"WHAT I'D SAY, PT. 1 & 2" RAY CHARLES (1959)

The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.

Year: 1959

For as long as music has been around, jam sessions have been around, too. That thing that brings musicians together – their love for music – and an openness to whatever may come of it. There’s a thrill in that. The night will be fun regardless. But on some occasions, the night can go down in history. Like the night this song was born. “What I’d Say” was a song born out of a late night improv jam session.

Ray Charles and his band finished their set and just kept on playing. And when they kept playing, “What I’d Say” is what came out, right there out on the stage. Over the course of eight minutes, “What I’d Say” defined soul music, won the adoration of music fans and managed to piss off quite a few as well. It combined electric piano with real piano and it turned the high hat into a central percussion element.

“WHEN YOU SEE ME IN MISERY, COME ON BABY, SEE ABOUT ME.”

"I USED TO LOVE HIM" LAURYN HILL FEAT. MARY J. BLIGE (1998)

The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.

Year: 1998

Lauryn Hill has one studio album to her credit, but it’s one for the ages. A hugely ambitious effort, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was a concept album and a personal memoir. It rewrote the rules and redefined genres like soul and hip hop. It had that rare quality of making your whole being move. Not just your body, but your mind and soul. There were enough songs to get two albums out of it. And one song deserves more credit than it gets. The second half kicks off with one of the greatest, most glorious breakup songs ever: “I Used to Love Him”.

The doo-wop influences are all over Miseducation, and especially apparent in the opening harmony on “I Used to Love Him”. It’s one of the most memorable and iconic musical moments on the album. But the highlight is the dual rant from Hill and Mary J. Blige. The breakups described in the lyrics weren’t debilitating, they were liberating. The more I listen to “I Used to Love Him” the more I come to a beautiful realization. That the song is less about breakups and more about reclaiming your identity.

“I CHOSE THE ROAD OF PASSION AND PAIN. SACRIFICED TOO MUCH. AND WAITED IN VAIN. GAVE UP MY POWER. CEASED BEING QUEEN.”

"PRIVATE DANCER" TINA TURNER (1984)

This month on Twitter, @sotachetan hosts #BrandedInSongs – which is a head-on collision of my personal world of music and my professional world of branding and advertising. The challenge is to simply pick a song with a brand name in its lyrics or title. I added one more criteria to my picks, which is this: the songs themselves must be as iconic as the brands they mention. No filler here.

The passing of Tina Turner is one of the heaviest losses in the music world that we’ve experienced during the last few years. There is nothing but respect, admiration and gratitude for the Queen of Rock & Roll. One of the most distinct voices on radio and one of the most dynamic performers on the stage. Musicians and fans alike revered her. An old girlfriend of mine even went as Tina Turner for Halloween once. She’s Asian. One of Tina’s songs I’ll always remember is “Private Dancer”.

Listening to the track for the first time in decades, I’m enthralled by Turner’s vocal range – going from those low sultry notes in the verses to hitting those high notes in the chorus with vigor and ferocity. The song was written by Mark Knopfler, but he decided it couldn’t be sung by a male – so Dire Straits took a pass. “Private Dancer” wasn’t written for Tina Turner, but somehow it seems just right for her vocals. Here’s to a great song. Here’s to a legend.

“Deutsche Marks or dollars, American Express will do nicely, thank you.”

"INTRO" LAURYN HILL (1998)

Great album openers get the listeners to keep on listening. They can do this in any number of ways. Some openers set the tone by easing us in. Others jump right in and blow our minds from the very beginning. A great album opener isn’t an easy thing to create. More than a great song, it’s all about the sequence. Track 1 has to be the perfect starter. This month, I’m highlighting my favorites. #AlbumOpeningSongs

Lauryn Hill wasn’t the first to rewrite the rules of concept albums. But The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was a huge step forward. It showed that a record could be just as effective of a vehicle for a story than a book or movie. The music on the album was phenomenal, but the storytelling was even more powerful. Miseducation was an album that could imagine in your head. Every time I listen to it, I can picture the classroom and the street corner with vivid detail. And Lauryn Hill made a powerful statement at the beginning, opting for an audio story approach rather than the traditional song format.

