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Pixies have announced reissues for their albums ‘Bossanova’ and ‘Trompe Le Monde’, with unreleased new tracks.

• READ MORE: Pixies tell us about tackling zombies on their new album – and reunion advice for Oasis

The Boston indie legends are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, and have already announced a reissue for their ‘Complete B-Sides: 1988-97′ compilation album, which will be out on June 26 and can be pre-ordered here.

The band are currently on a UK and European tour this summer, details of which you can find below, and now they have confirmed that their third and fourth albums will be getting the full reissue treatment too.

1990’s ’Bossanova’ and 1991’s ‘Trompe Le Monde’ have been remastered by Kevin Vanbergen, who has been working through the band’s tape archive to create new Dolby Atmos mixes and high-resolution masters.

For the first time, four new tracks will be released – ‘Go Man Go’, ‘Brackish Boy’, ‘Punk Loop’ and an alternate version of ‘Dig For Fire’ recorded by Steve Albini in late 1987 during the sessions for ‘Surfer Rosa’.





‘Go Man Go’ was written by Black Francis and Kim Deal and was recorded in the sessions for both ‘Bossanova’ and The Breeders’ ‘Last Splash’ but did not make the cut for either, while ‘Brackish Boy’ was later included on Frank Black’s eponymous debut solo album. ‘Punk Loop’ emerged from the 1991 ‘Trompe Le Monde’ sessions.

The reissues will be available on CD, digital and standard black vinyl formats, as well as a limited-edition oxblood vinyl package for ‘Bossanova’, with a 16-page, 10” replica of the original UK booklet, and a sky blue vinyl for ‘Trompe Le Monde’. Both will come with 7” singles containing the bonus tracks. Pre-order each format here.

Pixies’ UK and European headline tour is already underway, with dates still to come in Germany, Italy, Netherlands and more. See all of the dates here and find any remaining tickets here.


Later this month, they will play a huge UK outdoor gig at On The Mount at Wasing, while festival dates include a headlining slot at Bearded Theory, an appearance at NOS Alive in Portugal, and a spot at the 10th anniversary edition of Mad Cool in Madrid. Find tickets here.

Their ninth and latest studio album, ‘The Night The Zombies Came’, was released in 2024. Speaking to NME around that time, the group discussed the possibility of performing more of their classic albums in full on tour after doing so with ‘Trompe le Monde’ and ‘Bossanova’.

“As a fan, I love those things,” said Joey Santiago. “We went to ‘Aja’, the Steely Dan show. It’s incredible knowing that it’s going to be all of ‘Aja’ and right behind me were all the drummers – Danny [Carey] from Tool, Josh Freese, Pat Wilson were all behind me watching it.

“I’m just saying Steely Dan’s cool…The only thing about doing it in order is that Charles and I have to switch guitars. So there’s a lot of that going on, so it disrupts the show a little bit. But we like doing it.”

The post Pixies announce ‘Bossanova’ and ‘Trompe le Monde’ reissues with unreleased tracks appeared first on NME.

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Underscores has hit out at Houston venue Meow Wolf hours before a gig there, describing them as “misogynistic”.

• READ MORE: Underscores: the hyperpop satirist refusing to regress

The hyperpop musician and former NME Cover star, real name April Harper Grey, is currently on the road in the US in support of her third studio album ‘U’, which was released in March.

On Saturday night, the tour arrived in Houston for a show at Meow Wolf, but before the show, she took to her Instagram Stories to explain to fans that she would not be able to bring her normal level of production to the venue for reasons that she said we beyond her control.

“Full disclosure,” she wrote. “We won’t have full production tonight as the venue can’t accommodate it. They’ve honestly been very difficult to work with and have either been rude, misogynistic to my team or just don’t know what’s going on.”

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“Still doing the show as planned but wanted to apologise in advance,” she continued. “I’ll make sure to come back to Houston next time with full production.”

In a later post, she clarified that the “general venue staff” had been “very nice” and “accommodating” to her, and said the problems had been coming from “upper management”.

NME has contacted Meow Wolf for comment.

Underscores is also coming to the UK and Europe later this year, with shows in Dublin, Glasgow, Leeds, London and Manchester in November. Find the full list of dates here and find any remaining tickets here.

Underscores spoke to NME’s Alex Rigotti in March, discussing how the fascination with fame expressed in her music led to self-monitoring own life. “I’ve always scrutinised myself like I was famous,” she said. “I’ve always been like, ‘someone’s gonna pick my life apart to pieces someday, so I need to prepare for that’. But obviously some of that is some mental shit.”

