Drop" (Toots and the Maytalls)

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: "Dale Dale Dominicano"

To interrupt March of the Covers, and to unseat Peter Jordan from his weekly spot in the rotation, it would take an event of cataclysmic proportions. On the heels of a merciless run through the World Baseball Classic by the Dominican Republic, may I present to you--at the gracious suggestion of Mr. Gustavo--such an event. Ladies and gentleman, the Japanese salute to the DR. Please enjoy.

MARCH OF THE COVERS: 10,000 Maniacs, "Because the Night" (Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: The Watson Twins, "Just Like Heaven" (The Cure)

OPEN REQUEST SUNDAY/MARCH OF THE COVERS: José González, "Heartbeats" (The Knife)

Courtesy of Jessica over at Wyman Projects graphic and web design, here's a great cover of a song you may have heard previously here at Tuna Day... Enjoy!

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Aimee Mann, "The Scientist" (Coldplay)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: NOFX, "Les Champs Elysées" (Joe Dassin)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" (The First Edition)

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY/MARCH OF THE COVERS: Paloma Faith, "You Never Give Me Your Money" (The Beatles)

We present the third installment in a weekly series of guest posts by the self-acclaimed music aficionado and news junkie, Peter Jordan. Each week, the post will loosely relate to  some aspect of current events. This month, he must meet the additional requirement of using a cover song in his post. Enjoy.

Budget Talks.  Nothing to say really, just ugh. 

If I knew anything about Ms. Faith, I suspect I would not be a fan, but I needed a cover of a song about money. Do watch the video. Is she reading the lyrics off her left hand? It looked like it to me. Weird.

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Cake, "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor)

As a follow-up to Sunday's request, here's another all-world '90s performance of a '70s classic. More Cake, please. Enjoy.

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Etta James, "Purple Rain" (Prince)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: The Fugees, "Killing Me Softly" (Roberta Flack)

We had the luxury of spending the weekend with my father-in-law, who had the good sense to recommend one of the greatest covers in the history of music--Lauryn Hill, Wyclef and Pras, with their unforgettable remix of the Roberta Flack classic. Enjoy.

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Beth Orton, "Wild World" (Cat Stevens)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Paul Anka, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Scala and Kolacny Brothers, "Creep" (Radiohead)

You may recognize this hauntingly beautiful Radiohead cover from the trailer for 2012's The Social Network. The arrangement comes courtesy of the spectacular Belgian choir, Scala and Kolacny. Enjoy.

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY/MARCH OF THE COVERS: Weird Al Yankovic, "Yoda" (Parody of The Kinks, "Lola")

Welcome to the second in a weekly series of guest posts by the self-acclaimed music aficionado and sci-fi connoisseur, Peter Jordan. Each week, the post will loosely relate to  some aspect of current events. Fortunately for us, this now happens to coincide with our annual cover songs month. Enjoy. 

President Obama is mildly famous for letting his geek flag fly now and again. Geeks are loyal, but exacting. So when Mr. Obama misaligned the Stars (Trek and Wars), the nerds and geeks choked on their Mountain Dew. 

I could have pulled out some of Leonard Nimoy's "musical" offerings, but this being cover month, I went with a parody cover. 

Weird Al Yankovic with "Yoda" to honor the POTUS and his awkward geekiness:

 

And the original "Lola" by the Kinks with its gender confusion to honor the administration's awkward relationship with gay rights:

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Bat for Lashes, "I'm on Fire" (Bruce Springsteen)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Alison Mosshart, "Tomorrow Never Knows" (The Beatles)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Joan Baez, "Rexroth's Daughter" (Greg Brown)

From Heed the Hippie himself, Karrigan in Kansas, here is the great Joan Baez with her take on Greg Brown's "Rexroth's Daughter." Enjoy!

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Mumford & Sons, "The Boxer" (Simon & Garfunkel)

MARCH OF THE COVERS: Emily Haines, "Expecting to Fly" (Buffalo Springfield)

It's that time of year again... to kick things off, here's Emily Haines (of Metric), performing Buffalo Springfield's "Expecting to Fly." Enjoy!

U2, "40" (Live at Red Rocks)

As @LinerNotes pointed out, today is the 30th anniversary of U2's third album, War. Take a few minutes to enjoy the closing song from the album, performed live at Red Rocks Amphitheater. If you've been to one of the band's concerts, this will undoubtedly present a familiar scene... and you might even find yourself singing along with the crowd. How long?

WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Karl Jenkins, "Benedictus" (from The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace)

Ladies and Gentlemen, today we introduce an unprecedented move at Tuna Day. For the indefinite future, I will now be handing over the reins to a guest DJ every Wednesday. Mr. Peter Jordan, longtime follower, has now been given carte blanche. I'll let him explain...

Our station manager had a moment of weakness and has decided to let me have a little fun on Wednesdays. Right now it's just a probationary period, so let him know up or down.

