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Playlists: songs from musicals that transcend their genre

November 5, 2025 Peter Kimpton

A revolutionary show: Les Misérables (with revolving stage)

The curtain rises and and it’s time fabulous show! Picking from the many nominations from last week’s topic, Marco den Ouden directs a set of playlists of transcedant numbers from over a century of song and dance landmarks

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In music, musicals, musical hall, songs, pop, rock Tags musicals, playlists, songs, Paul Robeson, Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein, Billie Holiday, George Gershwin, Nina Simone, Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley, Patrick Page, Anais Mitchell, Tommy Korberg, Benny Anersson, Bjorn Ulvaus, Tim Rice, Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner, Hugh Masekela, Mbongeni Ngema, Lena Horne, Doris Day, Julie London, Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster, Bobby Troup, Rumi, Andrew Choi, Gordon McRae, Richard Rodgers, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Julie Covington, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Fats Waller, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern, Keenan Wynn, Betty Hutton, Irving Berlin, The Flesh Failures, Gerome Ragni, James Rado, Galt MacDermot, Harve Presnell, Alan J Lerner, Frederick Loewe, Carmen Twillie, Lebo M, Elton John, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel, Ejae, KPop Demon Hunters, Marco den Ouden, Treat Williams, Grand Bush, John DeRobertas, Elaine Page, Barbara Dickson, The Doors, Christopher Lee, Muse, Shirley Bassey, Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mathis, Connee Boswell, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Noelle Cordier, Cecile McClorin Salvant, Marisha Wallace, Marni Nixon, Ramona Davies, Paul Whiteman, Yvonne Elliman, Fred Astaire, Leo Reisman, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Mary Kay Bergman, Robert Lindsay, Maryann Plunkett, Sarah Vaughan, Newkid, Angela Lansbury, Cliff Edwards, Lady Gaga, Eydie Gorme, Wini Shaw, Colm Wilkinson
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Playlists: songs about getting older

October 22, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Paul Kelly: a perennial Song Bar favourite storyteller

Time waits for no one, but many songs are ageless. With perspectives looking back and forward, and many great stories, guest of the week Barbryn picks a fabulous selection inspired by last week’s topic

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Tags songs, playlists, ageing, David Bowie, Sage Francis, Chuck Berry, The Long Blondes, Game Theory, Skyhooks, Hank Williams, Jill Sobule, Amy Rigby, Pulp, Paul Kelly, John Mayer, Lori McKenna, Lee Hazelwood, Matraca Berg, paul simon, The Ramones, Kenickie, Françoise Hardy, Bonny Light Horseman, Dar Williams, Avett Brothers, The Modern Lovers, Eels, Idlewild, Edwin Morgan, The Kinks, George Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Emily Breeze, Frida Hyvönen, Wolf Alice, Barbryn
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Playlists: songs about obscure or unusual colours

September 9, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Into the mix …

Midnight sun to marmalade skies, octarine to racing green, it’s a who’s who of hues - with guest playlister Loud Atlas mixes up inspiration from last week’s topic into something a shade different

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In avant-garde, blues, bossa nova, calypso, classical, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, easy listening, dub, exotica, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, RnB, rock, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, colours, Ken Nordine, Ella Fitzgerald, Taylor Swift, The Beatles, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Claude Debussy, The Mercury Tree, ZZ Top, Black Box Recorder, Blossom Dearie, Tim Minchin, Pérez Prado, Tomoo, Misty, Donovan, Jorge Ben, Altered Images, Cocteau Twins, Adam Bosange, Charles Aznavour, Enya, Manic Street Preachers, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, The Tinkerbells, Vaughn Monroe, Paramore, Yussef Dayes, Tom Misch, Daniel Blumberg, Corinne Bailey Rae, Loud Atlas
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A special shared space: songs about unusual or unexpected friendships

July 17, 2025 Peter Kimpton

A commemorative model of Apollo-Soyuz on 17th July 1975

To commemorate the Apollo-Soyuz space link up, exactly 50 years ago today, on 17th July 1975, let’s celebrate strange, unusual bonds of friendship in song lyrics and shake hands with the unexpected …

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In African, avant-garde, blues, bossa nova, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, metal, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, RnB, rock, rocksteady, samba, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Apollo-Soyuz, space travel, Space, science, history, William Blake, WB Yeats, Henry David Thoreau, Socrates, Somerset Maugham, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Huxley, Abraham Lincoln, A.A. Milne, Russia, America, Alexei Leonov, Thomas Stafford, TS Eliot, Groucho Marx, Ella Fitzgerald, Marilyn Monroe, Helen Keller, Mark Twain, Alexander Graham Bell, Samuel Beckett, André the Giant, animal behaviour, animals
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Playlists: songs about chairs and other sitting furniture

