Song of the Day: Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones and Merry Clayton


Today, we continue to celebrate the birthday of Martin Scorsese with a song that has appeared in countless Scorsese films!  When Scorsese made his Rolling Stone documentary, nonetheless than Mick Jagger commented on how odd it was that this was the first Scorsese film to not feature Gimme Shelter.

From the Rolling Stones and Merry Clayton, here is today’s song of the day.

Song of the Day: Cliffs of Dover (by Eric Johnson)


Eric Johnson’s “Cliffs of Dover” is a bright and lively piece that grabs your attention from the beginning. The guitar work is smooth and confident, combining clear melodies with quick, well-executed runs. It feels like Johnson is having fun exploring different sounds, and that sense of ease makes the song enjoyable to listen to whether you’re a musician or not.

What really stands out is the tone of the guitar—clean, crisp, and well-balanced. Johnson shows great control, shifting between fast passages and slower, more expressive bends without losing the smooth flow of the music. The main solo starts about 2 minutes and 45 seconds in, and this is where the balance of technical skill and musicality comes through most clearly.

The track manages to be both intricate and accessible, with memorable themes that stick in your head after just one listen. Its upbeat and positive vibe has helped it remain popular over the years, earning respect from guitar players and fans alike. It strikes a nice balance between being impressive and inviting, which is part of why it’s still well-regarded today.

Great Guitar Solos Series

Song of the Day: Over The Top by Kenny Loggins


Since today’s scene came from Over the Top, it seems only appropriate that today’s scene should come from it as well.

In a lifetime
Made of memories
I believe
In destiny

Every moment returns again in time
When I’ve got the future on my mind
Know that you’ll be the only one

Meet me halfway
Across the sky
Out where the world belongs
To only you and I

Meet me halfway
Across the sky
Make this a new beginning of another life.

In a lifetime
There is only love
Reaching for the lonely one

We are stronger when we are given love
When we put emotions on the line
Know that we are the timeless ones

Meet me halfway
Across the sky
Out where the world belongs
To only you and I

Meet me halfway
Across the sky
Make this a new beginning of another life.

[Instrumental interlude]

Meet me halfway
Across the sky
Out where the world belongs
To only you and I

Meet me halfway
Across the sky
Make this a new beginning of another life.

Song of the Day: Information High (by Yoko Kanno)


“Information High,” by Yoko Kanno for Macross Plus, is a track that’s as electrifying as it is fitting for the anime’s sleek, futuristic vibe. From the moment it kicks in, you get caught up in its propulsive beat and layered electronic sounds that perfectly capture the sense of speed and technological buzz that define the series. It doesn’t just sit in the background but actively drives the energy forward, mirroring the fast-paced aerial dogfights and the intense emotions swirling underneath the sci-fi setting. There’s a hypnotic quality to it — like the perfect soundtrack for a world where human experience and digital overload collide.

What really strikes about “Information High” is how it balances mechanical precision with a playful, almost funky undertone. It’s not simply cold or robotic; Kanno brings in just enough warmth and groove to humanize the electronic pulse, making the song feel alive and vibrant rather than sterile. This duality works beautifully with Macross Plus’s themes—characters caught between their human desires and the artificial worlds they navigate. The track feels like a bridge between those realities, capturing both the exhilaration and the subtle unease of living in an over-connected, data-saturated future.

Beyond its role as a background piece, “Information High” stands on its own as a distinctive expression of Kanno’s genius. It’s got that catchy, infectious energy that sticks with you, yet never feels repetitive or shallow. It’s clear that Kanno tailored this song to complement not just the visuals but the emotional currents of the show, subtly enhancing moments without overpowering them. For anyone familiar with Kanno’s work, this track is a perfect example of her skill in blending genres and moods into a cohesive whole that elevates the experience of the anime itself.

Information High

You know how to get eternal life
In the center of the lightning-speed waltz
Feel your soul cut by a rusty knife
As you head down for the self-destructive edge

Our satori is just floating in the core
Where we can spiritually go through the door
We’ll know how to get eternal life
While we catch the pulse from unknown satellites

If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we are really free
To fly high
In space

We know how to get eternal high
In the center of the lightning-speed waltz
See our soul struggling to survive
As we head down for the self-destructive edge

Sayonara to intrusive noise
No more childish play and no more toys
We know how to get eternal life
While we feel and sense mother nature’s strong might

If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we are really free
To fly high
In space

If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we’ll feel the info high
If we get the transient facts
Then we are really free
To fly high
In space

Song of the Day: Paint It Black (The Rolling Stones)


You ever notice how “Paint It Black” doesn’t really start so much as it unfolds—that strange sitar riff creeping in like a bad dream you can’t quite shake? The Stones captured something that feels less like heartbreak and more like a total emotional blackout. The sound is restless, paranoid even, like someone pacing around inside their own thoughts at 3 a.m. That’s what makes it such a sharp symbol of depression: it’s not just sadness, it’s this all-consuming fog where color, joy, and even meaning itself disappear.

The thing that always strikes me is how the song turns that private darkness into a worldview. The singer doesn’t only feel grief—he wants the whole world to match how he feels inside. That line between self and everything else completely breaks down. You can hear it in the drumming, that pounding rhythm chasing itself in circles, or the sitar’s looping melody that never resolves. It’s like he’s trapped in motion, unable to stop thinking or feeling, stuck in a spiral that makes sense only to him. It’s haunting because it sounds familiar to anyone who’s been that low.

And that’s why, even decades later, “Paint It Black” still feels so alive—so uncomfortably modern. Underneath the 60s cool, it taps into that quiet nihilism a lot of people still wrestle with today: the idea that maybe there’s nothing left worth looking at, so you might as well black it all out. But there’s something cathartic in that honesty. The song doesn’t try to fix anything or offer redemption; it just sits in the darkness. And sometimes, that’s what makes it hit harder than any happy ending could.

Paint It Black

I see a red door
And I want it painted black
No colors anymore
I want them to turn black

I see the girls walk by
Dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head
Until my darkness goes

I see a line of cars
And they’re all painted black
With flowers and my love
Both never to come back

I’ve seen people turn their heads
And quickly look away
Like a newborn baby
It just happens everyday

I look inside myself
And see my heart is black
I see my red door
I must have it painted black

Maybe then, I’ll fade away
And not have to face the facts
It’s not easy facing up
When your whole world is black

No more will my green sea
Go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing
Happening to you

If I look hard enough
Into the setting sun
My love will laugh with me
Before the morning comes

I see a red door
And I want it painted black
No colors anymore
I want them to turn black

I see the girls walk by
Dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head
Until my darkness goes

I wanna see it painted
Painted black
Black as night
Black as coal
I wanna see the sun
Blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted
Painted black, yeah

Song of the Day: El Chacal by Ola Fresca


There’s always been something very annoying about the cult surrounding Che Guevara.  Because his face looked good on a poster and his execution was probably carried out by the CIA, a lot of people have deified a shallow-minded rich kid whose main accomplishment was executing several of his fellow countrymen and then totally failing in his attempts to overthrow the government of Bolivia.

Thankfully, there’s a song that tells the truth.  From Ola Fresca, here is El Chacal.