recycled mews

piggy - nine inch nails

let’s save tony orlando’s house - yo la tengo

animal farm - the kinks

who cares? - gnarls barkley

musichistory:

“Mule Skinner Blues” by Dolly Parton [1970]

Random Music History Song of the Day

Until 1970, Dolly Parton’s career in country music looked to be average at best. She had songwriting talent from the beginning, but despite the popularity of her duets with Porter Wagoner (five had reached the US Country Top 10 from 1967 to ‘69), Parton’s solo releases barely dented the chart. In fact, after her first few moderate hits in 1967, successive releases charted successively worse through the end of the decade. That is, until she released a cover version of the Jimmie Rodgers country standard “Mule Skinner Blues” in 1970.

Rodgers wrote the song as one of his “Blue Yodels” - No. 8 to be exact - and first recorded it in 1930. Dolly Parton’s version forty years later peaked at #3 on the US Country chart. The song carried RCA Record’s release of her first “best of” compilation, released the same year, and set Parton up for the success that followed with “Joshua” (the song and the album). Also helping Parton get noticed: 40 double-Ds.

beach baby - bon iver