“Intro” is only 47 seconds long. It’s perhaps the least played track on the album. It contains no singing, no rapping, no melody. But it’s the track that sets the stage and holds the entire album together. “Intro” puts us inside a classroom at roll call. We hear the teacher calling out the students’ names one by one. One by one, they respond. But the child version of Lauryn Hill is missing. The teacher calls one, twice, three times. but no answer. This simple track makes the album title that much more poignant and lets us know from the outset it’s not just a catchy name. This entire album is one autobiographic story.

"WHAT'S GOING ON" MARVIN GAYE (1971)

I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #SeptSongLyricChallenge

Day 25

It goes down in history not just as one of the greatest protest songs of all time, but one of the greatest, period. It prompts many of the same problems, questions and emotions that we continue to struggle through today. Police brutality. Racism. War. These things haven’t left us. Gaye was calling our attention to themes that continue to surface – and the song gave us permission to ask the hard questions. The rare strength of “What’s Going On” is its unique ability to be timely and timeless at the same time.

“Father, father. We don't need to escalate. You see, war is not the answer. For only love can conquer hate. You know we've got to find a way to bring some lovin' here today.”

"SIR DUKE" STEVIE WONDER (1976)

I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #SeptSongLyricChallenge

Day 3
Hands down, “Sir Duke” is one of the most memorable musical tributes. Basie. Glenn Miller. Louis Armstrong. Ella. And, of course, Duke Ellington. Few songs celebrate music so admirably and unpretentiously. It’s pure love for the music. Pure love for the sounds that have shaped us. In many ways, it’s the same thing that drove me to start Mental Jukebox. This “hobby” of mine represents the collision of two loves of mine: music and words. Seemed like Stevie was doing the same thing in this classic.

“Music knows it is and always will be one of the things that life just won't quit. But here are some of music's pioneers that time will not allow us to forget. For there's Basie, Miller, Satchmo and the king of all: Sir Duke. And with a voice like Ella's ringing out, there's no way the band can lose.”

"SEPTEMBER" EARTH, WIND & FIRE (1978)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Music plays such an integral role at weddings. Yet, there’s so much bad wedding music out there. You’ve heard ‘em. You probably danced to them. “Macarena”, “Electric Slide”, “Kung Fu Fighting”. They’ve somehow become wedding classics. But we know there are the real classics that seem to get everyone onto the dance floor. That’s something Earth, Wind & Fire knows a thing or two about. How to get your butt up off the seat. Your spirits up in the air. Your cheesiest dance moves out there for the world to see. They know all this because of the song “September”.

This is the song that launched a million wedding dance floors. It’s universally loved. 8 years old or 80 years old, Single or married, Everyone can appreciate it. As far as disco falsetto vocals and horn arrangements go, it doesn’t get much better. Maurice White added the unforgettable “bah-dee-ya” refrain to the song, When one of his co-songwriters questioned the inclusion of that gibberish, she quickly learned not to let lyrics get in the way of groove. “Bah-dee-ya” just works. The moment “September” plays, you’re in the moment. Ready to celebrate. Ready to cut a rug. Ready to let loose. And, if you’re not, well maybe you should’ve just stayed home.

“Do you remember the 21st night of September? Love was changing the minds of pretenders while chasing the clouds away.”

"AS" STEVIE WONDER (1976)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Songs In The Key of Life is such an appropriate title for one of the most ambitious and extraordinary albums of the 70’s. Its 21-song track listing tackles all kinds themes, including love, childhood and social injustice. It varies tempos, from mid-tempo to ballad pacing to frenetic. And, most noticeably, it spans a wide range of genres, from pop to soul to R&B to jazz. It truly showcases Stevie Wonder’s versatility as a songwriter, arranger, performer and producer. It seems like an impossible task to single out one track from Songs In The Key Of Life. So maybe today I’ll go with “As” and revisit more of the album’s treasures in a future Mental Jukebox write-up.

“As” is not only the title of the song. It’s the first word of the song as well. It’s a musical manifesto of unconditional love. It’s not clear who’s the narrator and who’s the beloved – is this a statement between two lovers? Between the Creator and the creation? Between the artist and the audience? The interpretation doesn’t really matter. What does matter is the sheer audacity of this unconditional love in a world predicated on conditions. “As” is a reminder of not what was, but what could be. In the key of life, it’s that C note on the highest octave.

