The catalog of Prince music returned to streaming services yesterday, coinciding with a tribute performance of this song by Bruno Mars (and the Time) at the Grammys. Ten months ago, when the world learned of his death, this song was the first one to jump to my mind. There are others of his hits that tug at my heart, as well as so many sexy, flirty, fun songs, but of course the gospel invocation at the beginning of "Let's Go Crazy" also serves as a beautiful eulogy.
Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
I'm not really a fan of Lady Gaga in her most recent versions of herself. But I have to admit The Fame Monster (Deluxe) is full of hits I can listen to on a loop. Was going to post "Alejandro" in honor of our trip to Puerto Vallarta this weekend, but then I was like "Nah, that's not my favorite track off the album"... deciding which *is* was tricky, though. Eventually went with "Bad Romance" because the topic reminds of one of my all-time favorite songs: "Strangelove" by Depeche Mode (especially this remix).
Maroon 5 (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - Don't Wanna Know
I'm generally a sucker for Adam Levine's falsetto-rich pop songs, but it's been a little while since there's been one that I could stand all three minutes of. Bonus: the very silly video has cameos by Sarah Silverman and several other famous actors. (Vince Vaughn at the end!)