As the final days of summer approach, Luke Bryan ends the season with his 27th #1, “Waves,” topping the chart for the second week in a row. Once again, it’s a song like “Roller Coaster” and “One Margarita” that’s perfect for warm weather.
“I always love to have a big summer song out there,” Luke reflects, “and ‘Waves’ certainly really checks a lot of those boxes, and talks about the love of summer and being at the beach.”
“But the main thing is vocally, I loved doing something different like that,” he adds. “And production-wise, I just thought it was a new sound for me.”
While Luke may love to stretch his wings, he warns that fans shouldn’t worry: he’s always coming back to his country roots.
“As long as I can kinda teeter back and forth between a song like ‘Waves,'” he explains, “and then have songs that have more country sounds, too…I mean, all these songs kinda, they move back and forth within a framework of what I try to do. And I think potentially my next single may be something pretty, pretty country,” he hints.
“Waves” is Luke’s fifth #1 from his Born Here Live Here Die Here album. So far, he hasn’t revealed whether his next release will be another track from that record.
Fifty years ago today, on September 9, 1971, the late John Lennon released his classic second solo album, Imagine, which featured his enduring peace anthem of the same name.
Imagine was Lennon’s first solo effort to top the Billboard 200 chart, and it’s gone on to sell more than 2 million copies in the U.S.
Imagine‘s centerpiece, of course, was the title track, which was the only single released from the album. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Imagine” includes lyrics urging people to envision a peaceful world without possessions, without countries that separate us and without religion. Before his death in 1980, Lennon credited his wife, Yoko Ono, with much of song’s lyrical ideas and content.
Other memorable songs featured on the album include “Jealous Guy,” “Gimme Some Truth,” “How Do You Sleep?” and “Oh Yoko!” Lennon wrote “How Do You Sleep?” as a vitriolic response to Paul McCartney‘s then-recent musical and media digs at John and Yoko.
Among the well-known musicians who contributed to Imagine were George Harrison; lauded session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins; bassist Klaus Voormann; drummers Alan White, Jim Keltner and Jim Gordon; and Badfinger members Tom Evans and Joey Molland. Lennon and Ono co-produced the record with Phil Spector.
Of course, hundreds of artists have recorded and performed “Imagine” over the years. Just a few examples: The song was performed as part of the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and at the opening ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, and this year’s 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Visit JohnLennon.com to find out about the various events planned to commemorate the anniversary.
Meanwhile, in the lead-up to the milestone anniversary, a few famous artists discussed their admiration for Imagine and its title track:
John Fogerty: “[Lennon] stated a philosophy in ‘Imagine’ that’s one of those wonderful times where…it’s a really great song, but it’s also got a really great message, you know…The concept of having no borders and everybody is one and that there are many dreamers. And just a completely compelling melody…Yeah, that was a wonderful record, certainly.”
Heart‘s Ann Wilson: “‘Imagine’ [turned] out to be one of the most beloved standards of our culture…I mean, it’s just been done and redone and believed in. What an amazing mantra. And actually, it turns out that…those were Yoko’s words…I think that song probably was the real fruit of [John and Yoko’s] union, creatively.”
Heart’s Nancy Wilson: “The Imagine album was so intimate, more intimate than any Beatles album…would have been able to be, ’cause you would have had a George song, and maybe Ringo song, and Paul and John trading and…doing their Paul and John thing together. But, I think John…was going through a catharsis, like as a human, having been let out of the Beatle pen…and being able to do his own thing with the new love of his life.”
Pop-country great B.J. Thomas sadly passed away in May at age 78 after a battle with lung cancer. Now some of the “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” singer’s belongings are available via an online memorabilia sale overseen by his estate.
The items currently available for purchase include Rolex watches, guitars, apparel, signed baseballs, gold- and platinum-record awards, personal letters, firearms and various other collectibles. You can check out all of the items at Rockology-Estates.com.
Among the collectibles with the highest price tags are a Rolex watch, and a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, both priced at $10,900, a Gretsch guitar selling for $4,995, and a tour-used Ovation guitar with $4,975 asking price.