October 15, 2024 Peter Kimpton

On your deck …

Comfort, solitude, danger, voyeurism, power, inspiration, work or versatility? They can mean many things, and inspired by last week's topic, guest DiscoMonster plays marvellous musical chairs that sit across all tastes and styles

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In avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, comedy, disco, drone, easy listening, dub, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, krautrock, jazz, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, chairs, furniture, Ella Fitzgerald, Dolly Parton, Patti Jerome, Regina Spektor, Wet Leg, Gwen McCrae, Bessie Smith, The Natural-Ites, Silvio Rodriguez, Dionne Warwick, The House of Love, Cold Gawd, The Bevis Frond, Dean Friedman, Georgia White, Harry Beckett, Bobby Bland, Underworld, Jenny Wilson, MUTSUMI, Micragirls, DiscoMonster, The Nits, Hoagy Carmichael, Bevis Frond, Jill Sobule, Natural Ites
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Playlists: songs about indecision

March 8, 2023 Peter Kimpton

So, do you want this, or not? Well, let’s see …

Ever felt in two minds? Caught between two stools? Stuck between a rock, pop, and hardcore place? All the wobbles and vacillations about everything in life are expertly and entertainingly captured by guest Olive Butler, chosen from nominations for last week’s topic. But which list will it be?

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags indecision, playlists, songs, Talking Heads, The Who, Janis Joplin, Elvis Costello, French Kicks, Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, Marcel Zanini, Tame Impala, The Heptones, La Sonora Matancera, Dionne Warwick, Peter Hammill, Al Bowlly, Tony Bennett, Heatwave, Wet Leg, The Zombies, The Rolling Stones, The Lovin' Spoonful, Los Bravos, The Three Degrees, The Young Rascals, Simon & Garfunkel, paul simon, The Harptones, Sonny and Cher, The Clovers, Olive Butler
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Playlists: music with ensembles, big bands and orchestras

December 20, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Shadows and light: Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra have all the angles …

Jazz, funk, classical, African, Cuban, Balkan and beyond, this week it all came together beautifully in these fabulously powerful and erudite selections by guest of the week Nilpferd, from a many more nominations from last week’s ensembles theme

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, country, drone, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, psychedelia, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks, showtime Tags songs, playlists, big bands, ensembles, orchestras, Count Basie, Count Basie Orchestra, Buck Clayton, Lester Young, Beny Moré, Duke Ellington, Henry Mancini, Tower Of Power, The Pogues, Goran Bregovic, Tzigane Brass Orchestra, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Moses Sumney, Simon Rattle, Symphony of Birmingham Orchestra, John Adams, Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle, Tony Allen, The Afro Messengers, The Unthanks, Dizzy Gillespie, 17 Hippies, Marc Ribot, Jakob Ilja, Andwella's Dream, The Polyphonic Spree, Arctic Monkeys, The Ukelele Orchestra, The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, The Skatalites, Ghost Funk Orchestra, Glenn Miller, Charlie Parker, Max Richter, Herbert Von Karajan, Richard Wagner, Nilpferd
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Playlists: songs about bees

May 17, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Bumblebee: music collected from many sources

So what’s buzz? Literal or metaphor, and collecting nectar from a wide range of sources from last week’s topic, guest musical beekeeper Alaric gives takes on a world of the bluesy, folky and much more as his playlists fully bloom

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In blues, avant-garde, calypso, classical, country, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, psychedelia, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, bees, Christy Moore, The Temptations, Ella Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, The Beatles, Scritti Politti, Jean-Jaques Perrey, Bird And The Bee, Simpson Cutting Kerr, Regina Spektor, The Unthanks, Alison Moyet, Monty Python, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Manhattan Brothers, Memphis Jug Band, Bline Blake, Leola Wilson, Martin Stephenson and the Daintees, Eric Andersen, Taj Mahal, Toumani Diabaté, Fats Waller, B Bumble and The Stingers, Of Montreal, Abigail Washburn, Tintern Abbey, Acabou Chorare, Agnes Obel, Caribou, Cab Calloway, Billie Piper, Cyril Tawney, Roky Erickson, Davina and the Vagabonds, The Grateful Dead, Adult Net, Jeannes, Loudon Wainwright III, James Yorkston, Neko Case, John Rencourn, John Renbourn, Alaricmc
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Playlists: songs about perfection

