The equinox is today. Now the days start getting longer and hopefully warmer. And that makes my heart burst with song.

Jason Gray “You Can Never Hold Back Spring” (Tom Waits)
Last week Mrs. Freak was complaining about the blustery weather on the same day that the clocks sprang forward. It made this beautiful Tom Waits song start running through my head. Most earworms are annoying, but I didn’t mind it at all this time. This version has some marvelous accordion work.

Sickidz “Springtime For Hitler” (From The Producers)
This is still one of the best intentionally-bad songs ever written, but I think the aggressive rock treatment works better for it than the big Broadway musical style you usually hear.

The Beatlesøns “Sunny Afternoon” (The Kinks)
The original version is on everybody’s list of favorite songs, and that means that it’s been covered quite frequently. Unfortunately most of the covers out there stay pretty true to the Tin Pan Alley vibe of the original. But the Beatlesøns come across with a snappy version that keeps the spirit of the Kinks but still sound quite fresh. This is from their wonderfully-named album The Lost Polka Tunes.

The Findells “Flowers On The Wall” (The Statler Brothers)
I was looking for a cover of Talking Heads “Nothing But Flowers” but couldn’t find one that didn’t sound just like Talking Heads. So here’s this week’s tribute to the flowers that will soon come sprouting up.

Being a big Pulp Fiction fan I always associate this song with Bruce Willis driving away from his apartment after blowing away John Travolta. But the Findells have carved out a place in my brain all their own.

Husker Du “Sunshine Superman” (Donovan)
This ain’t no mellow hippy-dippy kinda song. As much as I love Bob Mould’s solo material, I still miss Husker Du.