Nate's Favorites

Have you ever wondered what our writer (Nathaniel Wiley)'s favorite songs are? Here is what is on a loop on his phone right now!

And be sure to follow us on Spotify at tinyurl.com/nwpspotify!

1. "Mexican Radio" by Wall of Voodoo

"Mexican Radio" was written by Los Angeles band Wall of Voodoo. Wall of Voodoo was founded by lead singer Stan Ridgeway, and "Mexican Radio" was by far their biggest hit. The song, however, only peaked at number fifty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. It was released in 1982 with the group's album "Call of the West". The music video of the song got a lot of air time on MTV, back when the TV station had just started. The band performed at the US Festival in 1983, which was the biggest concert the band had performed at. Shortly after their appearance at the US Festival, Stan Ridgeway (lead singer), Bill Noland (keyboardist), and Joe Nanini (drummer) left the band due to, according to Ridgeway, shady behavior on part of the record label. However, this does not take away from the clever lyrics of the song, or the interesting sound that helped Wall of Voodoo become a notable name in the "new-wave" sound of the early eighties.

2. "Candela" by Alvaro Soler & Nico Santos

This song features both the English and Spanish language, and is by Alvaro Soler and Nico Santos. Soler was born is Barcelona and speaks seven languages. Soler became popular with his 2016 song "Sofia", which has over 295 million streams on Spotify. Nico Santos was born in Germany and began his music career at the age of five when he recorded a song in his father's studio. Soler and Santos recorded this song and released it in 2022.

3. "Pinch Me" by Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies' hit song "Pinch Me" was released on their album Maroon in 2000. The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard charts in 2000, and stayed on the charts for just over 20 weeks. Barenaked Ladies was formed in Toronto, and has gone on to sell over 15 million records all over the world. The group was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2018.

4. "A Real Good Time" by Joyheads

Joyheads are a group from Pasadena, California, who feature Jeremy King, guitarist Juan Gomez, and Daniel Johnson. "A Real Good Time" was released on Joyheads' debut EP, "Earthly Powers", in 2019. The group was praised by A&R Factory's Amelia Vandergast when she said that the group had an "extremely accessible soundscape which comes with plenty of complementary colourful catharsis."

5. "Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations

By far the group's most popular song, "Build Me Up Buttercup" hit the Billboard charts in 1969, getting to number three on the charts within a month. The song was written by Mike d'Abo and Tony Macaulay (neither related to the group). McCauley won the Composers and Authors Award as "Best Songwriter" twice. The Foundations were from London and were only active for three years, but in those three years, they had five songs on the Billboard charts. The groups other hit was "Baby, Now That I've Found You", which hit number one on the U.K. singles chart.

6. "Lavender Haze - Snakeships Remix" by Taylor Swift & Snakeships

This is a remix of the song "Lavender Haze", from Taylor Swift's 2022 album "Midnights". The song was released on Swift's album of remixes of her song in 2023. Snakeships is a duo group featuring Oliver Lee and James Carter. The duo hit it big with their song "All My Friends”, with Tinashe and Chance The Rapper. Their remix of Taylor Swift's song has accumulated over 2 million streams on Spotify.

7. "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega & DNA

The singer in "Tom's Diner", Suzanne Vega contributed to the folk-music revival in the 1980s and 1990s. Vega has been praised by the New York Times, and began writing songs as a teenager. The group that remixed the track, DNA, remixed other Suzanne Vega songs, and were active from 1988-1998. The song hit number five on the billboard charts in 1990.

8. "Sunday" by Ben Rector & Snoop Dogg

This song started as an idea sparked at the Masters Tournament (golf). The primary singer of the song, Ben Rector, is an avid golfer, and got the chance to speak with Huey Lewis while he was golfing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Rector was born in Oklahoma, and made his music debut in 2006 with his EP "Ben Rector". GolfDigest's Alex Myers says that this song should be the new theme of the PGA Tour. This song is upbeat and, although it won't change that Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday, will certainly bring a smile to your face.