“The hardest thing for me was losing the love of my life, B.J., my honeyman,” says Thomas’ widow, Gloria. “Now, working with a team of people, we are placing items of B.J.’s in museums and are working to keep his legacy and memory alive. Doing this sale will also allow many of his loyal fans the chance to have a piece of history and memorabilia that normally wouldn’t be available to them.”
More of Thomas’ memorabilia will be made available in the coming weeks.
Thomas scored a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969 with “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” which was penned by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The tune, which appeared in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, won an Oscar for Best Original Song.
B.J. also topped the Hot 100 in 1975 with “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” and scored a #5 hit in 1968 with “Hooked on a Feeling.”
Ben Gibson/Courtesy of Rocket Entertainment; David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
A brief video clip from what appears to be an ad for UberEats starring Elton John and popular singer/rapper Lil Nas X — which apparently is going to arrive in full tomorrow — has been posted on Elton’s Twitter account.
In the clip, Elton is sitting behind a white piano, while dressed in a pink cowboy outfit similar to something Lil Nas X would’ve worn in 2019 when he was promoting his record-setting number-one hit “Old Town Road.”
Then Lil Nas X walks into the frame wearing one of Elton’s most over-the-top outfits: He’s dressed head to toe in multicolored feathers, with sparkly silver sunglasses and a mirrored leather headpiece. Elton famously wore that outfit while appearing on The Muppet Show in 1978.
As the clip proceeds, Elton looks up from the piano, sees Lil Nas X and says, “B**** stole my look!” Nas starts laughing, and says, “That wasn’t it!,” meaning that Elton delivered the wrong line. But as both he, Elton and the crew off camera crack up, Nas adds, “You know what? Let’s keep it!”
Elton and Lil Nas X have teamed up on a song called “One of Me” that will appear on both Nas’ debut album, Montero, due out September 17, and Elton’s forthcoming collaborative album The Lockdown Sessions, which will be released on October 22.
Travis Barker is headed to the MTV Video Music Awards.
The Blink-182 drummer is among the presenters at this year’s ceremony, along with artists, athletes and celebrities including Billie Eilish, Avril Lavigne, Megan Fox, Hailey Bieber, 50 Cent, Ashanti, Simone Biles, Conor McGregor and Ja Rule.
Barker is also set to perform at the VMAs when he joins Machine Gun Kelly for a rendition of the “Bloody Valentine” rocker’s new single, “Papercuts.”
Other VMA performers include Foo Fighters and Twenty One Pilots. The show airs live from Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday, September 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
Drew Barrymore reveals she’s been privately supporting Britney Spears during her conservatorship battle.
The actress and talk show host tells Entertainment Tonight that she’s been sending Britney video messages.
“I appreciate all the people that have been supporting Britney on social media,” she says. “I took a different turn. I’ve actually been sending her personal videos.”
Drew says she’s sent messages of “encouragement and just telling her that I think she is the key to her freedom.”
“[I wanted to] really show her I’m someone who has understood what a journey is like and I don’t compare myself to her, but I’m here to support her if there’s anything she needs in private,” Barrymore says.
Drew says Britney has responded to the videos with “little smoke signals.”
Meanwhile on Instagram, Britney thanked another celebrity for supporting her publicly: Iggy Azalea. She posted a photo of the two performing their song “Pretty Girls” together.
“It was so much fun working with such a strong, bada** woman like her …. I haven’t met her new baby but if she’s reading this God bless you and thank you for all your kind words,” Britney wrote.
On Tuesday, Britney’s father, Jamie, filed to end the conservatorship of the pop star’s estate that has been in place since 2008 — a huge legal victory for Britney.
Lainey Wilson never imagined being anything but a country singer. The Louisiana native moved to Nashville right out of high school, living in a camping trailer while she honed her craft as a singer and songwriter. But through all the highs and lows, she never doubted she would someday make her dreams come true.
“There’s been times when I probably should have packed my bags and went home,” Lainey told Idaho Mountain Express. “But I never had not one doubt in my mind that I was gonna be okay. I knew I was gonna find my way.”