“Until we dream of life and life becomes a dream. Be loving you.”

"A CHANGE IS GONNA COME" OTIS REDDING (1965)

For the month of January, I’m selecting some of the most memorable and influential songs of the 60’s. While they all hail from the same decade, these are some of my favorite songs of any era. They remind me that the 60’s were so much more than just Woodstock and psychedelic rock. It was a flourishing period for blues, folk, progressive and straight-ahead rock. #31DaysOf60sSongs

Otis Blue is considered by many to be one of the greatest albums ever recorded. A deep exploration of Redding’s bluesy, soulful demeanor, he sang some of his originals (including “Respect” before Aretha Franklin made it a household tune) as well as iconic standards like “Satisfaction”, “Rock Me Baby”, “My Girl” and “Down in the Valley”. There are also a handful of songs from fellow blues legend Sam Cooke who died a few months before the album was released. One of those Cooke treasures is the beautiful blues ballad “A Change is Gonna Come”.

The recording itself is quite a monumental listen. Redding holds nothing back, singing with conviction driven likely by his ability to relate to Cooke’s story, which is the most powerful aspect of the song. “A Change Is Gonna Come” isn’t just a catchy song. It’s a statement and a rant on the sad state of where things were back then in terms of racial equality. What makes the song even more meaningful is that the change hasn’t fully arrived yet. The emotions are still raw and very real more than 50 years later.

“There been times that I thought I couldn't last for long. But now I think I'm able to carry on. It's been a long, a long time coming. But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will.”

"MY CHERIE AMOUR" STEVIE WONDER (1969)

For the month of January, I’m selecting some of the most memorable and influential songs of the 60’s. While they all hail from the same decade, these are some of my favorite songs of any era. They remind me that the 60’s were so much more than just Woodstock and psychedelic rock. It was a flourishing period for blues, folk, progressive and straight-ahead rock. #31DaysOf60sSongs

Every now and then, I think about the question: what makes great music great? There are probably a few different ways to answer that question, and they’re all equally valid responses. First and foremost, great music has to move you. Second, great music inspires us to do great things, everything from recording the next great soul album to being a great dad. Lastly, I think great music lasts for generations. The music of Stevie Wonder hits on all three of these descriptions across. several decades. My favorite Wonder albums are Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. But the 60’s title track from “My Cherie Amour” is absolutely irresistible.

On “My Cherie Amour”, it all comes together. We hear the best of Stevie Wonder’s abilities as a songwriter, arranger, performer and producer. The opening to the song is composed with orchestrated elements, but quickly slips into an easy listening vibe that uses string arrangements with soul and R&B tendencies. No one else was doing this at the time. As a song about an old lover, the ease in which “My Cherie Amour” melds various genres so naturally and smoothly is a marvel. I think it’s why it’s taken on a life of its own for so many decades. There’s something about “My Cherie Amour” that appeals to each of us.

“Maybe someday, you'll see my face among the crowd. Maybe someday, I'll share your little distant cloud.”

"EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING" LAURYN HILL (1998)

Each day in November, I’m revisiting a song from the 90’s — a decade that was a sorta coming of age for me. In that span, I experienced high school, college and my time as a young single guy in New York City. It was a decade of ups and downs, and the music never stopped playing during that span. It was always there with me. #30DaysOf90sSongs

I was never a big fan of hip hop, mainly because I find original instrumentation to be much more satisfying than sample dropping and beats. That said, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is probably one of my all-time favorite albums. As a concept album, it told a larger story that I could practically visualize in my head. This made the album much more appealing aside from having just individual standout tracks. Scenes of an inner city classroom danced in my head as one song blended into another. There isn’t a weak track on the album, but my favorite, by far, is “Everything is Everything”.

It’s hard to think of another song based on two chords that’s as gripping as this one. Those two simple chords formed an irresistible, unforgettable hook, forged by John Legend on piano and the Indigo Quartet on strings. It’s the heartbeat of the song, But what made “Everything is Everything” even more unique was the vocal performance. Lauryn Hill criss-crossed genres so seamlessly, going from R&B to hip hop to soul. Perhaps this is what makes The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill so appealing. It’s not simply a hip hop record, it’s so much more.

