Blog Posts by Robert of the Radish

The role of music in World War II was significant unlike any other in history; in the context of the largest war in history, modern states engaged in combat on all dimensions to win, including the use of art and music. As we reflect on WWII the music of the era can shed light on what the mood was at the time. 

During World War II Americans truly sacrificed. There was mass rationing and citizens contributed to the war effort directly through work and volunteerism. WWII could also be considered the first mass media war, with radio and movies spreading not only songs, but often specific bands. Patriotism in music was not only popular, it was sincere.

Countries welcomed music that spoke to their side of the conflict as it served many purposes. Music played an important role in lifting the morale of both the troops and the civilian populations. It was also used as straight up propaganda.

This playlist examines songs on the American side that were popular during the war and that speak to

Dee Jay Promotions of Scandinavia has a 250 member strong collective of Swedish DJs, that together, chart what's happening on the dance floors of Sweden. The charts have been around since 1991, and to be a member you must be an established club DJ recommended by another member, or Swedish nightclub owner.

Of the top 40 songs on the Swedish dance chart for week number 28 in 2008, Yahoo Music Unlimited has a little more than half of them. These available tracks constitute this playlist, starting with the #1 song "4 Minutes" by America's own Madonna.

The playlist is a good mix of dance music that is popular across Europe, but also contains songs that are currently dance hits in America by artists like Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears and Chris Brown.

If your exposure to Sweden is limited to the candy fish, the massage and the muppet chef, then go find yourself a gaggle of beautiful Nordic people, put this playlist on, and get jumpin'!

Swedish Dance Charts: Week 28, 2008

Back in 2006 I put the following question to a great group of music bloggers and insiders:

"What song do you want played at your funeral and why?"

Read the picks and then think about what you would like to say to your loved ones when you pass. Will a song help you say it?

If so, write it down, then put it in your will.

1. "Come on Up to the House" - Tom Waits

I actually spent a lot of time thinking about this earlier this year, when my little sister died and I had to put together music for her funeral tribute. My sister was more of a country music and pop fan, so I ended up using the trio of Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw, Green Day's (unfortunately titled) "Good Riddance (Time of your Life)" and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" (which was magical because it starts with "this is for Gabby…" which is her surviving daughter's name.) But my favorite that I came across doing research for it was Tom Wait's "Come

As many of you know, I am in Disney World with my family this week, so the playlists have been very Disney-centric. I am living and breathing Walt Disney World, so most of the ideas I've had in the last few days are directly influenced by my time here. Aerosmith is in the news again for their foray into the video game market with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, but they also have their own rollercoaster located at Disney World's Hollywood (formerly MGM) studios in Orlando, Florida. 

This list is comprised of songs by bands that I've noticed on the Rock 'N' Roller Coaster attraction. Specifically, bands that appear on concert posters you will see in the ride queue. I wish I had the foresight to bring along paper and a pen as I could have captured them all, but alas I did not. So this playlist is composed of only the bands I can remember. I hear that Disney changes them out regularly, so a complete list may be impossible. The Rock 'N' Roller Coaster is one of the top rides I have been on so far

We made the trip to Disney World from North Carolina and have awoken to day 2 of our vacation. To mark the end of the first day at the park I thought I would create a musical diary to trace the experience. Below you will find each song and it's reason for being added.

1. "Vacation" by The Go-Go's - I selected the Go-Go's vacation for obvious reasons, but in addition the being the first song that pops into most people's heads when thinking about a vacation, due to it's super-hooky chorus, it also has a childlike optimistic tone, perfect for a road trip to Disney World, despite the true meaning of the song being a broken heart.

2. "On The Road Again" by Willie Nelson - Another no-brainer. One of the top road trip songs of all time and the top musician's road song ever written.*

3. "Alligator" by The Grateful Dead - We would have made it to Disney in 8 hours, but it took us 10 due to an accident on I-95 and a stop for lunch. We pulled off the highway as soon as we decided lunch was in

I've been very busy at my day job lately with multiple projects, many of which are highly complicated, stress-filled, Chinese fire drills. Anyway, last week all the stars aligned and I saw the opportunity for a short vacation. Europe was out, as we only had one week and like to spend at least 14 days on "real trips", so we decided on New England where I spent my informative years. Summer in New England is perfect and I never get sick of returning, so don't ask me what I was thinking when (after my wife suggested Disney) the words "…sure honey, Disney World sounds great, let's do it," came out of my mouth. I'm pretty sure I wasn't smoking crack at the time, so maybe it was just meant to be.

You see, I'm what my friend Dave likes to refer to as a "human of the future", that is, a person who spends most of their time indoors on a computer. So why would I want to pack my wife, two small children and piles of luggage into a car, drive 9 hours, and spend thousands of dollars to trudge

July 4th is a day when Americans can put aside their political differences and celebrate the love they share for their country. No matter where you stand on the issues that face our nation, America is our home -- and we will always love our home. On Independence Day the skies of America will be lit by fireworks, children will be enraptured by parades and neighbors will gather at barbecues and picnics to celebrate the birth of their nation.

July 4 is a national holiday and the only holiday that celebrates the United States of America. Ask any American and they will tell you that the 4th of July is not complete without fireworks, American flags, American food and music.

Musical choices for the 4th include traditional patriotic songs, military marches and regional favorites. For this playlist I have pulled together some of the most popular songs that will be played at events across the USA on the 4th of July.

If your holiday will be spent at home, at a picnic with friends or at the

"...whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." -From the United States Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776

As we celebrate another Independence Day in America I wanted to create a July 4th related playlist. But instead of doing the traditional collection of overtures reserved for fireworks displays I thought I would look more to the spirit of the original event.

As you can see in the quote above from the Declaration of Independence the birth of America hinged on braking the chains of the crown. In music the independent musician could be compared to those early colonies and the major labels could represent British rule.

As the cost to record music has been reduced drastically by technology and the Internet