I enjoyed the article in yesterday’s Press-Register from Sebastian Kitchen about the “group of lawmakers singing and playing country, rock and bluegrass music at the Goat Hill Tavern” on Wednesday nights.
Being that it is a bi-partisan group, I wondered what blue or red songs they might include in their playlist.
So here you go…
Top Ten Red and Blue Songs
10. “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” - Back when pop radio played country songs, this Crystal Gayle song went to #1 on the country chart and #2 on the pop chart.
9. “Little Red Corvette” - This song was a first introduction to Prince for many.
8. “Red Headed Stranger” - Title track of Willie Nelson’s multi-platinum blockbuster album which also has the list-appropriate “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.”
7. “Blue Moon” - The Rodgers and Hart ballad is probably known more widely as a doo-wop ballad by the Marcels.
6. “Blue Bayou” - The Roy Orbison original and the Linda Ronstadt cover are both terrific.
5. “99 Red Balloons” - No doubt the catchiest song ever written about the Cold War. The song was a hit for Nena in its original German and later in English.
4. “Blue Suede Shoes” - Sun Records’ 1st million-seller was a chart-topper for Carl Perkins. Many remember it for Elvis Presley’s later version.
3. “Red Red Wine” - Neil Diamond’s song is probably remembered more for the reggae version recorded by UB40. The B-side of Diamond’s original was a cover of the list-appropriate “Red Rubber Ball,” a personal favorite co-written by Paul Simon for The Cyrkle.
2. “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” - The follow-up to “Wooly Bully” for Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
1. “Devil with the Blue Dress On” - The most famous version is the medley with “Good Golly Miss Molly” recorded by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.
Honorable Mention by Category:
Wardrobe - “Lady in Red” and “(She Wore) Blue Velvet”
Christmas - “Blue Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Neil Diamond (again) - “Song Sung Blue” and “Forever in Blue Jeans”
Miscellaneous - “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron” (a personal favorite), “Mr. Blue Sky,” “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion” and “Bluer than Blue.”
Share This
I’ve seen unusual things in my life. But this video of the Finnish rock band the Leningrad Cowboys singing “Sweet Home Alabama” with the Soviet Red Army choir may take the prize.
Great fun here, though your mileage may vary.
Hat tip to Tim Lennox OFFair and ONline
Share This
An 1888 photo of Tuscumbia native Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan has been discovered.
Researchers have uncovered a rare photograph of a young Helen Keller with her teacher Anne Sullivan, nearly 120 years after it was taken on Cape Cod. The photograph, shot in July 1888 in Brewster, shows an 8-year-old Helen sitting outside in a light-colored dress, holding Sullivan’s hand and cradling one of her beloved dolls.
Good article and a sharp photograph (a larger version is available at the story link).
Share This
No matter what search term you put into Google News, it returns no results. Search for Bush, Riley, Gore, Tuberville, Saban, what have you. No results. It also is showing no “Top Stories” here either.
It has been like that for a while. This is going to be a pretty interesting story. Except we won’t find it on Google News. For now anyway.
Update: It is now showing Top Stories. Still no search results.
Later Update: Within a couple of hours, it seems to be working as expected. Others noticed the problem, for example, here and here.
Share This
Glad to see our old friend Wheeler back in the blogosphere. He is no longer in Alabama or blogging at the Alablawg. You can find his new home and his new blog in northwest Lousiana.
Even from a distance it’s nice to have him back.
Share This
Sure, it’s way off topic… but how many times are you going to see a story about a Marilyn Monroe impersonator filing a complaint against a guy in a Chewbacca suit? After an earlier incident between them (or perhaps involving some other Wookiee) at the premiere of the new Harry Potter movie?
That’s a convergence of pop culture that you just don’t get every day.
Chewbacca, whose real name was not available, fled before police arrived.
Share This
Crossed my radar screen of late…
- A Birmingham man is not leaving his home until he counts to a million. Live on the internet. Watch him here. Read a little about it here or here. I find it odd and interesting. Enough even that I have considered buying an ad on his bathroom door.
- Today is the last day you can take a survey to help a doctoral student in media and public affairs at LSU in Baton Rouge who is researching the impact of blogs on state politics around the country. If you haven’t already, take a few minutes and help her out.
- Scott Walker of The Birmingham News rigged an old newspaper box to deliver headlines every morning to his living room. (See the picture.) Pretty nifty.