“I wrote these words for everyone who struggles in their youth, who won't accept deception, instead of what is truth.”

"I USED TO LOVE HIM" LAURYN HILL (1998)

For the second half of September, I’m putting my Mental Jukebox into a time machine, featuring the best songs on the best albums from the very best years of music. #70sThrough90sBestAlbum

Lauryn Hill has one studio album to her credit, but it’s one for the ages. A hugely ambitious effort, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was a concept album and a personal memoir. It rewrote the rules and redefined genres like soul and hip hop. It had that rare quality of making your whole being move. Not just your body, but your mind and soul. There were enough songs to get two albums out of it. And one song deserves more credit than it gets. The second half kicks off with one of the greatest, most glorious breakup songs ever: “I Used to Love Him”.

The doo-wop influences are all over Miseducation, and especially apparent in the opening harmony on “I Used to Love Him”. It’s one of the most memorable and iconic musical moments on the album. But the highlight is the dual rant from Hill and Mary J. Blige. The breakups described in the lyrics weren’t debilitating, they were liberating. The more I listen to “I Used to Love Him” the more I come to a beautiful realization. That the song is less about breakups and more about reclaiming your identity.

“I chose the road of passion and pain. Sacrificed too much. And waited in vain. Gave up my power. Ceased being queen.”

"1999" PRINCE (1982)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

Prince is one of those artists that’s more impressive to me in retrospect. Looking back, it is simply mindblowing how much ground he covered musically. He ruled in so many different genres, from synth pop to funk to rock to R&B. And, in many cases, he was a pioneer, being the first to do many music firsts. “1999” is one such song, pushing the lyrical boundaries of pop and paving the way for the Minneapolis sound.

This was a song that I heard and viewed constantly on MTV. The video simply didn’t give it justice because it only reinforced the fact the musicians wanted to “party like it’s 1999”. But the impressive thing about this early hit was that it was a protest against nuclear proliferation. It was a politically charged piece, but people saw it as a party song. On the entire 1999 album, Prince played almost all of the instrumental tracks — and his synth work on the title track was especially impressive on two fronts. First, it sounded like nothing else out there. Second, it helped create a divergent synth pop path away from new wave and into a new genre that bared Prince’s hometown name: the Minneapolis sound.

“War is all around us. My mind says prepare to fight. So if I gotta die I'm gonna listen to my body tonight.”

"OVERJOYED" STEVIE WONDER (1985)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

Ballads, in general, often get a bad rep for a few reasons. They frequently possess really corny lyrics, are driven by contrived melodies and leave much to be desired instrumentally. Which is why “Overjoyed”, in contrast, is a treasure. For decades, this song has flown a bit under the radar. It’s not the first, second, third or fourth song you think of when you’re asked to name one of the best 80’s ballads. But maybe it should be.

It doesn’t take a musical genius to see that Stevie wrote an ambitious melody. But what’s less obvious for the casual fan is how unusual it was to use the chords that he did. “Overjoyed” is written mostly in E flat, moves up a step, then another half step and then back down to E flat. And in true Stevie Wonder fashion, it feels effortless. His ambition keeps up on the instrumental side as well. Just beyond the synthesizer and stringed arrangement sits what are collectively referred to as environmental percussion elements in the liner notes, including crickets, birds, ocean waves and crushing leaves.

“I've gone much too far for you now to say that I've got to throw my castle away.”

"LIVING FOR THE CITY" STEVIE WONDER (1973)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

I can’t think of another music artist in all of history that intermingled different genres better than Stevie Wonder. The thing that often occurs when artists attempt to fuse disparate styles is a sense of disjointedness. But that’s never been the case with Stevie’s music. All of his multi-genre compositions are highlighted by a sense of cohesion and unity. I love the Innervisions album because this was the recording where Stevie’s crossover tendencies were at their height. And “Living For the City” is my favorite example.

