Pacific Street Blues & Americana

Pacific St Blues
(Part 2 of 2)

23. Slash Shemekia Copeland Bonamassa / When Love Comes to Town 
24. B. B. King / Bad Case of Love 
25. Blackberry Smoke / Running with the Pack (feat Paul Rodgers) 
26. Dirty Honey / Rock Steady 
27. Christone Kingfish Ingram / 
28. The Black Crowes / Profane Prophecy 
29. Sean Chambers / Brown Sugar 
30. Sebastian Lane / Floatin' Away 
31. Al Green / Everybody Hurts
32. Mike Farris / Before There Was You and I 
33. Bywater Call / Only 
34. Dave Alvin / Albuquerque

Pacific Street Blues & Americana
February 1, 2026 

1. Tinsley Ellis / Too Broke 
2. Carolina Chocolate Drops / You Baby Ain't Sweet Like Mine 
3. Bukka White / Jelly Roll Man 
4. Chris Thomas King / Baptized in Dirty Water
5. Lucinda Williams / How Much Did you Get for Your Soul 
6. Tedeschi Trucks Band / I Got You 
7. Joanne Shaw Taylor / Hell or High Water
8. Joe Bonamassa / Hanging on a Loser 
9. Darlene Love / Night Closing In 
10. Bruce Springsteen / Galveston Bay 
11. Betty LaVette / Streets of Philadelphia
12. David Bowie / Saint in the City 
13. Reese Wynans / Say What
14. Bonnie Raitt / Pride & Joy 
15. Bill Carter w/ Stevie Ray Vaughan / Na Na Ne Na Nay 
16. Jimmie Vaughan / She's Got the Blues for Sale 
17. Tab Benoit . For What It's Worth 
18. Darcie Miner / Ohio 
19. Bruce Springsteen / Streets of Minneapolis
20. John Mellencamp / Authority Song 
21. Derek and the Dominoes / Got to Get Better in a Little While 
22. Fabulous Thunderbirds / My Babe

Understanding "Streets of Minneapolis"

With Springsteen's latest single reaching #1 in 19 countries, we're witnessing a significant cultural moment. I'm proposing an exploration of the controversial, "Streets of Minneapolis"—examining it within a powerful American musical tradition that stretches back over eight decades.

A Tradition of Musical Commentary

This story begins in 1944, when Woody Guthrie (not Arlo—Woody was his father) wrote "This Land Is Your Land" as a response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America." What seemed like competing patriotic songs represented something deeper: different visions of what it means to love your country. Berlin offered celebration; Guthrie offered reflection—including verses about inequality and hardship that rarely get sung today.

Guthrie embraced a form of patriotism rooted in the Declaration of Independence—one that believes loving your country includes acknowledging where it falls short of its ideals. Writing during World War II and the aftermath of the Depression, Guthrie demonstrated how music could both honor and challenge the nation simultaneously.

How Music Reaches Us Differently

That approach influenced Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan—artists who discovered that songs could communicate social commentary to audiences who might not engage with traditional political discourse. A three-minute song on the radio could spark reflection in ways other media couldn't.

Consider "Born in the U.S.A." How many of us have heard it as a celebration when Springsteen wrote it, in Guthrie's tradition, as a pointed critique of how America treats its veterans? Forty years later, it's still frequently misunderstood—even used at political rallies in ways that contradict its message. This pattern raises important questions about how we engage with art.

When Music Captures a Moment

In 1970, after the Ohio National Guard killed four students at Kent State University, Neil Young wrote "Ohio" almost immediately. Released by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young within weeks, the radio-friendly song brought that tragedy into millions of homes, forcing a national conversation.

What "Streets of Minneapolis" Asks of Us

"Streets of Minneapolis" follows in this tradition—echoing "Ohio" across five decades. Like those earlier songs, it's not primarily about comfort; it's about bearing witness and prompting reflection.

The question worth considering: Will we engage with what the song is actually saying, or will it become another anthem whose meaning gets lost over time?

An Invitation to Listen Thoughtfully.
An opportunity to make your own decisions.

This isn't about taking political sides. It's about recognizing a form of patriotism that asks something of us—the kind that believes loving your country includes honest examination of difficult moments.

Hosts: Rick Galusha & Mike Olson

Kate Smith / God Bless America (1939)
Woody Guthrie / This Land is Your Land (1940) 
Carter Family / The World's On Fire (1925) 
Bruce Springsteen / Born in the USA (1984) [Nebraska] 
Neil Young / Ohio (1970) 
Bruce Springsteen / Streets of Minneapolis (2026) 
Norah Jones / American Anthem

19. Derek and the Dominos / Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad
20. Stevie Ray Vaughan / Willie the Wimp
21. Sebastian Lane / Floating Away
22. Gary Clark, Jr. ? This is Who We Are 
23. Joe Bonamassa & George Benson /  There Must Be a Better World Somewhere
24. Joanne Shaw Taylor / Scraps Vignette 
25. Gary Moore / Walking By Myself
26. Rory Gallagher / Calling Card 
27. Free / Wishing Well 
28. The Pretty Reckless / All Right Now 
29. The Face / Silicon Growth 
30. Black Crowes / 99 Pounds 
31. Sass Jordan / Do What You Want 
32. The Rolling Stones / Rough Justice 
33. Aerosmith / Hangman Jury

Pacific St Blues & Americana
January 25, 2026

1. Jeff Beck / Stratus (Billy Cobham, Spectrum)
2. Tommy Bolin / 
3. The Third Mind / Groovin' is Easy 
4. Mike Zito & Sonny Landreth / Fortunate Son 
5. Janiva Magnus / Lodi 
6. John Fogerty / Almost Saturday Night 
7. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers / Don't Bring Me Down (The Animals) 
8. Eric Gales / You Shouldn't Have Left Me
9. Carl Weathersby / Come to Papa
10. Lyle Lovett & Keb Mo / Till it Shines
11. Bob Seger / Busload of Faith (Lou Reed) 
12. Koko Taylor / Come to Mama 
13. Etta James / Steal Away 
14. Janis Joplin . Raise Your Hand 
15. Mike Farris / Precious Lord 
16. Gretchen Wilson / Sunday Morning Coming Down 
17. Syl Johnson / Me and Bobby McGhee
18. JJ Cale / Cocaine