ZZ Top
ZZ Top's cover of the Isaac Hayes/David Porter soul classic turns a gratitude song about overwhelming love into a swaggering…
gratitude despite heartbreak sexual awakening being changed by love
The Supremes
This is a Motown reading of the Four Tops' own hit, recast as a plea from a woman who admits her desire has tipped into…
romantic longing emotional dependency vulnerability as strength
A whimsical children's-style Christmas novelty in which a tree-top star sings in the first person about descending from the sky…
childlike wonder generosity and giving holiday magic
Minutemen
A song so short it barely qualifies as one, this Minutemen miniature parodies the mechanics of the top-40 love song by stringing…
parody of pop convention commercialism in music brevity as critique
The Rolling Stones
A driving, riff-driven rock song that fuses the imagery of slavery-era sexual exploitation with a leering come-on chorus,…
exploitation and power race and sexualized violence historical memory as spectacle
