Tupac Shakur performs at the Regal Theater in Chicago in March 1994. Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images. Back in May, rather than covering uplifting songs about how important mothers are, my Mother’s Day column consisted of songs that you should not play at your mom’s party. Since I am fair,…

Tupac Shakur performs at the Regal Theater in Chicago in March 1994. Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images. Back in May, rather than covering uplifting songs about how important mothers are, my Mother’s Day column consisted of songs that you should not play at your mom’s party. Since I am fair,…

Bruce Springsteen, “Only The Strong Survive.” The new Bruce Springsteen record of soul classics is going to be misinterpreted by some. A 73-year-old superstar cashing in on a quick cover record? An old guy making a statement about old music? A fantastically productive songwriting machine for decades running out of gas? Only…

If I’ve gotten one complaint more than any other about this column, it’s literally all of 1979. But aside from that it’s definitely snubbing Pink Floyd. But other than that…OK, there’s a lot of stuff, you all hate me. For the purposes of today’s edition, though, the complaint I’m talking…

“lus,” Illustration: Vivian Shih It’s “love and hate” week at RIFF. We’ve taken on the theme of Valentine’s Day to talk about both sides of love. Today, we asked our writers, photographers and editors about their favorite love songs. Additionally, we’ve partnered with talented artist Vivian Shih, who has illustrated…