9. "And She Was" by Talking Heads

Talking Heads were active from 1974-1988. This song, "And She Was", was not anywhere near being the band's most popular songs, as it only hit number 54 on the Billboard charts in 1985. The group's most popular song (strictly based on the Billboard charts), was "Burning Down The House". The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

10. "Anyone for You (Tiger Lily)" by George Ezra

This song was written by singer/songwriter George Ezra. Ezra is from England, and has been singing since he was in school. Ezra is very active in charity, donating €3 for every ticket purchased to his concerts. Ezra also loves building puzzles. George Ezra signed his first record deal when he was only 19 years old with record label Colombia 12. This song is from the album "Gold Rush Kid", which was released in 2022. "Anyone for You (Tiger Lily)" did not appear on the Billboard charts. However, the album was number 82 on the Billboard charts' list of Top Album Sales.

Check out this playlist on Spotify!

Thanks for listening!

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Works Cited “About.” Snakehips, snakehipsmusic.com/about. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Alvaro Soler and Nico Santos Join Forces on New Spanglish Anthem “Candela” – Culture Fix.” Culture Fix, www.culturefix.co.uk/?p=24180. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Alvaro Soler Biography.” Last.fm, www.last.fm/music/Alvaro+Soler/+wiki. anrfactory. “60s Psych Pop Sees an Enamouring Revival with Joy.” A&R Factory, 12 June 2019, www.anrfactory.com/60s-psych-pop-sees-an-enamouring-revival-with-joyheads-latest-single-a-real-good-time/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Barenaked Ladies.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/artist/barenaked-ladies/chart-history/hsi/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Barenaked Ladies: Last Summer on Earth 2023.” Www.barenakedladies.com, www.barenakedladies.com/bios/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Ben Rector.” Rate Your Music, rateyourmusic.com/artist/ben-rector. “BIO.” Mysite, www.suzannevega.com/bio. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Build Me up Buttercup by the Foundations.” Secondhandsongs.com, secondhandsongs.com/performance/41330/all. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “DNA (Duo).” Wikipedia, 26 Apr. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_(duo). Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. Dodds, Emma. “29 Things You Didn’t Know about George Ezra.” Hits Radio, Hits Radio, 4 Mar. 2023, planetradio.co.uk/hits-radio/entertainment/music/george-ezra-facts/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “George Ezra.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/artist/george-ezra/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. Jackson, Blair. “Classic Tracks: Wall of Voodoo’s “Mexican Radio.”” Mixonline, 1 Mar. 2005, www.mixonline.com/recording/classic-tracks-wall-voodoos-mexican-radio-365502. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Joyheads.” SoundCloud, soundcloud.com/joyheads. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. Myers, Alex. “This Masters-Inspired Ben Rector Song Featuring Snoop Dogg(!) Should Be the PGA Tour’s New Theme Music.” The Loop, 31 Mar. 2022, www.golfdigest.com/story/masters-inspired-song-ben-rector-snoop-dogg-should-be-pga-tour-new-theme-music. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Nico Santos Age, Hometown, Biography.” Last.fm, www.last.fm/music/Nico+Santos/+wiki. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Suzanne Vega.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/artist/suzanne-vega/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Talking Heads.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/artist/talking-heads/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Talking Heads | Members, Songs, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/Talking-Heads-American-rock-group. “The Foundations.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/artist/the-foundations/chart-history/hsi/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “The Foundations Hometown, Lineup, Biography.” Last.fm, www.last.fm/music/The+Foundations/+wiki. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Tony McCauley & Michael D’Abo | Composer - Concert Band Noten & Partituren - HeBu Musikverlag GmbH.” Www.hebu-Music.com, www.hebu-music.com/en/musician/tony-mccauley-michael-dabo.12291/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. “Wall of Voodoo Hometown, Lineup, Biography.” Last.fm, www.last.fm/music/Wall+of+Voodoo/+wiki. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.