Eccentric historical figures to those who are currently out there, black sheep to persons offbeat, songs that express the outsider/insider paradox, this week let’s open our doors to songs about difference
Read morePlaylists: songs about silver and other non-ferrous metals
Things are hotting up at the Song Bar foundry, as guest alchemist TatankaYotanka, filled with treasures from last week’s nominations, smelts up a priceless recipe of musical riches ready to play to you
Read moreShiny, shiny: songs about silver and other non-ferrous metals
Leaving aside gold, steel and iron, let’s dig out songs that lyrically refer, in literal or metaphorical terms to the poetic or practical qualities of silver, copper, brass, tin, aluminium, tungsten, magnesium and much more
Read moreGoing up? Songs about stairs, ladders, steps, elevators or escalators
Steep, sweeping, stone, wood or metal? This week we're exploring how music give us a certain kind of lift – through lyrics that describe all ways to up or down, on foot or via mechanical means, actual or metaphorical
Read morePlaylists, poetry, and polyethylene: songs about plastic
Bakelite to early Bjork, polystyrene to Pink, plastic Jesus to Barbie, this week’s polycarbonates and vinyls come in all shapes from last week’s topic, wrapped in a clever Keats ode by playlist writer EnglishOutlaw
Read moreGot the bottle? The last straw? It's songs about plastic
It’s multi-shaped, everywhere, and incredibly flexible and versatile, but it’s also an eco nightmare. But how is it represented in song? Fake, cheap, inferior, comical, colourful or weirdly fashionable? Time for a straw poll …
Read morePlaylists: songs about staying and remaining
Bowie to Dylan, Sly Stone to Suede, this week’s playlists, picked perfectly by this week’s guest Amylee, from a mountain of timeless nominations, is hanging around here for good, a monument to staying
Read moreJust keep on dancing: songs about staying and remaining
We’re not leaving, but showing endurance, fortitude and steadfastness. There’s a whole lot of staying power going on in this week’s topic, from physical to mental strength …
Read morePlaylists: songs about caves and other subterranean places
A rocky entrance to cool, calm caverns, deadly and beautiful tales of coal miners to digging dwarves, guest playlister takeitawayGuru, inspired by hundred of nominations, takes us on a fantastic underground musical journey
Read moreGoing underground: songs about caves and other subterranean places
This week it's time to dig deep in your record collections for find all things subterranean, whether that's in the beauty of natural geology, to man-made caverns or even the metaphorical underground
Read morePlaylists: songs about nursing and healthcare
Hospital care, pills, patients and patience, we’ve got a musical medicine cabinet of the finest healthcare for you, administered by guest playlist writer Dr Severin and readers nursing great song suggestions
Read moreNotes for the NHS: songs about nursing and healthcare
This week we’re giving it the special treatment to mark the NHS 70th anniversary, but also looking for music that mentions any kind of medical care, especially nursing, and its emotional effect in lyrics
Read morePlaylists: songs about substitutes
Replacements for players, soldiers, husbands, lovers, even robot sex – it’s all going on this these superb playlists chosen by our guest lister Marco den Ouden, who also replaces some of his words with those by nominators
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