February 22, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Chet Baker: in search of the ideal

Days, nights or settings, love, relationships, words, compliments or phrasing, sounds, singing and so much more, guest of the week Loud Atlas comes up with all the aces with series of immaculate playlist choices reflecting last week’s perfect topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags Amen Corner, Julian Cope, Ella Fitzgerald, Fairground Attraction, The Saints, The Beautiful South, Toots and the Maytals, Ismael Rivera and Cortijo Y Su Combo, Bronski Beat, Run DMC, Chet Baker, The Hillside Singers, Paul Robeson, The The, Lou Reed, The Flour Blazes, Billie Holiday, Clark Terry, Paul Gonsalves, Eddie Palmieri, Chip Taylor, The New Ukrainians, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Badfinger, Indigo Girls, Dorothy Love Coates, The Undertones, Harry Nilsson, Paolo Nutini, Elizabeth & The Catapult, The Duckworth Lewis Method, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs about the sixth sense

February 8, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Trust your senses: Björk

intuition to the unexplained, new realms of perception to deja vu, telepathy and the astral plane, all this and more in a pair of perceptive playlists picked by guest of the week Suzi from the most recent topic

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In blues, country, disco, folk, funk, indie, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, sixth sense, psychology, Kate Bush, Linx, Ruby Turner, Imelda May, Bjork, Dave Brubeck, Emiliana Torrini, Jackie Leven, The Grateful Dead, Willie Mabon, Cadaver Club, Peter Blegvad, Arthur Lee, Love, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Blondie, Rod Stewart, The Waterboys, Tom Petty, Enrique Morente, The Modern Lovers, Tim Buckley, Ann Peebles, Benny Spellman, Carole King, Leonard Cohen, Show Of Hands, Ella Fitzgerald, Suzi
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Playlists: songs about nothing

September 29, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Nothing is a hard to a-void

Nothing is a hard to a-void

Empty hearts and vacuums to voids, sweet nothings to total zeroes, last week we presented the Song Bar visitors a whole load of nothing, and led by guest playlister ParaMhor, who made perfect picks, it really turned into something …

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, nothing, nihilism, Aristotle, Albert Einstein, Ella Fitzgerald, Edith Piaf, The Flirtations, The Small Faces, The Go! Team, Ezra Furman, Townes Van Zandt, The Beatles, The Cure, Velvet Underground, Lil Nas X, Sinead O'Connor, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, John Cooper Clarke, The Ugly Ducklings, Joyside, Stiff Little Fingers, Orchestre Poly Rhythmo, Hirth Martinez, The Pop Group, Boy Harsher, Piers Faccini, Swans, Amorphous Androgynous, Aimee Mann, Tintern Abbey, ParaMhor, Ebony Alleyne
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Playlists: songs about surprise encounters

March 9, 2021 Peter Kimpton
You never know who will turn up … Paul Robeson meets a fan or two in Moscow in 1958

You never know who will turn up … Paul Robeson meets a fan or two in Moscow in 1958

You never know who you might encounter on these playlists - lovers, angels, snake oil salesmen, spaceships, ghosts, brigands, the supernatural, the suicidal and the ecstatic - all artfully picked by guest Suzi from a week of nominations

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In blues, calypso, country, comedy, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, funk, indie, jazz, music, playlists, musicals, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, encounters, meetings, Paul Robeson, The Pretenders, Paulinho da Viola, Nancy Wilson, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Parliament, Sparks, Bert Jansch, The Sugarcubes, The Louvin Brothers, Victor Wooten, The Book of Mormon, Andrew Rannells, Sonic Youth, Marshall Chapman, Half Man Half Biscuit, Rush, The Jolly Boys, Billy Bragg, Wilco, The Burning Hell, Mulatu Astatke, paul simon, The Boyoyo Boys, Ella Fitzgerald, The Dogs D'Amour, The Pogues, Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting, Nancy Kerr
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Song Bar Fifth Birthday Special: Playlists – songs about jukeboxes

February 17, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Give it a Wurl

Give it a Wurl

Early blues juke joints to big band jazz, 1950s rock’n’ roll to disco, punk, pop and later experimental music, with the Landlord’s playlists picked from reader nominations, we celebrate five years of Song Bar with numbers about this mechanical mind palace

