FEATURE:
The Digital Mixtape
Huey Lewis & The News’ Sports at Forty: ‘Sport’ Songs
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I am using an upcoming album anniversary…
PHOTO CREDIT: Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels
to come up with a playlist. The album in question is Huey Lewis & The News’ Sports. Released on 15th September, 1983, I wanted to mark that fortieth anniversary and also use it as an opportunity to compile a sports-themed playlist. I was going to write a feature about the album, as it is definitely one that should be celebrated. Even if you are not a fan of Huey Lewis & The News, you are sure to know one or two songs from the album – Heart and Soul and I Want a New Drug are quire recognisable. Before getting to the playlist, this is what AllMusic said about the classic Sports:
“Picture This found Huey Lewis and the News developing a signature sound, but they truly came into their own on their third album, Sports. It's true that the record holds together better than its predecessors because it has a clear, professional production, but the real key is the songs. Where their previous albums were cluttered with generic filler, nearly every song on Sports has a huge hook. And even if the News aren't bothered by breaking new ground, there's no denying that the craftmanship on Sports is pretty infectious. There's a reason why well over half of the album ("The Heart of Rock & Roll," "Heart and Soul," "I Want a New Drug," "Walking on a Thin Line," "If This Is It") were huge American hit singles -- they have instantly memorable hooks, driven home with economical precision by a tight bar band, who are given just enough polish to make them sound like superstars. And that's just what Sports made them”.
As Sports turns forty on 15th September, below are a selection of songs from artists who mention a sport in the title, or sports-named, or there is a connection to a sports star or athlete (if that is a brief name-check or a song about them). I would encourage people who have not heard the album to give it a listen. As it is coming up for forty, some of the production sounds dated, yet the songs are still fantastic and recognisably the work of Huey Lewis & The News. There is an anniversary release coming too. To honour Sports turning forty, below is a playlist of songs with…
PHOTO CREDIT: Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels
SPORT at their heart.