Everything is under control now.
ππ¨π¦ ππ’ππ€π¬ ππππ’π
@tomhicksmedia.bsky.social
Writer & storyteller. Publisher of Off Script with Tom Hicks, Lotus Purrspective, Tom's Number Ones and Panic Room Sports.
Six charts. Six completely different sounds. Somehow, they all belonged to the same week in August 2004. open.substack.com/pub/tomsnumb...
When Hip-Hop, Rock and Country Shared the Charts
August 5, 2004 proved there wasnβt one soundtrack to America anymore. There were six.
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I thought my human had finally brought me home the perfect box. I had no idea it was already full. open.substack.com/pub/lotuspur...
The Afternoon My Human Found an Entire Lifetime in a Shoebox
Some memories live in photographs. The most important ones live in the stories that come with them.
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We handed kids the most distracting device ever invented, then acted surprised when they couldn't concentrate. open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
The Experiment Nobody Consented To
A new study links early social media use to lower math scores, but the bigger question is why it took us more than a decade to bother checking.
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πΆ #TomsDailyDanceJam The second you hear that falling whistle, you already know what's coming. One of the most recognizable intros in funk history. You Dropped A Bomb On Me - The Gap Band youtu.be/-s3scfw7DTc?...
You Dropped A Bomb On Me (Original 12" Mix)
YouTube video by The Gap Band - Topic
youtu.be
You can save one song. The other disappears from music history. Choose wisely.
The summer of 1986 had a little bit of everything. Movie soundtracks, country traditionalists, dance-floor anthems, polished rock, and one of the biggest voices of the decade all shared the top of Billboard at the same time. open.substack.com/pub/tomsnumb...
Glory, Guitars and the Dance Floor
Six different charts. Five different artists. One unforgettable week in the summer of 1986.
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The highlight catches will dominate social media. The roster decisions will happen somewhere else. open.substack.com/pub/panicroo...
The Real NFL Season Starts This Week
The pads are coming on across the league, depth charts are starting to change, and the race for 53-man rosters is officially underway.
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Every journey through this house seems to end with my human saying my name. open.substack.com/pub/lotuspur...
I Don't Walk Too Slowly
My humans simply leave before theyβre ready.
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When politicians start talking like they can control prices by sheer force of personality, it's probably time to ask a few uncomfortable questions. open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
The President Canβt Order a Sale at the Pump
Why politicians keep promising to control prices they donβt actually control.
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πΆ #TomsDailyDanceJam Some songs don't ask if you're ready. They grab you by the shoulders, put a smile on your face, and drag you straight to the dance floor. This is one of them. Rubberband Man β The Spinners youtu.be/0J95f1kY0HU?...
The Spinners - The Rubberband Man
YouTube video by soulbrothanumbahone
youtu.be
One teenage superstar. One returning king. One revolutionary record. The charts for August 3, 1959, captured popular music standing at the crossroads between the 1950s and everything that came next. open.substack.com/pub/tomsnumb...
When Rock, Soul and Pop Shared the Spotlight
The Billboard charts for August 3, 1959, captured a changing America one hit record at a time.
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Most humans think they're polite. They even walk into a coffee table and apologize to it. I've been studying this behavior for years, and I'm still no closer to understanding it. open.substack.com/pub/lotuspur...
Why Do Humans Keep Apologizing to Furniture?
Iβve lived with these people for years, and Iβm still waiting for the coffee table to forgive them.
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Neither party should be planning its victory party just yet. open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
Whichever Party Gets Its Shit Together Wins in November
The biggest opportunity in American politics may belong to whichever party stops handing ammunition to the other side.
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πΆ #TomsDailyDanceJam Some songs don't just fill a dance floor... They become the dance floor. If this one comes on and you're still sitting down, I don't know what to tell you. Funkytown β Lipps Inc. youtu.be/QayLoG7sW_w?...
Lipps Inc Funkytown Extended Version 1979 1980 DJ Alan Santos HD
YouTube video by Dj Alan Santos
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Let's play a game. You have one quarter and you can only pick three songs. Which three songs are you going to play?