'Worldwide Wednesday' will try to toss out tunes that have some (very tenuous) connection to current events. If all goes well, we should be incorporated into seventh grade social studies curricula nationwide.

Pope Benny has but two days remaining of infallibility (or does he get to keep that?), so he's our first subject.

At first I thought Johnny Paycheck's 'Take This Job and Shove It.' But, no, how about the Von Trapp family with their very best 'So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu?' It's multi-lingual, trans-border, inter-generational, and it has memories of autocratic Germans!

In the end, we're going somewhat classy. 'Benedictus' from Jenkins' The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. (A little longer than most videos, and probably the last time I'll post anything classical or ecclesiastical.)

Boston, "Peace of Mind"

Rodriguez, "I Wonder"

Congratulations to Sixto Rodriguez and Searching for Sugar Man for a big win last night at the Oscars. Well deserved!

Led Zeppelin, "Going to California" (Live)

Bon voyage, Cuz.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, "Walls (Circus)"

Wilco, "Via Chicago" (Live)

Cold War Kids, "Hang Me Up to Dry"

Little Dragon, "Twice"

Rod Stewart, "Maggie May"

Band of Horses, "The Funeral"

HTRMOS: Karen O, "Strange Love" (from Frankenweenie)

The obvious predecessor for Karen O's song comes from Mickey & Sylvia's "Love is Strange"... 



...but I also picked up some cribbing from the space-age harmonizing of Dallas' own Steve Miller. You be the judge: 

Kendrick Lamar, "Black Boy Fly"

Sam Cooke, "Wonderful World"

Happy Valentine's Day, Tunateers!

R.E.M., "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us"

Pixies, "Hey" (Live)

No idea how this doesn't even have 4,000 hits on YouTube. A great laid-back groove of the classic, performed live in Holland. I especially love Joey Santiago's sauntering guitar solo starting at the 1:30 mark. Enjoy!

Rufus Thomas, "Little Sally Walker"

Islands, "Hallways"

Really good song, awesome video... Día de los Muertos meets the Cantina scene (sort of). Enjoy!

Carla Thomas, "I Kinda Think He Does"

Elton John, "Tiny Dancer"

For Peter... please don't hurt me.

Jim Croce, "I Got a Name" (Live)

Woodrow Buddy Johnson and Count Basie, "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?"

Today would be Jackie's 94th birthday. The upcoming biopic 42 hits theaters in a few months. In the meantime, enjoy a little big band tribute to the legend.

And that ain't all... he stole home!

Maniacal 4 Trombone Quartet, "Carry On Wayward Son" (Kansas cover)

An unprecedented back-to-back Kansas two-fer--and the same song, to boot! Courtesy of Peoria Pete, this marks another first: an Open Request WEDNESDAY. Now that's epic.

Kansas, "Carry on Wayward Son" (Live)

152 years ago today, Kansas was born a free state. To celebrate, why not sit back and enjoy this epic classic from Topeka's favorite sons?

Kasabian, "Butcher Blues"

OPEN REQUEST SUNDAY: Johnny Cash, "Ring of Fire"

Today's request is dedicated to the memory of Wilhelmina, and her beautiful, deep alto voice. Thank you, Darla, for sharing your grandmother's favorite song with us.

Roy Orbison, "Oh, Pretty Woman" (Live)

An indelible performance of Orbison's signature song, from the "Black and White Night" in 1988. The all-star ensemble that night included Elvis Presley's backing band, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, k.d. lang, Tom Waits, Jennifer Warnes, J.D. Souther, Steven Soles and Jackson Browne. The highlight of this one, however, might be the guitar duel between James Burton (from the TCB Band) and Bruce Springsteen. Enjoy!

MGMT, "Electric Feel"

Solomon Burke, "Fast Train"

Brewer & Shipley, "One Toke over the Line"

Alabama Shakes, "Hold On"

Karen Elson, "Pretty Babies"

Aretha Franklin, "Rock Steady"

What it is.

The White Stripes, "Fell in Love with a Girl"

John Denver, Peter, Paul & Mary, "Leaving on a Jet Plane"

Franz Ferdinand, "No You Girls"

Poco, "Rose of Cimarron"

Feist, "Anti-Pioneer"

Electric Light Orchestra, "Jungle"

If you're feeling down, you've come to the right place. Prepare to cheer up, and maybe even dance a little...

The Strokes, "Life Is Simple in the Moonlight"

Crystal Castles, "Untrust Us"

Kimbra, "Two Way Street"

Patti Page, "Tennessee Waltz"

Rest in Peace, Patti Page.

HTRMOS: America, "Sister Golden Hair"

and this?

The xx, "VCR"

Easing you into the week with a little synth pop...

Cake, "Jolene"

Cansei de Ser Sexy, "Hits Me Like a Rock"

CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy) - Hits Me Like a Rock by BlastroNetworks

George Harrison, "What Is Life"

Happy New Year!