‘U’ received a five-star review from NME, with writer Otis Robinson concluding: “More Black Mirror than Twin Peaks, ‘U’ is an intimate hyperpop record portraying snowballing isolation, a digital-age pop star’s yearning under the limelight of the techno-infused Anthropocene.”

The post Underscores hits out at “misogynistic” Houston venue Meow Wolf appeared first on NME.

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ok so i was listening to the radio earlier and heard like three songs in a row that mentioned time or watches and it got me thinking... why is time such a big theme in music? like sure its universal and all but its not like anyone is actually listening to the lyrics about it right? or maybe they are and im just not paying attention. anyway i feel like analog watches get a bad rep in modern stuff cause everyone assumes youre either a hipster or old if you wear one but honestly theyre just better like sure your phone tells time too but its not the same vibe. also it feels weird that so many songs lean on metaphors about time running out or ticking clocks when half the time (ha) its just filler lyrics. ngl idk maybe im overthinking it but next time you hear a song about time just think about how many people are actually wearing a watch while they listen probably not many...

Before its shortened Saturday, the 2026 edition of Governors Ball kicked off Friday (6/5) at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Lorde, returning to the festival for the first time since 2017 (when she played a little earlier in the afternoon), closed out the night, beginning her set with the live debut of an unreleased song. She ended her set with “Ribs,” coming down offstage to sing right to fans at the barricade. Friday at Governors Ball also featured Baby Keem, Katseye, The Beths, Pierce the Veil, Turnover, The Dare, King Princess, Confidence Man, Audrey Hobert, and more. See photos (most are by Toby Tenenbaum, Turnover photos are by Charles Reagan and Lorde photos are by Okaynicolita, Roger Ho, and Charles Regan) below.

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

Audrey Hobert (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Audrey Hobert (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Audrey Hobert (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Audrey Hobert (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Audrey Hobert (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Audrey Hobert (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Audrey Hobert (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Confidence Man (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Confidence Man (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Confidence Man (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Confidence Man (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

King Princess (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

King Princess (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

The Dare (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

The Dare (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

The Dare (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

The Dare (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

The Dare (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

Turnover (photo by Charles Reagan)

Turnover (photo by Charles Reagan)

Pierce the Veil (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Pierce the Veil (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Pierce the Veil (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Pierce the Veil (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Pierce the Veil (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Pierce the Veil (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

The Beths (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

The Beths (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

The Beths (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

The Beths (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

The Beths (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Katseye (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Baby Keem (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Baby. Keem (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Baby Keem (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Baby. Keem (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Baby Keem (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Baby Keem (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Baby Keem (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Baby Keem (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Baby Keem (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

Lorde (photo by Okay Nicolita)

Lorde (photo by Roger Ho)

Lorde (photo by Charles Reagan)
Check out pictures from Saturday at Governors Ball here.

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Gorillaz were introduced at Primavera Sound by Palestinian activist Aarab Barghouti, the son of imprisoned politician Marwan Barghouti.

• READ MORE: Gorillaz – ‘The Mountain’ review: a world-building ode to death and starting over

Damon Albarn and co. played on the Barcelona festival’s Estrella Damm stage on Saturday night (June 6) and invited Barghouti to give a speech to open their set.

The activist’s father has served as an elected legislator in Palestine and has been tipped as a potential future leader, but he has been imprisoned by Israel since 2002 after being convicted on charges related to deadly attacks during the Second Intifada. He has consistently denied responsibility for those attacks and rejected the legitimacy of the Israeli court that tried him.

At Primavera, Aarab Barghouti said from the stage: “My father is one of 10,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, but for millions of Palestinians he represents something that Israel cannot imprison: hope.”

Gorillaz were introduced at Primavera Sound by Aarab Barghouti, a Palestinian activist and son of imprisoned Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti.

: reddit pic.twitter.com/nj0KoCT7Ko

— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) June 7, 2026

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“Hope that Palestinian children will grow up in peace,” he continued. “Freedom won in South Africa, in Ireland, and in Algeria, because people like you refused to look away, refused to give up. So keep fighting for Palestine, for Gaza, and for justice.”

Massive Attack were scheduled to play at Primavera on Thursday night (June 4) but their set was one of those cancelled due to extreme weather.

