Little Richard's Life In 10 Songs

05/11/20 • 51 min

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On this special edition of All Songs Considered, we look back at the life of rock and roll pioneer Little Richard through 10 of the defining songs of his career.
NPR Music Senior Director Lauren Onkey joins host Bob Boilen as they play singles from the early '50s up through his 1970 album, The Rill Thing.

1. "Tutti Frutti" (1955)
2. "Long Tall Sally (The Thing)" (1956)
3. "Get Rich Quick" (1952)
4. "Slippin' and Slidin' (Peepin' and Hidin')" (1956)
5. "The Girl Can't Help It" (1956)
6. "Lucille" (1957)
7. "Keep A Knockin' " (1957)
8. "Every Time I Feel The Spirit" (1960)
9. "I Don't Know What You've Got" (1965)
10. "Freedom Blues" (1970)

Previous Episode

New Music Friday: May 8

Our shortlist of the best new albums out this week includes a debut solo release from Paramore's Hayley Williams, the latest from R&B singer Kehlani, rapper Bishop Nehru and more.
Featured Albums:
1. Hayley Williams — Petals For Armor
Featured Song: "Simmer"
2. Blake Mills — Mutable Set
Featured Song: "Money is the One True God"
3. Buscabulla — Regresa
Featured Song: "Mío"
4. Mark Lanegan — Straight Songs of Sorrow
Featured Song: "This Game of Love"
5. Chelsea Williams — Beautiful and Strange
Featured Song: "Beautiful and Strange"
6. Kehlani — It Was Good Until It Wasn't
Featured Song: "Grieving"
7. Eve Owen — Don't Let The Ink Dry
Featured Song: "Mother"
8. Bishop Nehru — Nehruvia: My Disregarded Thoughts
Featured Song: "Too Lost"
9. Cyrillus Kreek — The Suspended Harp of Babel
Featured Song: "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come"
Other notable releases out on May 8: Beauty Pill — Please Advise; Hailee Steinfeld — Half-Written Story; Phenomenal Handclap Band — Do What You Like; Same — Plastic Western; Shakey Graves — Look Alive; Shiner — Schadenfreude.

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Kraftwerk's Remarkable Journey — And Where It Took Us

On this edition of All Songs Considered, we take a musical journey honoring the genius of Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider, who died May 6, just a few days after turning 73.
The German electronic band was like no other in the 1970s, with their pulsing electronic music and songs about the intersection of man and machines. Music writer Geeta Dayal and I play the band's career-defining songs from this group, a foursome that influenced everyone from David Bowie to Prince and '80s new wave while laying the groundwork for electronica and EDM.
1. "Autobahn" from Autobahn (1974)2. "Radioactivity" from Radio-Activity (1975)
3. "Trans-Europe Express" from Trans-Europe Express (1977)4. "Neon Lights" from The Man-Machine (1978)5. "Computer World" from Computer World (1981)
6. "Tour de France" single (1983)