Happy new year, recommenders. Some good date-related stuff over the Christmas break. I think I touched on most of the big ones, in the text if not the playlist. Loved but couldn't find space for: Josh Rouse's 1972, the Connells' 74-75 and Funkadelic's Friday Night August 14th. I've always found the Four Seasons' December 1963 (Oh, What a Night) inexplicably annoying. Weird choice of date, too. The ink's barely dry on JFK's death certificate and there's the young Frankie Valli whooping it up like nothing's happened.
This week is all about character song - things like Arnold Layne or My Perfect Cousin, both of which we've already had. The song doesn't have to be named after the character - in fact the character doesn't even need a name (think Blur's Country House) - but it must be of the songwriter's invention, so no real-life ones or pre-existing fictional creations. And the character should be more than just a name. Blondie's Denis or the Rolling Stones' Angie never really come to life. Don't fret too much about what does or doesn't qualify though - that's my job.
The archive of all things Readers recommendy can be found here. Deadline is midday on Monday.
