The Insidious Legacy of the “Andy Griffith Show” Theme

Lorenz Hart’s Street Talk and Usher’s Post-Verbal Pop

A Creepy Father’s Day Song from the ‘Mad Men’ Era

Highbrow Lowbrow

A Stirring Revival of Vaudeville Theater

David Hajdu on Music: Billboard Goddesses

Crossing You in Style

Newly Discovered Songs By the Legendary Nick Hathaway

Hajdu: The Many Musical Tributes to Rachel Carson

Bob Dylan, Grimes, and Girl Groups Reconsidered

The Art of Artifice, from Lana Del Rey to Davy Jones

Today’s Bruce Springsteen is a Pale Imitation of the Real Thing

Paul McCartney’s Superficial New Album of Standards

Another Nail In the Coffin For Good Taste

Wonk Rock: Why Do So Many of Washington DC’s Politicos Play in Bands?

The Oscars’ Disgraceful Nominees for Best Song

Who Are the Real Authors of ‘Porgy and Bess’?

Jazz, Age, and the NEA

Barbara Lea: She Had No Superior

My Top Ten Albums of 2011