Every once in a while, it’s good to get an update on the state of theworld from someone with a point of view a bit more enlightened thansome periodical or the evening news. Leonard Cohen delivered just suchan update on his 1988 classic “Everybody Knows,” a song that wasthrillingly comprehensive in its overview then and somehow remainschillingly accurate now about the threats facing this planet and thefoibles of the poor fools who inhabit it.Cohen is not alone in deserving credit for this cynical masterpiece. Hewrote the lyrics and handed them off to his former backing singerSharon Robinson in the first of what would become many songwritingcollaborations between the pair. Speaking to Uncut magazine, Robinsonremembered the approach she took once she got a hold of the CanadianBard’s words.

“It’s a protest song, so Leonard wanted something tough,”she said. “I’d bring home verses, and go to the grand piano in my livingroom, as his lyrics require that purity of melody.”The song was included on an album (I’m Your Man) which found Cohendelving deeply into a synthesizer-based sound. The synths on“Everybody Knows” lurch forward into the abyss while Cohen’s voicebooms forth with its warnings as if it belonged to an ancient oracle.Some flashy Spanish guitar adds just the right counterpoint to thearrangement, keeping the music from getting too somber.Cohen doesn’t waste any time with tact or restraint, setting the tone inhis opening lines: “Everybody knows that the dice are loaded/Everybodyrolls with their fingers crossed/Everybody knows that the war isover/Everybody knows the good guys lost.” This generalized overviewsoon gives way to more specific concerns, as the relentless lyrics touchon greed, racism and drugs.

One verse seems to specifically referencethe AIDS crisis, then at its height, as Cohen sings of a coming plague,meters to count sexual partners, and how “the naked man andwoman/Are just a shining artifact of the past.”Yet he also brings things down to a personal level with a verse aboutinfidelity between two lovers. “Everybody knows that you’ve beenfaithful/Ah, give or take a night or two,” he sings. And it wouldn’t be aCohen song if he didn’t bring spiritual concerns into it, with referencesto Calvary (juxtaposed ironically with Malibu beaches) and the Sacred Heart.

Whether that heart belongs to Jesus or Leonard is never revealed,but, at song’s end, it’s poised to explode all over the whole sordid scene.Cohen also makes room for flashes of mischievous wit, like when heimplies that the death of a parent and the death of a dog are equally disturbing.

Running through this litany of horrors is a subtle criticism ofthose who ignore it all in favor of their own self-interested pursuits:“Everybody’s talking to their pockets/Everybody wants a box ofchocolates/And a long-stemmed rose.”The repetition of the title phrase suggests that Cohen has not beenblessed with some unique power of perception, but that these truthsshould be evident to anyone who walks through the world with even anounce of coherence. “Everybody Knows” may not deliver news on thestate of the world that anyone would want to hear, but, thanks toCohen’s eloquent words and seductive delivery, you never tire oflistening to it.

Credits: American Songwriter - Jim Beviglia

Steve Martin teamed up with the Philadelphia Orchestra to put a symphonic spin onhis bluegrass tune, “Office Supplies.”Martin and the Philly Orchestra recorded thesocially distanced performance for the HearNOW: At-Home Gala, which theorchestra hosted digitally over the weekend.

The performance opened with Martinintroducing the song, saying he’d reveal the reason he titled it “Office Supplies” afterthe performance.The performance itself found Martin rolling away on his banjo, while thePhiladelphia Orchestra beefed up the arrangement with strings, woodwinds andhorns (one trombonist even started dosey doe-ing with his daughter).

True to hisword, at the end of the song, Martin cracked, “And now I’ll tell you why it’s called‘Office Supplies,’ it’s because if, at the end of the song, you’re not thinking of officesupplies, then I haven’t done my job.”“Office Supplies” originally appeared on Martin’s 2017 record, The Long-AwaitedAlbum, which he made with the North Carolina-based bluegrass band the SteepCanyon Rangers.

CREDITS: Rolling Stone - Jon Blistein

Green Day: Why Some Fans Misinterpret'Wake Me Up When September Ends'Green Day has given the world some songs which are very easy tointerpret. Others are more difficult to understand. “Wake Me Up WhenSeptember Ends” is one of their more oblique songs. The song is clearlyabout a loss of some sort. Is it about any loss in particular? Has Billie JoeArmstrong opened up about the meaning of the song?

