Song of the Day: 'Running on Empty' by Jackson Browne

Day four of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: Today's pick is just straight-up bullshit. Jackson Browne is a legendary member of the singer/songwriter brigade that rose up out Laurel Canyon during the 1960s and '70s. He's sold nearly 20 million records and had 10 Top 40 singles, yet somehow only two of them reached the Top 10. You couldn't let this classic be his third?????

P.S.

For those who aren't familiar with childhood chart syndrome, the illness frequently lasts a lifetime! 

Song of the Day: 'You're a Friend of Mine' by Clarence Clemons and Jackson Browne

 

Saw the video for this one on MTV Classic yesterday and it's as adorable as it was when it came out in 1985. Clarence Clemons and Jackson Browne appear to be on the verge of making out, as Browne's then-girlfriend Daryl Hannah, who provides backing vocals, looks on ready to film it with her state-of-the-art video camera. The 10th anniversary of the E Street Band sax player is around the corner and he is sorely missed. 

Song of the Day: 'These Days' by Jackson Browne

Fascinating interview with Jackson Browne in the new Rolling Stone in which he discusses his best-known songs. He wrote this classic -- done more famously by Nico and Gregg Allman, then later Everything but the Girl -- when he was just 16(!); "Doctor My Eyes" was actually inspired by an eye ailment; "Take It Easy" was all him, but only Glenn Frey had the swagger to add the girl "slowing down to take a look at me"; and it took him years to accept and not hate "Somebody's Baby," which might just be my favorite song of his. (Pick it a copy for all 15 songs.)

Song of the Day: 'Doctor My Eyes' by Jackson Browne

How many times do you think people rang the buzzer before this sign went up?

Song of the Day: 'Somebody's Baby' by Jackson Browne

 It's silly, I know, but I swear I felt like I lost my virginity that night back in '82, when Jennifer Jason Leigh's character in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" hooked up with that older guy in the dugout. Jackson Browne's soundtrack for the scene could not have been more perfect -- and each time I hear it I feel like I'm 15 again.