- Dan’s clever idea, Dan PAC, has garnered good press around the state. Here’s a good roundup at Between the Links.
- I am sorry that Wheeler at Alablawg has left the state but am glad to see that he plans to keep his blog going in some form or fashion. We’ll miss having him in Alabama. Here are some things he’ll miss.
- The Politics in Alabama blog is closed for renovation. Jeff says there will be a re-launch with a new design and format. You can keep up with him at his personal blog.
- Two new Alabama blogs have popped up that are political-ish: Mama’s Apple Pie and Legal Schnauzer.
Share This
Emily Metzgar, a doctoral student in media and public affairs at LSU in Baton Rouge is researching the impact of blogs on state politics around the country.
She has an online survey for bloggers and blog readers that will be available through June 30. Help her out and take a few minutes to complete the survey online.
You can read a brief profile of her research, and this blog tracks her research as it progresses.
Share This
Memorial Day Weekend is an unofficial start to summer, and many Alabamians will be beach-bound.
You might call it the Redneck Riviera, but USA Today last week called it one of “Five hidden, affordable beach destinations.” Included on the list with East Hawaii, California’s San Mateo County and others is Alabama’s own Gulf Shores.
“Gulf Shores is a bit of Florida mixed with southern charm and hospitality,” says writer Andrew Der, who visited the area in 2005. “It rivals any Florida destination I’ve seen, but without the expense or the crowds.”
…
Going out to sample some of the local cuisine, fresh seafood with a southern flair, is a must. “Gulf Shores is known for some of the best seafood in the country—you should not eat anything else while there,” says Der.
Share This
According to a blurb on TV this weekend (ok, it was an old episode of Pop-Up Video), Americans on average watch 1700 hours of television in a year. I thought, that’s almost four hours a day, could that be right?
Then that evening, I read in Time magazine in an excerpt from Al Gore’s new book that “Americans now watch television an average of 4 hours and 35 minutes every day — 90 minutes more than the world average.”
Maybe many readers here watch that much TV or more, but I was stunned by that figure. Does that seem really high to you? As an average? No wonder it’s hard to get people to engage in issues.
Here is a link to an AP story from the fall that reports Nielsen Media Research’s finding that “the average person watches four hours, 35 minutes of television each day.”
Share This
Congratulations to The Birmingham News who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize today.
The Birmingham News won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting Monday for Brett Blackledge’s exposure of corruption in the state’s two-year college system, which led to the ouster of the chancellor and an ongoing criminal investigation.
Alabamians are reaping the benefit of Blackledge’s solid and ongoing work.
According to the Pulitzer web site, the nomination was moved from the Public Service category to the Investigative Reporting category. The Seattle Times had two stories nominated in that category, and The Hartford Courant had a story nominated.
Hats off to Blackledge and The News.
Update: The Birmingham News site has a piece online with links to Blackledge’s articles that comprised the Pulitzer Prize entry.
Share This
Related Articles:
Today’s nice thought from Tim O’Reilly: “Free speech is enhanced by civility.”
Share This
Red State Diaries tells us… Editor & Publisher has an unofficial list showing The Birmingham News as a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
According to E&P, the News is a finalist, along with The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, in the category of Public Service for its reporting on corruption in the community college system.
Share This
We don’t focus on the national scene so much here in the Parlor, but this is no small story. Or two stories.
First, from AP
Citing Iranian involvement with Iraqi militias and Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the Bush administration has shifted to offense in its confrontation with Iran — building up the U.S. military in the Persian Gulf and promising more aggressive moves against Iranian operatives in
Iraq and Lebanon.
The behind-the-scenes struggle between the two nations could explode into open warfare over a single misstep, analysts and U.S. military officials warn.
This story alone was worth attention here. Then I saw this next story which is not directly related, yet it’s not entirely unrelated…
Also from yesterday, Reuters passed along this from the Pentagon.
A lack of armored vehicles, weapons and other equipment is hampering missions of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon’s watchdog agency said in a survey released on Tuesday.
Equipment shortages have been a near-constant issue since the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003…
… a Department of Defense spokesman said officials would work on the issues raised by the survey.
Share This
(R) Jeff Sessions (1-19)
(D) Vivian Figures (33-1)
(D) Artur Davis (1-49)
(R) Mike Hubbard (13-1)
(?) David Bronner (OFF)