REVIEW: “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyoncé

“She’s gone country, look at them boots / She’s gone country, back to her roots / She’s gone country, a new kind of suit / She’s gone country, here she comes“

THE TOP 10 BEST HIT SONGS OF 2023

“Kissing, I hope they caught us / Whether they like or not (not) / I wanna show you off”

COVER ME BADD: “Valerie” (as covered by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse)

“I am my mother’s savage daughter / The one who runs barefoot / Cursing sharp stones / I am my mother’s savage daughter / I will not cut my hair / I will not lower my voice”

RETROSPECTIVE: The Hunter by Blondie

“So many people know who you are / And they know how you’ve been looking / For your counterpart / We’re chasing an echo in sonic 3D / And if I laugh without joking, make me believe”

RETROSPECTIVE: Banned in the U.S.A. by 2 Live Crew

“We started the fire, but it’s you who sparked it / We stayed independent, and we didn’t sell out / We started off with no help from the White House / The plot was perfect, though we needed a gimmick So we thought up this dance called Throw the Dizznick / In no time at all, things started growin’ / Charts were showin’ that sales were soarin’ / Then all the talkin’, all the squawkin’ / They tried to take the name, but keep Skyy-walkin'”

REVIEW: ‘Unholy’ by Sam Smith and Kim Petras

“I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumours / But I think that God’s got a sick sense of humour / And when I die, I expect to find him laughing”

RETROSPECTIVE: St. Anger by Metallica

“Watch your back, so you won’t stab mine / Get in bed with your own kind / Live your life, so you don’t see mine / Drape your back, so you won’t shine”

RETROSPECTIVE: A Momentary Lapse of Reason by Pink Floyd

“He has laughed and he has cried / He has fought and he has died / He’s just the same as all the rest / He’s not the worst, he’s not the best”

COVER ME BADD: ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ (as covered by Sinead O’Connor)

“I know, caught up in the middle / I cry just a little / When I think of letting go”

COVER ME BADD: ‘XO’ (as covered by John Mayer)

“Tic Tac Toe is a game I used to play. / When I was little I used to say / I got the X and I got the O. / It don’t matter cause it’s Tic-Tac–Toe.”