Back when I was much younger, "butt licker" was a go-to insult that always hit the mark. Now, it's just a checkbox on most dating sites.
Disco was everywhere in the summer of 1978, but the Billboard charts tell a much bigger story. Rock, country, soul, and soft rock were thriving, too, making this one of the most musically diverse weeks of the decade. open.substack.com/pub/tomsnumb...
One Song Ruled the Charts. Another Ruled the Dance Floor
August 2, 1978: Rock, Disco, Country, and Soul All Had a Seat at the Table
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Humans have turned empty cardboard boxes into long-term investments. Naturally, they wonβt let the cat have them. open.substack.com/pub/lotuspur...
The Great Human Box Collection
The strangest thing about human boxes isnβt that you save them. Itβs that you never seem to know why.
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Your Social Security check is about to go up. Donβt mistake that for getting ahead. open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
The Raise That Isnβt One
Why your 2027 COLA bump is already spent before it hits your account.
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πΆ #TomsDailyDanceJam Today's pick is a perfect blend of post-disco, R&B, and '80s funk. Starpoint's "Object of My Desire" has an irresistible groove, a killer bass line, and enough dance-floor energy to remind us why this era still gets people moving. Turn it up and enjoy. youtu.be/XNAdFclZPl8?...
Object of My Desire [12'' Version] - Starpoint
YouTube video by Old School Dude 62
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Everybody remembers Beatlemania. Almost nobody remembers what else America was listening to that same week. open.substack.com/pub/tomsnumb...
History Remembers The Beatles. Billboard Remembered Everybody.
The charts from August 1, 1964, remind us that one of musicβs biggest revolutions didnβt happen in a vacuum.
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Some animals survive because they're bigger. Some survive because they're faster. Then there's the opossum, which somehow turned "playing dead" into a long-term business strategy. open.substack.com/pub/lotuspur...
Lotusβs Species Review: Opossums
The Animal That Outsmarted Evolution by Looking Completely Unqualified
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We're surrounded by people everywhere we go. So why does it feel like we've never been more alone? open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
Everyone Is Here, But Nobody Is Together
How a room full of people learned to ignore each other without ever agreeing to.
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πΆ #TomsDailyDanceJam Some songs don't need a fancy introduction. They hit the first groove, Chaka opens her mouth, and the rest of us just try to keep up. "Do You Love What You Feel" β Rufus & Chaka youtu.be/GRoiUKGoJcM?...
Rufus & Chaka ~ Do You Love What You Feel 1979 Disco Purrfection Version
YouTube video by DJDiscoCat
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July 1945 wasn't the end of the war. But if you listened closely to America's jukeboxes and radios, you could hear people beginning to believe the end was finally in sight. open.substack.com/pub/tomsnumb...
Tomβs Number Ones July 31, 1945
The Soundtrack of a Nation Ready for Peace
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Some people deserve forgiveness. That doesn't mean they deserve another key to your front door. open.substack.com/pub/lotuspur...
You Keep Calling It Forgiveness. I Keep Calling It Good Judgment.
Letting go doesnβt require letting someone back in
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Two weeks is an eternity on the internet. The fact that we're still talking about Jimothy might be telling us something we need to hear. open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
We Needed Jimothy More Than Jimothy Needed Us
Why an oddly shaped raccoon became Americaβs favorite break from itself.
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πΆ #TomsDailyDanceJam Some songs don't wait for nostalgia. The DJ hits play, and suddenly you're back under colored lights, surrounded by people who came to dance instead of stare at their phones. "When I Hear Music" β Debbie Deb youtu.be/bV4EHlthLEM?...
Debbie Deb β When I Hear Music 1983
YouTube video by DJ FLIK
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One movie soundtrack ruled the Hot 100. One R&B classic was still a week away from No. 1. And rock was on the verge of changing forever. Here's what America was listening to during one remarkable week in the summer of 1991. open.substack.com/pub/tomsnumb...
One Week Before Everything Changed
The last great snapshot of pop, R&B, country, dance, and rock before the 1990s took a sharp turn
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