The group’s Robert Del Naja posted an image of himself with Barghouti backstage at the festival, however, and noted: “The one moment of light during the Primavera storm was sharing time with our guest Arab Barghouti, who we’d invited to speak on behalf of his father Marwan to appeal for his release.”

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Albarn has been outspoken on Palestinian rights consistently in recent years and appeared at the Together For Palestine show in London last September, organised by Brian Eno. He played a medley of Palestinian traditional songs with the London Arab Orchestra and the Juzour Dance Collective, while Gorillaz later played ‘Damascus’, which went on to be included on their recent album ‘The Mountain’.

In other Gorillaz news, they recently announced their first ever shows in India, to take place in January 2027. The country’s musical and spiritual traditions were huge influences on ‘The Mountain’.

Albarn also confirmed he is scoring Luca Guadagnino’s OpenAI movie about the founders of ChatGPT, titled Artificial. Speaking about the technology, he said: “Once it becomes easy, it’s meaningless. In a way, it’s the things you don’t see or hear that make it art. It’s a weird intuition that the listener has that picks up on the journey that the artist has been through to make that particular thing with the tone of the voice, etc. You can’t replace that.”

The post Gorillaz introduced at Primavera Sound by Palestinian activist Aarab Barghouti appeared first on NME.

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Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten joined Kneecap for a performance of ‘Better Way To Live’ at Primavera Sound – watch below.

• READ MORE: Chilli Jesson and Carlos O’Connell tell us about ‘Dead Dads Club’, fatherhood and losing a parent, and Fontaines D.C.’s 2026 plans

The Belfast rap trio played on the Occident Stage at the Barcelona festival at 1am on Saturday night (June 6) and brought out their friend and collaborator Chatten for a rendition of the 2023 single together.

Released as the lead track from Kneecap’s debut album ‘Fine Art’, ‘Better Way To Live’ is, in the band’s words, about “finding that little spark of joy in the monotony”, and Chatten reprised his guest vocals for the festival appearance.

Watch footage of the performance here:

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While on site at the Parc del Fòrum, Chatten made the most of the music on offer and was spotted rocking out during The Cure’s two-and-a-half hour set on Thursday night (June 4), their first live show in more than 18 months.

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Chatten and Kneecap have played ‘Better Way To Live’ live together before, including on Ireland’s Late Late Show in February 2024, during Kneecap’s Glastonbury 2024 set on the Peace Stage, in London’s Finsbury Park last summer and in Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park a few weeks later.

Chatten has consistently defended Kneecap during their legal battles in recent years too, describing the terror charge against Mo Chara “a witch hunt” last year. “That’s fairly plain to see to anyone who has a discerning eye,” he said. “I stand by their side, and I’m totally unafraid to do so. I think all of us are.”

His bandmate Deego told NME last year that he agreed with that take, saying: “I think it’s amazing what they stand up for…I think that it is a witch hunt. They’re trying to make an example of them, clearly.”



Fontaines are making their live return with three shows in Spain this summer, ahead of their headline slots at Reading & Leeds and Electric Picnic. Their first shows since last August will be in Cadiz, Alicante and Pamplona in August and you can find any remaining tickets here.

Kneecap, meanwhile, released their second album ‘Fenian’ last month and entered the chart at Number Two, the highest ever UK chart position for an Irish language album. They have donated all earnings from the album’s sales to charities supporting the Palestinian people and Irish community groups.

The album was given a four-and-a-half-star review from NME, which read: “Put all the rage-bait headlines aside and what you’re left with is a solid, progressive and fearless album from a group that could just as easily be dicking around instead of making music that matters. In that sense at least, their day has come.”

The post Watch Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten join Kneecap on stage and rock out to The Cure at Primavera Sound 2026 appeared first on NME.

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Bruce Springsteen was joined by Bon Jovi, Public Enemy and others at a star-studded New Jersey event – see footage below.

• READ MORE: ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ review: a bruising boss of a biopic

The two-day concert series was thrown for the opening of the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey this week (June 4 and 5). The institution officially opens on June 13.

The shows celebrated 250 years of American music, with the first night focusing on pioneering artists such as Robert Johnson, Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, while the second saw performances of songs by Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Dion and Public Enemy.

The latter two artists were on hand, as were Darlene Love, Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, Nils Lofgren and Gary Clark Jr., while Little Steven’s Disciples of Soul served as the house band.