It starts with funk. Then it slides into R&B with a side of soul and a sprinkle of rock. As if that wasn’t ambitious enough, “Living For the City” then slips into a momentary jazz exploration before getting back into its funk grooves. Just before the song ends, Stevie crosses over one more time with a gospel choir-inspired harmony. While “Living For the City” chronicled the story of a Mississippi boy’s journey to New York City, the musical styles cleverly reflect back the city’s rich and diverse soundscape.

“This place is cruel, nowhere could be much colder. If we don't change, the world will soon be over. Living just enough, stop giving just enough for the city.”

"WE CAN WORK IT OUT" STEVIE WONDER (1970)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

By 1970, Wonder was already ten studio albums in. Signed, Sealed and Delivered had a mix of originals and covers, demonstrating Stevie Wonder’s versatility as a co-writer and an arranger. Few artists have demonstrated the level of craft in arranging other people’s songs that he has achieved for more than half of a century. In his cover of The Beatles’ “We Can Work it Out” I’m reminded that aside from the melody and the lyrics, Stevie always saw everything else as fair game.

Deconstructing this cover, it’s easy to understand why this is considered a masterpiece in its own right. It’s not just another version. Stevie reimagined the song from the get go, inserting a soulful, driving guitar riff for the first 8 seconds. It’s a far better intro than the original. But the best thing about the recording is the complexity of the arrangement, using horns, backing vocals and more three part harmonies to add vigor and life to this Beatles classic.

“Try to see things my way. Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on while you see it your way. Run the risk of knowing that our love may soon be gone.”

"WOULD I LIE TO YOU?" EURYTHMICS (1985)

For Women’s History Month, I’m selecting some of my favorite songs from some of the most talented and influential women in music. From frontwomen to singer-songwriters to iconic performers, I’m picking one song a day on Mental Jukebox until the end of March.

Rock and blues have intermingled throughout music history. But there are few songs that did it better than “Would I Lie to You?”. It was a significant departure for a band that relied heavily on synths. This was the Eurythmics’ coming out party, featuring meaty guitar riffs, sax flourishes and a powerful bluesy vocal delivery. It showcased David Stewart’s newfound love of R&B and Annie Lennox’s impressive vocal versatility together on one record.

“I've packed my bags. I've cleaned the floor. Watch me walkin'. Walkin' out the door.”

"EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING" LAURYN HILL (1998)

For Women’s History Month, I’m selecting some of my favorite songs from some of the most talented and influential women in music. From frontwomen to singer-songwriters to iconic performers, I’m picking one song a day on Mental Jukebox until the end of March.

“Everything is Everything” is a towering bridge spanning the musical landscape. It bridges the seminal work of the Fugees with the new, defining sound and themes of Lauryn Hill. It bridges multiple genres, from R&B to soul to hip hop. It also bridges us into the next decade with an early peek into John Legend, who played piano on the track as a 19 year old. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was a reeducation of what music can be. And “Everything is Everything” led the way.

“Now hear this mixture, where Hip Hop meets scripture. Develop a negative into a positive picture.”

"SON OF A PREACHER MAN" ARETHA FRANKLIN (1970)

For Women’s History Month, I’m selecting some of my favorite songs from some of the most talented and influential women in music. From frontwomen to singer-songwriters to iconic performers, I’m picking one song a day on Mental Jukebox until the end of March.

Let’s kick things off with Aretha. The queen of soul gave us literally hundreds of memorable recordings, and her rendition of “Son of a Preacher Man” is one of my favorites. She didn’t write it, but it was written with her in mind. “Preacher Man” played perfectly to her vocal range and soulful swagger. Not to take anything away from Dusty Springfield’s version, but Aretha sung it like she lived it.

“Being good isn't always easy, no matter how hard I try.”

"WHAT I'D SAY, PT. 1 & 2" RAY CHARLES (1959)

This was a song born out of a late night improv jam session. Ray Charles and his band finished their set and just kept on playing. And when they kept playing, “What' I’d Say” is what came out, right there out on the stage. Over the course of eight minutes, “What I’d Say” defined soul music, won the adoration of music fans and managed to piss off quite a few as well. It combined electric piano with real piano and it turned the high hat into a central percussion element.

“When you see me in misery, come on baby, see about me.”