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In dance, country, disco, electronica, funk, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, songs, soul, traditional, blues Tags songs, playlists, jukeboxes, Wurlitzer, Seeburg, John Barry, Boy Green, Teresa Brewer, Dixieland All Stars, Tammy Wynette, June Carter, Olivia Newton-John, Roy Orbison, Connie Francis, Silver Jews, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Stray Cats, Jackson 5, B-52s, David Lee Roth, J Jordenson Bluegrass Band, Van Halen, The Jam, The Fall, The Pogues, Ani di Franco, Shannon McNally, Joan Jett, Suzi Quatro, Tina Turner, Barry Blue, Dave Edmunds, The Rubettes, Adam and the Ants, Alan Vega, Jackie Leven, Saint Etienne, Pete & The Pirates, Rickie Lee Jones, Fred Buscaglione, Serge Gainsbourg, Dorothy Dandridge, Glenn Miller, Gene Pitney, Emmylou Harris, Buck Owens, James Taylor, Ella Fitzgerald, Jason Molina, Ellis Paul, Penguin Cafe Orchestra
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Playlists: songs about eureka moments, realisation, discovery and enlightenment

November 25, 2020 Peter Kimpton
To the cosmos and beyond …

To the cosmos and beyond …

Has it ever occurred to you that …. life, the universe and everything could be captured in playlists? This question is answered perfectly by guest ajostu, who picks some profound revelations inspired by last week’s nominations

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, reggae, rock, soul, soundtracks, traditional, songs Tags songs, discovery, eureka moments, Studio Killers, 10000 Maniacs, Carly Simon, Ella Fitzgerald, Suzanne Vega, Peter Gabriel, Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, Boswell, Beastie Boys, Miho Hatori, REM, The Sundays, Moby, Julia Holter, Angel Olsen, The Police, The Moody Blues, The Grateful Dead, Clem Snide, The Headhunters, Sun Ra, Earth Wind & Fire, Norman Connors, Ultramarine, Lonnie Liston Smith, John Legend, The Roots, Alice Coltrane, Carlos Santana, Bat For Lashes, Laurie Anderson, Bruford, Annette Peacock, ajostu
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Playlists – two's company: songs by duos

November 18, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Special siblings: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell

Special siblings: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell

Jazz to hip hop, classical, pop, folk and a whole spectrum of other music from around the world, this week guest playlister Nilpferd picks out some of the finest pairings in music where two individuals are greater together than apart

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, duos, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Smith, Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell, Joni Mitchell, Jaco Pastorius, Charley Patton, Toumani Diabaté, The Creatures, Siouxsie Sioux, Budgie, Black Sheep, Eric B & Rakim, The Kills, Suicide, Daft Punk, Coldcut, Ballaké Sissoko, Vincent Segal, Touki, Estas Tonne, Michael Schulman, Diego El Cigala, Niño Josele, RL Burnside, The Black Keys, The KVB, John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Attila, The Spinanes, Sleaford Mods, Kiiiiiii, Jan Johansson, Georg Riedel, Richard Galliano, Michel Portal, Syreeta, Nilpferd
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Playlists: songs about eggs

August 19, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Humpty lends in hand this week’s lists

Humpty lends in hand this week’s lists

Eggs aren’t just eggs. This week, as handpicked by guest Hoshino Sakura are two dozen perfectly shaped oval-shaped gems presented in two boxes of joyful entertainment out of huge tasty scramble of suggestions by readers

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In avant-garde, comedy, blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, rock, songs, soul, ska, rocksteady, reggae, traditional Tags songs, playlists, eggs, Little Jackie, Mr Bungle, Hot Lips Page, Aimee Mann, Dean Martin, Helen O'Connell, Madness, Lunachicks, Macka B, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, The Ground Floor People, Jill Sobule, Dead Can Dance, A Tribe Called Quest, The Nightcrawlers, The Spiders, Humbert Humbert, Cab Calloway, The Nicholas Brothers, Ethel Merman, Ray Bolger, Betty Clooney, Brian D'Arcy James, Tenor Saw, Dafydd Iwan, Cosmo Sheldrake, Jonathan Coulton, Pan
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Playlists: adult lullabies and other songs about inducing sleep

June 3, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Berceuse ballad: the Pogues can do a beautiful lullaby

Berceuse ballad: the Pogues can do a beautiful lullaby

Restless? Don’t worry, this is worth staying up for. Enjoy a countdown in the first of several lists perfect picked by guest amylee from hundreds of suggestions over the week, which in all contexts help a perfect night’s sleep

