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Andy Sullivan: Against the Grain

There are certain phrases I’m too old to know.  If you ever want to feel old, just hop on TikTok for a bit.  There was one phrase I ran across the other day, I think it was one of Kelsea Ballerini’s TikTok’s.  The phrase was “she understood the assignment”.  Excuse me, what?

I googled the phrase.  How else are you supposed to figure out something on the internet that you don’t know? Apparently, there is an artist named Tay Money (not Taylor Swift’s new nickname-because she has a lot of money) who has a song called “The Assignment” that was released in September of this year.  The phrase is used by people trying to show off their individual skills or assets(www.knowyourmeme.com 

Here’s something else I didn’t know.  Martin Scorsese had severe asthma as a child.  He spent most of his time at home and in his local movie theatre.  That began his love of movies and what started him on the road to being one of the biggest directors, producers and screenwriters in Hollywood.  I learned that from Steven Van Zandt’s radio show on Little Steven’s Underground Garage.

This one is beyond belief, but it is true.  Bob Dylan won a Nobel Prize in literature in 2016, but April 8, 2020, marked a new accomplishment: his first #1 hit.  According to Billboard, Dylan’s song “Murder Most Foul” has topped its Rock Digital Song Sales chart, giving Dylan his first #1 under his own name on any chart.

Dylan surprise-released the 17 minute “Murder Most Foul”, which addresses the assassination of JFK, on March 27.  According to Neilson data, it sold 10,000 downloads between its release and April 2.  The song was his first new music since his 2012 album Tempest.  As Billboard points out, others have had #1’s with songs Dylan wrote: Peter, Paul and Mary “Blowin’ In The Wind (1963), and the Byrds in 1965 with “Mr. Tambourine Man.  His highest charting singles previously were a handful of #2 singles: “Like A Rolling Stone” and “Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35” reached #2 on the Hot 100 in 1965 and 1966 respectively and “Things Have Changed” rose to #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 2000. (www.pitchfork.com)  “American Pie” lasted 8:42.   That record length was eclipsed by the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift.  Dylan still holds the record of song length, though. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this random trip through new-school internet facts and interesting song facts.

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