Is Green Day’s ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’ about war?“Wake Me Up When September Ends” is one of the most popular songsfrom Green Day’s album American Idiot. American Idiot is a conceptalbum that includes lots of commentary on the Iraq War. Because of this,it’s common for fans to come to the conclusion the song reflects on thewar in some way.

In addition, the video for “Wake Me Up When September Ends” is anempathetic depiction of the effects of the war on a soldier and hisgirlfriend. This makes it especially easy for people to think “Wake Me UpWhen September Ends” is an anti-war song. In actuality, the song isabout the death of Armstrong’s father.

The real meaning of the song; According to PopMatters, Armstrong’s father died in September of 1982.Armstrong said the song’s titular phrase to his mother not long after hisfather passed. NME reports Armstrong later told Howard Stern “I thinkit’s something that just stayed with me; the month of September beingthat anniversary that always is just, I don’t know, kind of a bummer.”

A death like that if often traumatic. Armstrong was only ten when hisfather died. Armstrong feels his age affected how he processed thattrauma. “But it’s weird. When things happen like that when you’re that young, it’s almost like life starts at year zero, or something like that.” “Wake Me Up When September Ends” is a sad song, but Armstrong saidhe didn’t feel negative emotions while writing it. “I think about [my father] every day, really. I kinda avoided writing about him for manyyears, and then finally having a break through like that felt good. It wasn’t like a negative emotion so much, but it was just kind of like honoring him.”

What happens to Billie Joe Armstrong every SeptemberThe song’s title gets people to joke about Armstrong online eachSeptember as the month comes to a close. According to the IrishIndependent, Armstrong said “It’s like when Jesus was born onDecember 25, people go, ‘Hey it’s Christmas time’. When the EasterBunny comes, people go ‘Hey it’s Easter.’ When September comes,people go ‘Hey it’s that guy in Green Day.’

”Armstrong joked he should write a follow-up song called “Shut the F*ckUp When October Begins.” Given that Green Day’s fans often like edgyhumor, it might go over well. However, it probably wouldn’t be aspoignant as “Wake Me Up When September Ends.”

CREDITS: Showbiz Cheat Sheet - Matthew Trzcinski

This performance was recorded on Feb. 12, 2020. We will continue releasing Tiny Desk videos of shows that had already been taped. In light of current events, NPR is postponing new live taping’s of Tiny Desk Concerts. In the meantime, check out Tiny Desk (home) concerts! They’re recorded by the artists in their home. It’s the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

On a brisk February morning, Alicia Keys, full of effervescence, entered NPR through the loading dock wearing a canary yellow faux fur coat. During our ride to the fourth floor, she joked about how she hadn't been invited to play at the Tiny Desk. That, of course, wasn't exactly true. We worked on and off for years to make this moment happen, and I can say wholeheartedly that it was worth the wait.

Alicia Keys has an aura that you can sense the second she enters a room, or in my case, an elevator. She radiates compassion and kindness. This spirit is the key to Keys's songwriting, which is rooted in introspection and mindfulness.

As she approached her piano, a bit surprised at the amount of people in the room, she smiled and remarked over her shoulder, "Gee, the Tiny Desk is tiny!" She kicked off the set with an uncanny ode to combat the darkness of this moment in American history: "Show Me Love," a single she released in 2019. No one could have predicted then how much her lyrics and musical healing would be crucial during this emotionally fraught time of unprecedented political and racial unrest, heightened by three months of quarantine due to a global pandemic.

The stand-out moment during her Tiny Desk was the premiere of "Gramercy Park", a song from her upcoming self-titled album, ALICIA, which is set to be released this fall. It's one of those timeless songs that will transcend radio formats and genres, with lyrics that address how utter selflessness and worrying about making everyone happy but yourself can throw your own center askew. The song's spiritual refrain is sure to be a sing-along moment for the rest of Keys's career.

She told the crowd after "Gramercy Park" that she's struggled with appeasing people her whole life, but she's trying harder now to set boundaries. Luckily for the Tiny Desk audience, that resolution didn't pertain to this concert. After wrapping up what was to be a three-song set with her latest single "Underdog," which you may have seen her perform at this year's Grammys, the crowd begged for an encore. After crowd-sourcing suggestions, she and her band delivered a riveting rendition of Keys's breakout 2001 single, "Fallin'."

The world, now more than ever, needs more love, reflection and accountability – a mantra that's woven into every fiber of Alicia Keys's being and every lyric of her songs.

NPR Tiny Desk