Springsteen covered Presley’s ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and ‘Burnin’ Love’ and joined Sheryl Crow for Bob Dylan’s ‘I Shall Be Released’ and Gary Clark Jr. for Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland’s ‘Further Up The Road’. Jon Bon Jovi then took to the stage for a version of Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny B. Goode’, his first time singing in his home state since 2018.



Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne and Public Enemy joined forces for a rendition of Eddie Floyd’s ‘Raise Your Hand’, while Springsteen brought the show to a close with a solo version of ‘Land Of Hope And Dreams’.

“My God,” Springsteen told the crowd. “At 19, I was on this campus…not going to school. But played here on the steps over at the big building they have over there. If you had told me then, in 1969, that anything like this would ever, ever occur, I would’ve said, ‘You are out of your fuckin’ mind, my friend’.”


Springsteen has playing on his ‘Land Of Hope And Dreams’ tour in recent months, using his time on stage to mount criticisms of the Donald Trump regime. It was prompted by the killing of two Minneapolis citizens by ICE agents earlier in the year, with the Boss saying that US citizens are “living through some very dark times” as the “American values that have sustained us for 250 years are being challenged as never before”.

In response, Trump has labelled Springsteen as a “pushy, obnoxious JERK” and a “dried out prune of a rocker”, although the musician took a principled stand in the wake of a recent assassination attempt on the President.

The post Watch Bruce Springsteen joined by Bon Jovi, Public Enemy and others at star-studded New Jersey show appeared first on NME.

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While the second day of Governors Ball 2026 wasn’t exactly a wash, severe weather cut the festival short, with a number of sets nixed, including Kali Uchis, Amyl and the Sniffers and Blood Orange, while Stray Kids and Major Lazer played earlier than they were originally scheduled. Pre-storm temperatures hit 90°, making things very sweltering.

GovBall have announced that Blood Orange has now been added to Sunday’s lineup and set times have been adjusted to accommodate:

We appreciate your patience as we had to make some difficult scheduling decisions tonight due to the incoming weather. Safety remains our top priority but we understand that some of these decisions were disappointing to many of you.

In an effort to remedy the situation, we have some good news to share! We are thrilled to announce that Blood Orange has graciously agreed to come back to perform tomorrow, 6/7 at 4pm on the Snapchat Stage. The Sunday schedule has been updated, so please check it out before heading to the park tomorrow.

And more good news: Both the Box Office and Gates will open early tomorrow. Box Office at 10am, Gates at 11am.

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Sunday’s lineup includes A$AP Rocky, Geese, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist, Hot Mulligan, Japanese Breakfast, Slayyyter, Fuckers, Dominic Fike, and more. Check out the updated Sunday GovBall lineup below, and stay tuned for pictures from days one and two.

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“In a tuxedo, I’m a star. In regular clothes, I’m a nobody.” So said Dean Martin, a man of many faces. Velvet-voiced crooner of some of the best songs of the 20th century. Hollywood movie icon. Genial TV show host. Wise-cracking comedian. Golden Globe winner. Welterweight boxer. Celluloid secret agent Matt Helm. The list goes on. Though his accomplishments were many and varied, his jokey demeanor and casual manner often masked the fact that he was a supremely talented all-round entertainer. Debonair Martin didn’t have to try hard to be cool, it came naturally and effortlessly, along with his vocal talent, comedic timing, and good-natured affability.


“It’s Frank’s world, we just live in it,” Martin once famously quipped. Perhaps because of that, some regarded Martin as little more than a satellite orbiting around the shining sun that was Sinatra. But one look at his career stats reveals that he never lived in Ol’ Blues Eyes’ shadow. He appeared in 58 feature movies, hosted 264 episodes of the Golden Globe-winning The Dean Martin Show, and enjoyed more than his fair share of hit records during a storied music career that saw him release 125 singles and 35 studio albums between 1948 and 1985. Since his passing in 1995, Martin hasn’t been forgotten, and his music, which has appeared in countless movie soundtracks in the last 30 years, ranging from Casino to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, has inextricably woven itself into the fabric of popular culture.

Ranging from lush, Italian-style romantic ballads and cool, finger-clicking big band swingers to easy-listening lounge pop and storytelling country and western songs, Martin could do just about anything. Just how versatile he was is reflected in the songs highlighted below, a mixture of familiar signature songs, fan favorites, and some overlooked gems. They are all rendered with the cool panache that became synonymous with the singer whom Sinatra once described as “the best partner I ever had.”