Lainey, who released Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ earlier this year, was also not dissuaded by the reign of male artists on the charts. Growing up listening to artists like Lee Ann Womack and Dolly Parton, the 29-year-old knew her time would one day come as well.
“I think it’s a great time for female country singers like myself,” Lainey maintained. “No matter what the sound is, people want a good story. That’s what country music has been from the beginning. A dang good story.”
Lainey’s instincts seem to be paying off. Her single, “Things a Man Oughta Know,” is currently in the top 5.
“I just wanna tell real stories,” Lainey said. “I want it to be raw and honest. Even if that makes your skin crawl a little bit, my goal is to make you feel something.”
Archbishop Carl Bean is greeted by church member in 2004; Carlos Chavez/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Carl Bean, the man whom Lady Gaga revealed was the true inspiration for her hit “Born This Way,” has died at age 77, reports The New York Post.
This past May, while celebrating the 10th anniversary of her album Born This Way, Lady Gaga revealed that the title track of the album was inspired by as disco song called “I Was Born This Way,” recorded by Bean in 1977.
“Born This Way, my song and album, were inspired by Carl Bean, a gay black religious activist who preached, sung and wrote about being ‘Born This Way,’” Gaga wrote on Instagram. She continued, addressing Bean, “Thank you for decades of relentless love, bravery, and a reason to sing. So we can all feel joy, because we deserve joy. Because we deserve the right to inspire tolerance, acceptance, and freedom for all.”
“I Was Born This Way” was written by Chris Spierer and Bunny Jones and released in 1975 by an artist called Valentino. Carl Bean released his own disco version in 1977. Bean’s version has since been remixed and re-released several times, both in the ’80s and the ’90s. The song’s lyrics go, “I’m happy and I’m gay/I was born this way.”
Bean became an AIDS activist and founded the Unity Fellowship Church Movement, which focused on the LGBT and Black community. His autobiography is titled I Was Born This Way: A Gay Man’s Journey through Gospel Music, Disco Stardom, and a Ministry in Christ.
According to The New York Post, the Unity Fellowship Church Movement announced that Bean died September 7 “after a lengthy illness,” and added, “Archbishop Bean worked tirelessly for the liberation of the underserved and for LGBTQ people of faith and in doing so, helped many around the world find their way back to spirituality and religion.”
Anita Baker has won her long legal battle with her record label, and the eight-time Grammy winner has proudly announced she now owns her own music masters and has full control of her songs.
“They no longer ‘Own, My Name & Likeness,’” Baker wrote on her private Twitter account, as captured by Essence. “And, by Law…30 yr old, Mstrs are 2B Returned, 2 Me Unfortunately, They’re gonna make me Fight 4 it. I’m Prepared, 2 do that.”
The “Giving You the Best That I Got” singer previously asked fans not to stream or buy any of her music because of her legal fight.
“All My Children Are Coming Home,” Anita wrote with a photo of her first five studio albums: 1983’s The Songstress, The Rapture from 1986, 1988’s Giving You the Best That I Got, Compositions from 1990, and her 1994 release, Rhythm of Love.
When a follower asked if now she wants fans to stream her music, Anita replied, “Yes. Chil’ren…Stream.”
Baker also announced that a new compilation of her music will be available soon on Rhino Records.
Maroon 5 will be one of the artists performing onShine a Light, a special that will air on CNN on Saturday, September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“We feel deeply moved by this opportunity to use our music to help shine a light and support a broadcast that is coming from and for the 9/11 community,” the band says in a statement.
Other acts that’ll be performing on the special include country star Brad Paisley, and Oscar and Grammy-winning musicians H.E.R. and Common.
Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, who appeared on stage together at the all-star Concert for New York City the month after the attacks, will team up to deliver a message of support on the special, while ex-New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will be a presenter.
In addition to the musical performances, the Shine a Light special will feature films and interviews with those directly affected by the attacks, who’ll share their stories. Viewers will be encouraged to visit 911day.org during the broadcast to post and share simple acts of kindness, charity and service in tribute to those killed and injured, and to the first responders to rushed to help.
In other Maroon 5 news, the band had been set to perform at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday, but that show has been canceled with no explanation.
