
Track 4: Words and Music
I recently had a landmark birthday. Which landmark is not particularly germane to this conversation. For this particular landmark...

The 100 Greatest Songs of the Rock Era: #85: Fall on Me
Lyrics R.E.M. from Life’s Rich Pageant (1986) “You’ve had a disproportionate number of message songs on this list so far. Is that a...

The 100 Greatest Songs of the Rock Era: #88: Superstition
Lyrics Stevie Wonder from Talking Book (1972) “Do you think there’s any rock superstar with more range than Stevie Wonder?” Peggy said....

The 100 Greatest Songs of the Rock Era: #90: Beast of Burden
Lyrics The Rolling Stones from Some Girls (1978) “Well, so much for the romance,” Peggy said. “Hey, we talked about how hard it is to get...

The 100 Greatest Songs of the Rock Era: #91: You and I
Lyrics Stevie Wonder from Talking Book (1972) “Do you know this is the first truly romantic song on your list?” Peggy said. “You don’t...

The 100 Greatest Songs of the Rock Era: #92: Won't Get Fooled Again
Lyrics The Who from Who’s Next (1971) “The CSI:Miami theme song made your top 100 list?” Peggy said. I laughed. “You know, I’ll bet there...

The 100 Greatest Songs of the Rock Era: #93: Dear Mr. Fantasy
Lyrics Traffic from Mr. Fantasy (1967) “Steve Winwood: top-five rock voice ever?” Peggy said. “Not counting R&B singers? Yeah, I wouldn’t...

The 100 Greatest Songs of the Rock Era: #97: Stairway to Heaven
Lyrics Led Zeppelin from Led Zeppelin IV (1971) “Masses of teenage boys from the seventies are en route to picket your house because of...

The 100 Greatest Songs of the Rock Era: #98: Yesterday
Lyrics The Beatles (well, at least one of them and George Martin) from Help! (1965) “How do you think Paul McCartney feels when he sings...

The 100 Greatest Songs of the Rock Era: #99: Whole Lotta Love
Lyrics From Led Zeppelin II (1969) “Ah, another message song,” Peggy said. Again, no “Hello.” Did Peggy greet all callers like this now?...