Looking for the best Dean Martin songs? Order Dean Martin’s Greatest Hits on vinyl now.

Rising to the top​

Born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1917, Dean Martin was the son of an Italian barber who arrived in America four years earlier and married a local Italian-American girl. Music captured young Dino’s attention at an early age, but when he quit school at ten, claiming he knew more than his teachers, pursuing a music career seemed the last thing on his mind. As a teenager, he went through many unfulfilling jobs, from being a drugstore soda jerk to a gas station pump jockey. He also bootlegged liquor on the side, and earned a few dollars as an amateur welterweight boxer under the alias “Kid Crochet.”

Martin’s career path changed to music when he worked as a blackjack croupier at a local gambling joint. Relaxing after work at Walker’s Cafe, he was overheard singing by bandleader Ernie McKay, who was struck by Martin’s smooth Bing Crosby-influenced baritone croon and offered him $50 a week to sing with his band. Adopting the stage name Dino Martini, Martin was quickly poached by another bandleader Sammy Watkins, who signed him to a ten-year contract and persuaded him to become Dean Martin. He cut his first record, “Which Way Did My Heart Go,” a single for Diamond Records, before joining Capitol Records in 1948. By then, Martin had also teamed up with comedian Jerry Lewis to create a slapstick double-act. Their growing popularity rapidly saw them go from nightclubs to radio broadcasts, TV, and eventually, movies. Martin had already begun his ascent as a popular solo artist before they split in 1956. By 1962, when he joined Frank Sinatra’s Reprise label, Dean Martin – already a pop idol and bankable movie star – was the undisputed king of cool.

Dean Martin’s biggest songs​

Dean Martin racked up an incredible 56 US hit singles between 1949 and 1985. The biggest of them all was 1964’s “Everybody Loves Somebody.” Martin originally recorded the song with a jazz quartet for his fifth Reprise album, Dream With Dean, before re-recording a more upbeat single version with strings and syrupy background vocals. It became his most successful song, toppling The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” from the US No. 1 spot. In 2024, proof of the song’s undying popularity came when “Everybody Loves Somebody” was certified platinum.

Martin’s first international No. 1 single was 1953’s “That’s Amore” which rose to the top spot in Australia; it hit No. 2 in the US and UK. Martin first sang it in The Caddy, his 1953 movie with Jerry Lewis before cutting it for a Capitol EP Sunny Italy. A go-to entry in Martin’s canon, it has appeared on the soundtrack to several movies, including 1987’s Cher-starring Moonstruck.


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Recorded the same year, “Sway (Quien Sera)” was also a big hit in Australia, reaching No. 1. Co-written by the Mexican bandleader Pablo Beltrán Ruiz, the infectious track framed Martin’s silken voice with swooning violins and a Latin-style bolero-meets-mambo groove.

Two years later, Martin scored his biggest 50s smash with “Memories Are Made Of This,” a nostalgic ode first recorded by US pop chanteuse, Mindy Carson. Featuring the tune’s composers – Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller – singing background vocals behind Martin’s immaculate velour croon under the name The Easy Riders, the song reached No. 1 in the US, UK, and Australia in 1956.


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Any discussion of Martin’s biggest hits must also include “Volare (Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu),” his swinging remake of Italy’s 1958 Eurovision Song Contest entry by its co-writer Domenico Modugno. “Volare” topped the US magazine Cashbox’s chart and peaked at No. 2 in the UK where Martin enjoyed a large, enthusiastic fanbase.

Dino The Swinger​

Few would dispute that Dean Martin’s forte was wrapping his caressing croon around luxurious romantic ballads. With his smooth velvety tone, he built his career on slower numbers, but he showed in 1960 via an exciting collaboration with Sinatra’s famed arranger, Nelson Riddle, that he was more than comfortable singing alongside a swinging, horn-heavy big band.

The pinnacle of Martin’s satisfying dalliance with big band swing was the gloriously punchy “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head,” where the singer sounded cooler than a Scotch on the rocks. Recorded during sessions for the Riddle-arranged LP This Time I’m Swingin’, the song appeared in the soundtrack to the 1960 Rat Pack movie Ocean’s 11. Capitol released it as a non-album single but the tune flopped. In later years “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head” grew in stature, seen as a quintessential Martin tune.


