“Anna” by Will Butler (2015)

Dad’s Song of the Day #82, Nov. 19, 2025

For Mom’s birthday, I figured that it would be fun and cool and romantic to find a song called “Anna,” which could be a really nice and thoughtful (and super cheap) birthday present…

Okay, here’s the first 10 songs from a Spotify search for songs called “Anna”. I’ll listen to each and review for suitability and then decide the DSOTD decision at the end (it’ll be a surprise to all of us!).

1. “Anna” by Joshua Sloan: The very first line is, “She doesn’t even like me”…next…

2. “Anna (Go to Him)” by The Beatles: The bracketed words would appear to make this a non-starter…next…(btw, this is the only song on this list that I’ve ever heard of before)

3. “Anna” by The Metzingers: Another broken-relationship-with-someone-named-Anna song…next…

4. “Anna” by Nicotine Dolls: Not bad…sounds like a Springsteen song if the Boss had his balls in a vice…in the running…

5. “Anna” by Pure: This one rocks and I love the guitar tones…sounds like a grunged-up Oasis…however, the defining line of the song is “Anna’s a speed freak,” which mom might not get the irony…my favourite so far…in the running

6. “Anna” by APO Hiking Society: I swear to God, if you had a mid-80s sitcom called “Anna,” look no further for a theme song…Filipino group…pure pop fluff…I kinda dig how joy-saturated it sounds…strangely, in the running

7. “Oh, Anna” by Dasha: Pure contemporary country…It’s both unobjectionable and uninteresting to me…next…

8, “Anna” by Will Butler: Very 80s new wave sound…Very much the type of thing I’d get into during my college days…I love the keyboards in this…This guy is in Arcade Fire…Definitely in the running.

9. “Anna” by Camp Cope: Languid and draggy…I’m having a real issue with this singer’s voice (very screamy!)…First line is, “She packed all her bags and went on her way”…What is it with all these Anna-wants-out songs?!?!…next…

10. “Anna” by Nicolai Tal and “Anna” by Lin: Both of these are versions of the same track from Studio Ghibli’s, “When Marnie was There”…too ambient…not a real song.

…remember to call your Mom!

Spotify:

YouTube: NOTE: On seeing this, I realize that this “Anna” must have been something of a big deal…what with Emma Stone and all…

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This series is for my two 19-year-olds, who moved off to school with the misguided belief they’d escaped their dad’s relentless nostalgia and monopolization of the car stereo. I’m very happy for anyone else to come along for the ride.

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The Spotify playlist for Dad’s Song of the Day is located here: