Starting Point playlist for Monday, March 26, 2012

STARTING POINT PLAYLIST 3/26/12

We kicked off today's Starting Point playlist with "Little Red Corvette," a Prince song off of Soledad O'Brien's playlist. The song was Prince's first top ten hit, and has since joined many Best-of lists, including Rolling Stone's, where it was ranked 108th of all time.

Curtis Mayfield's classic song "Move On Up" was Columbia University professor and SP panelist Dorian Warren's first playlist pick this morning. While the song was not a big hit at the time of it's release, a cover version by the disco group Destination was a number one dance hit in 1979.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's music selection today was "Jackson," a song best remembered for the version released in 1967 by Johnny and June Cash. In 2003, June and Johnny died within four months of each other; less than a year later, Walk The Line was released, and Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for her portrayal of June.

Political humorist and CNN contributor John Fugelsang's first pick today was The Psychedelic Furs' 1982 hit "Love My Way." Although the Furs have not released a new album in over twenty years, they continue to tour, playing many of their late-eighties and early-nineties hits.

Lenny Curry of the Florida Republican Party picked Will Smith's 1998 hit "Just the Two of Us" from his playlist for today's Starting Point. Smith has laid low for the past few years, focusing on the  growing careers of his children Jayden and Willow. He's sure to be back in the public eye, however, with the upcoming blockbuster Men in Black 3, set for release this May.

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears was Soledad's next playlist pick today. The song continues to have an impact in the music industry; it has been covered by artists ranging from Gloria Gaynor to Patti Smith, and was sampled by Outkast in 2001.

Country singer Chris Knight's 2002 song "Oil Patch Town" made Will Cain's playlist today. Hailing from Kentucky, Knight has made a name for himself both as a singer and a songwriter.

Lenny Curry chose “Run This Town” by Jay-Z, featuring Rihanna and Kanye West. The apocalyptic video was shot in Queens, NY at Fort Totten. The historic park is a former U.S. Army base and, with a Civil War era fort, a popular tourist spot. When Jay-Z took over the park for the video, it was transformed with fires, overturned cars and about 80 extras dressed in black.

John Fugelsang's next pick was Sting’s debut single as a solo artist “If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free.” On his first musical venture without the Police, Sting said, "Basically, the whole project was designed to create a new kind of hybrid that was neither rock'n'roll nor jazz, but was hopefully another country."

“The Glamorous Life” by Sheila E. was on Soledad’s playlist today. The 1985 hit was written by Prince, who took Sheila under his wing during the Purple Rain era. The song reached #7 on the Hot 100.

John Fugelsang chose "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke. As John pointed out on the show, the song was inspired by Bob Dylan. Cooke was shocked that a white boy wrote a song like that, and he penned what would become an anthem of the civil rights movement.

Will Cain kept up with his country music playlist with "Always the Love Song" by Eli Young Band. The song was the bands first top 15 hit, reaching #11. The band's lead singer, Mike Eli, caused some controversy in 2010 when he forgot the words to the "Star-Spangled Banner" before a football game between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Soledad closed the show with Kool and the Gang's "Get Down On It." The Jersey City band released the song on their 1981 album Something Special, and it reached #10 on the Billboard charts in 1982.