One of the staples of my teenage radio-listening days was Dave Herman’s “Old, New, Borrowed and Blue” program on WNEW in New York City. Those sets exposed me to a lot of great music from the cultural backwaters. As for the conceptual framework, for over thirty years now I've thought it was Dave Herman’s creation! I just learned the other day it's actually a centuries-old guide to what a bride should wear on her wedding day. Who knew? It certainly didn’t come up at my wedding. Anyway, here’s the latest post featuring old, new, borrowed and blue tunes, this time, in honor of Mother’s Day, with all female vocalists.
The old tune is Betty Wright’s “Clean Up Woman” from 1971. It may not be the most appropriate track for Mother’s Day given its screed against women who “steal” otherwise spoken-for men (curiously, no blame is laid at the man’s door — I guess those were different times), but it's a funky little song that will get you up and moving, and, perhaps, your blood boiling.
The new tune is “Kokaine Karolina” by Elle King from her debut album Love Stuff released this past February. I’d keep an ear out for her. She’s got an old soul.
[Fans of Saturday Night Live may be interested to know that she is Rob Schneider’s daughter — but there's nothing funny about her music].
The borrowed tune is Susan Tedeschi’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Protect My Child.” I've always liked this version — so much so that it has secured a place on my Mother’s Day Playlist.
The blue tune is Janis Joplin’s “Little Girl Blue.” This is my go-to Janis tune for when I need a bolt of her electricity coursing through me (which is often). I came across this video of her performing it in 1969 on Tom Jones’ show. She appears to be lip-synching, but who cares — it's still electrifying. “Little Girl Blue” can also be found on my Mother’s Day Playlist.