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From the same recording session came Martin’s pitch-perfect versions of the standards “Just In Time” and “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,” the latter a cover of a 1946 hit for its co-writer Russ Morgan. Both cuts had Vegas showroom-style razzamatazz, and this was even more apparent on the 1962 Dean Martin song, “Baby-O,” a hilarious playboy anthem arranged by Neal Hefti with echoes of “Mack The Knife” in its vocal phrasing and addictive rhythms.

Dino The Cowboy​

As a child, Dean Martin avidly watched cowboy movies and, according to his daughter Deana, loved listening to country music. “He talked about country music all the time,” she remembered. “Country songs really appealed to him. He would say, ‘They just feel right, as if you’re singing from your soul.’”

In 1956, Martin realized a childhood dream by starring in his first Western, Pardners, with Jerry Lewis but his first serious cowboy role was in 1959’s Rio Bravo opposite John Wayne. Martin crooned the film’s plaintive title song but it was his evocative rendition of “My Rifle, My Pony, and Me” – accompanied by a lonesome harmonica, a male chorus, and soft guitar chords – that caught most people’s ears. The Western Writers of America voted the tune one of the all-time Top 100 Western songs.


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After joining Reprise in 1963, he donned a Stetson, morphed into Dean “Tex” Martin, and cut Country Style, the first of many full-length country-inflected albums. One of his most famous country tunes was 1967’s “Little Ole Wine Drinker, Me,” rendered in a style dubbed “countrypolitan,” a hybrid of big-city pop and Hollywood’s take on Nashville music. In a similar vein was 1965’s “Houston,” a track with twangy guitar and howling harmonica penned by Lee Hazlewood. Martin’s leisurely version strolled to No. 21 on the US Hot 100.

Martin’s biggest success with country music, however, came in 1969 with the smooth makeover he gave to Glen Campbell’s Grammy-winning 1968 hit “Gentle On My Mind.” A modest chart entry in the US, in the UK, Martin’s version proved a surprise smash, rocketing to No. 2.

Dean Martin’s Italian Songs​

With its sumptuous velour contours, Dean Martin possessed a voice that could reduce the hardest-hearted Mafioso to tears. Especially when he sang sentimental Italian ballads. Several of his early singles – including his playful 1955 take on Rosemary Clooney’s “Mambo Italiana” – emphasized his Italian roots but in 1962, he devoted an album to songs from the “old country.”

Reaffirming his connection to his musical heritage, Dino: Italian Love Songs contained the cheerily romantic “On An Evening In Roma (Sott’er Celo de Roma),” whose arrangement featured an accordion, which added a touch of Roman atmosphere. Two of Martin’s finest Italian-style songs were non-album singles from 1962: the pleading “From The Bottom Of My Heart (Dammi Dammi Dammi),” and the dreamily luminous “Senza Fine,” featuring one of Martin’s most sensuous vocal performances as a balladeer.


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The Christmas Classics​

Dean Martin’s vocal idol Bing Crosby pioneered the now-commonplace Christmas album, which was an innovation that blossomed with the introduction of the 33 rpm LP in 1948. One of the highlights of Martin’s first Christmas album, 1959’s A Winter Romance, was his inimitable refashioning of the Yuletide evergreen, “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.” His version has become the signature take. Also included on the album: Dino playfully finding his way through Frank Loesser’s “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” In 1966, the singer released a second Holiday long-player, The Dean Martin Christmas Album, whose standout was a glistening interpretation of “Silver Bells” enlivened by candy-cane strings and glowing choral harmonies.


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Dean Martin’s Legacy​

When Dean Martin passed on Christmas Day 1995, the world lost one of its most distinctive and immediately recognizable voices. Behind the easy-going playboy persona he created for the public was a hard-working husband and father. Though he was a bonafide Hollywood movie star and ubiquitous TV personality, it was as a singer that he perhaps resonated most. From lush romantic ballads and glitzy big-band pizzazz to polished MOR and catchy country-pop excursions, the best Dean Martin songs reflect the easy-on-the-ear charm of a singer who found the perfect balance between a natural, unpretentious self-assuredness and urbane sophistication. Or what some people might call “cool.”

Looking for the best Dean Martin songs? Order Dean Martin’s Greatest Hits on vinyl now.

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mine was this pack of "smart" sticky notes that are supposedly reusable but i have no idea how to actually reuse them without ruining the adhesive?? now theyre just sitting on my desk looking sad lol... also yesterday i bought a book about obscure 17th century marine chronometers because of course i did... like i dont even know why i thought i needed that but here we are what about you guys?? anything you bought recently that made you go “why did i think this was necessary”?? haha