Steve Winwood, Sept. 20

I have firmly entered the “middle-aged dad intentionally playing music at my kids in the car” phase. For the most part, I try to play it cool—when Metallica and Gorillaz both made their way to Fortnite, it led to some mild suggestions and tepid appreciation from my 9-year-old. When I was in the back seat during the early ’90s, my dad’s tape collection was modest. He had an appreciation for period-appropriate classic rock—Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, and, of course, Steve Winwood. Unsurprisingly, the tape in the greatest rotation was 1986’s Back in the High Life, Winwood’s biggest record that went on to sell more than 3 million copies. But Winwood’s masterstroke is “Valerie,” a song that I still breathlessly shout along with every time it comes on. What did I know

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