Today is Ione Skye’s 40th birthday.  Many people may remember her as the actress who was on the receiving end of John Cusack’s boombox serenade in the 1989 film Say Anything.  That’s one of her connections to popular music.  The even bigger one is that she is the daughter of 1960s pop star Donovan, who is most remembered for his hits “Sunshine Superman” and “Mellow Yellow.”

Ione’s also not alone as the daughter of a famous pop star celebrating a birthday today.  Singer and actress Nona Gaye, the daughter of Marvin Gaye, turns 36 today.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl6yilkU1LI

I was driving home today and one of those retro-stations was having a Labor Day 1980s music flashback weekend. The DJ had just introduced Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” and as the music started playing, I imagined rap over it. I starting contemplating what tunes need to have a fresh take on them and this would be a good contender. The slow melodic guitar riff of Chapman’s hit seemed to beckon for Kayne West or B.O.B. to lace a rhyme over it. Would the music from “Fast Car” be a good background for a hip-hop song?