Yeah, just like Ella Langley's CSOTD "weren't for the wind", here's another song title in all lowercase.
What is up with kids these days.
Anyway, your enjoyment of this song isn't dependent on your own adherence to some outdated, European model of grammar rules, but it is dependent on your love of cool songs.
Nightly are a Nashville-based indie-pop band with the right mix of pop, chill, country and moody rock. Their 3rd album, released in March of this year, is called "songs to drive to", and the album, as the British would say, does exactly what it says on the tin.
Let's blow off work this week, and just take an extended road trip. What say you? Here's my opening track on what would be a glorious soundtrack, enjoy.
We're wrapping up "In Memoriam"week on CSOTD today, with a bit of a special edition.
There are so many I've already left out this week, here's to Sam Moore (October 12, 1935 – January 10, 2025) – of soul duo Sam & Dave, Mike Peters (25 February 1959 – 29 April 2025) – Singer for The Alarm, Jill Sobule (January 16, 1959 – May 1, 2025) – Singer-songwriter, and so, so many others.
When I was reviewing the list of musicians who had passed away in this first part of 2025, I noticed that there were a lot of drummers on this list. Regrettably, I can't do a day of tribute for each, but I did not want to leave them unmentioned. What I decided to do is just throw them all out there, in loving tribute, just to make sure that their work, their lives, and talent are recognized. Here's who we lost this year, so far:
Rick Buckler (6 December 1955 – 17 February 2025) – Drummer, The Jam
Gordon Henry "Snowy" Fleet (16 August 1939 – 17 February 2025) – Drummer, The Easybeats
Today we remember the lead singer of probably one of the most influential bands of the 20th century, who also had a fun and successful solo career, and was also a well known and well respected actor: David Johansen.
David Roger Johansen (January 9, 1950 – February 28, 2025) was born in the New York City borough of Staten Island, to a librarian mother, Helen (Cullen), and an insurance sales representative father, Gunvold Johansen, who had previously sung opera.
Johansen began his singing career in the late 1960s but it would be his work in the 1970s with the New York Dolls where Johansen would first come to prominence. Formed in 1971, the Dolls were a ragged blend of British Invasion melodies, hard rock swagger, and gender-bending glam, decked out in lipstick, platform boots, and leather. The lineup solidified around Johansen, guitarists Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain, bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane, and drummer Jerry Nolan.
Despite only releasing two albums in their original run—New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974)—the band laid the groundwork for what would soon become punk rock. Produced by Todd Rundgren, their debut album was a raw, ferocious, and utterly uncommercial record at the time, but its influence would later loom large over bands from the Sex Pistols to Guns N' Roses.
The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and the Dolls implosion, which started in 1975, was complete by 1977. Johansen, however, pivoted in an unexpected direction. In the 1980s, he reinvented himself as Buster Poindexter, a pompadoured, tuxedoed lounge lizard alter ego, complete with a cocktail in hand and a big band behind him. Trading in punk sneer for cabaret cool, Johansen-as-Poindexter embraced jump blues, calypso, and swing, dazzling audiences with wit and musical versatility.
His biggest hit under this persona was the 1987 novelty smash “Hot Hot Hot,” a party anthem originally written by Arrow, a calypso artist from Montserrat. Though Johansen would later call the song “the bane of my existence,” it made him a familiar face far beyond punk circles. As Buster Poindexter, he also became a regular presence on TV, notably as a guest on Saturday Night Live and even as a member of the house band for the show for a time.
Even with all that, where do you, dear reader, recognize David Johanson from? His most famous role remains the Ghost of Christmas Past in the 1988 holiday classic Scrooged, where he played a chain-smoking, wisecracking cab driver who ushers Bill Murray through time. Beyond Scrooged, though, his flamboyant charisma and quick wit translated easily into a successful film and television acting career, including cameos and supporting roles that leaned into his gritty NYC charm.
But, honestly, the legacy will always, and rightfully so, be about the Dolls.
New York Dolls bridged the gap between the Stooges’ raw power and the Sex Pistols’ anarchic fury. They were the missing link between the garage rock of the 1960s and the punk explosion that would follow. The Dolls showed that rock and roll could be simultaneously tough and feminine, primitive and sophisticated, trashy and transcendent. They proved that authenticity didn't require conformity to masculine rock stereotypes, paving the way for generations of artists to explore their own identities on stage.
They inspired generations of young bands, including The Ramones, The Clash, Guns N’ Roses, Morrissey, The Smiths, Hanoi Rocks, and even KISS. Johnny Thunders’ slashing guitar riffs became a blueprint for punk, while Johansen’s swaggering stage presence set the standard for frontmen like Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler.
Here's to the one who killed us softly, though she made one of the largest impacts of any musician or songwriter.
Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm radio format. She gave voice to quiet emotion, proving that the softest sound can leave the deepest impact.
Born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and raised in Arlington, Virginia, Flack showed musical promise early on. She studied classical piano at Howard University on a full scholarship at just 15, making her one of the youngest students to attend the university.
After college, she worked as a music teacher while performing in Washington, D.C. nightclubs. It was there that her intimate vocal style caught the attention of jazz musician Les McCann, who helped her land a record deal with Atlantic Records in 1969.
She released several critically acclaimed albums throughout the ’70s and early ’80s, including First Take, Chapter Two, Killing Me Softly, and collaborative albums with Donny Hathaway.
For me, it's the towering achievement of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", that really threw me up against a wall and forced me to pay attention. Originally written by Ewan MacColl as a folk song in 1957, Flack recorded it in 1969 for her debut album, First Take. At first, the song went largely unnoticed—until Clint Eastwood featured it in a love scene in his 1971 film Play Misty for Me.
Flack slowed down the tempo dramatically, drawing out each phrase to give it aching intimacy. Her minimal, piano-led arrangement and almost fragile delivery made it hauntingly beautiful. It turned a simple folk song into an emotional masterpiece about the overwhelming intensity of new love.
The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972, and won the Grammy for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1973. It became her signature hit and is widely regarded as one of the most romantic songs ever recorded.
Roberta Flack stands as a quiet revolutionary, she edefined what soul music could be, leaning on nuance and restraint rather than sheer vocal force. She helped bridge folk and soul, giving a new platform for introspective, poetic lyricism. And her work opened doors for artists like Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, and Lianne La Havas—singer-songwriters who blend jazz, soul, and pop with thoughtful lyrics and emotional depth.
Killing us softly, indeed. And we're all the better for it.
You may have heard about the Mother of Dragons, but today we're all about the Father of our Forever Favorite Dragon.
Peter Yarrow (May 31, 1938 – January 7, 2025) was born in Manhattan on May 31, 1938, graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1959, and was active in the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s.
While Peter Yarrow is a folk singer, songwriter, and activist in his own right, obviously he is best known as a member of the iconic 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, alongside Paul Stookey and Mary Travers. The group played a crucial role in popularizing folk music and became closely associated with the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s.
Yarrow was the group’s most prolific songwriter, contributing both original songs and arranging traditional material. One of his key contributions included “Puff, the Magic Dragon” – Co-written with Lenny Lipton - it became one of the group’s most beloved and iconic songs. Despite persistent rumors, it's not about drugs, but rather about the loss of childhood innocence.
After an incredible and influential run, the group initially disbanded in 1970 (they would later reunite frequently), Peter Yarrow pursued a modest solo career that combined music with activism. While he would never eclipse the group’s success, he remained an engaged and visible figure in both music and advocacy, staying faithful to his beliefs, and to his musical vision.
Peter, Paul and Mary's enduring legacy is one of musical idealism, where art met activism to gently challenge injustice, comfort the soul, and inspire a better world through harmony—both literal and figurative.
It's "In Memoriam" week on CSOTD. Today, it's all about Sly.
Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was a pioneering American musician, songwriter, and producer best known as the leader of the groundbreaking funk, soul, and psychedelic band Sly and the Family Stone. He helped invent and popularize funk music, while also reshaping the cultural and racial landscape of pop and rock in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Formed in San Francisco in 1966, Sly and the Family Stone was one of the first racially integrated, gender-integrated bands in popular music. The group combined elements of soul, rock, funk, and psychedelia—sometimes within the same song—and their sound was as socially conscious as it was danceable.
Sly and the Family Stone created some of the most iconic songs in music history, including "Everyday People" (1968), "Dance to the Music" (1968), "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1969), a funk masterpiece with one of the most sampled basslines ever, "I Want to Take You Higher" (1969) and "Family Affair" (1971) just to name a few.
Sly Stone’s influence spans generations and genres: Funk and Soul Artists like George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic took Sly’s psychedelic funk even further. Prince adopted his race-blind approach, genre fusion, and flamboyant persona. Rock Musicians like Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles took note of Sly’s rhythmic innovation and studio experimentation. Sly's grooves have been heavily sampled in hip-hop and R&B, especially by Public Enemy, Tupac, De La Soul, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and the entire neo-soul movement drew from his fusion of funk and social commentary.
Sly Stone’s music was revolutionary. He created the blueprint for modern funk, laid the groundwork for hip-hop and neo-soul, and broke barriers as a producer, performer, and cultural icon. His fusion of joy and protest, rhythm and rebellion, remains essential listening. Though his career was tragically cut short by personal struggles, his legacy endures—raw, brilliant, and deeply influential.