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, colours, country, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, showtime, soundtracks, traditional Tags lullaby, songs, playlists, My Bloody Valentine, Aqualung, Ella Fitzgerald, Eliza Carthy, The Pogues, James Taylor, Magnolia Electric Company, Songs: Ohia, The Pretenders, The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Low, Leonard Cohen, Alternative TV, The Teardrop Explodes, Los Lobos, The Harmonians, Lou Reed, Cornershop, Samingad, Mischief Brew, James Yorkston, Kate Rusby, U2, Janis Ian, James, Queens of the Stone Age, Dua Lipa, The Taxpayers, The Smiths, Airiel, Lamb, Alt-J, The Waterboys, The Doors, Taylor Swift, The Civil Wars, Counting Crows, Husker Du, The Verve
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Take a chanson me: songs about singing

February 27, 2020 Peter Kimpton
SInging. Part of our evolution …

SInging. Part of our evolution …

It’s time to sing out suggestions on this lyrical, meta-topic – from the perspective of singer or listener, by humans, animals or birds, whether for love, warning, fear, joy or despair, or singing simply to exist, make others aware

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin, Bjork, Leonard Cohen, Shakespeare, William Shakespeare, Edith Piaf, Maria Callas, Christina Aguilera, Kevin Ayers, Cervantes, Marty Rubin, JRR Tolkien, John Milton, Alexander Pope, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Andrea Bocelli, David Byrne, Thom Yorke, Neil Young, Michael Stipe, REM, Rebecca Pederson, Usama Rasheed, Donovan, Irish Murdoch, Harper Lee, Percy Shelley
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Playlists: songs about charisma

October 23, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Aimee Mann

Aimee Mann

What is charisma? Allow yourself to be pulled into the magnetic force of this week’s playlists, designed to fit on the C90 cassette. Variously profound and beautiful, they are chosen by guest ajostu from last week’s many nominations

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In country, electronica, folk, jazz, indie, music, musicals, playlists, pop, songs, soul, funk Tags songs, playlists, charisma, Japanese Breakfast, Aimee Mann, Suede, Carly Simon, Ella Fitzgerald, Flobots, Richard Thompson, The Jigsaw Seen, Missy Higgins, The Who, The Mountain Goats, John Kongos, Curtis Mayfield, Dana Bryant, Ronny Jordan, Marvin Gaye, Sugarhill All-Stars, Chew Lips, The Unthanks, The Shins, The Grateful Dead, Somi, ajostu
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Playlists: songs with notable key changes

October 9, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Enter the key of … The Fifth Dimension

Enter the key of … The Fifth Dimension

Through twists and turns of love, from cleverly hidden changes to sudden stepped surprises, drawing from last week’s topic, guest philipphilip99 moves us through the emotional keys with two perfect playlists that illustrate this songwriting skill

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In avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, instrumentals, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, key changes, songwriting, REM, Elton John, Mina, Beyonce, The Beatles, paul simon, Ella Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Linda Lewis, The Fifth Dimension, Jimmy Webb, Tommy Roe, The Ventures, Talking Heads, Petula Clark, Berlin (band), Coldplay, Super Furry Animals, Portishead, Booker T and the MGs, Boston, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Belinda Carlisle, Bros, philipphilip99
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New Albums …

Featured
Tyler Ballgame - For The First Time Again.jpeg
Jan 30, 2026
Tyler Ballgame: For The First Time, Again
Jan 30, 2026

New album: With that sublime, soaring, soulful voice, and echoes of Roy Orbison, the Rhode Island-raised singer-songwriter’s truly gorgeous debut LP captures all the range of of the love – warmth, longing, tenderness and heartbreak through classy and crafted retro sound of 60s and 70s rock

Jan 30, 2026
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Jan 29, 2026
Tessa Rose Jackson: The Lighthouse
Jan 29, 2026

New album: Beautiful, intricate, understated, poetic and intelligent, this warm, inviting experimental folk by the Dutch-British singer-songwriter is the first LP under her own name, having previously released three as the artist Someone

Jan 29, 2026
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Jan 28, 2026
Lucinda Williams: World's Gone Wrong
Jan 28, 2026

New album: The acclaimed veteran country, rock and Americana singer-songwriter and multi-Grammy winner’s latest LP has a title that speaks for itself, but is powerful, angry, defiant and uplifting, and, recorded in Nashville, features guest vocals from Norah Jones, Mavis Staples and Brittney Spencer

Jan 28, 2026
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Jan 27, 2026
Clothesline From Hell: Slather On The Honey
Jan 27, 2026

New album: His moniker mischievously named after a wrestling move, a highly impressive, independently-created experimental, psychedelic rock debut the the Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Adam LaFramboise

Jan 27, 2026
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Jan 27, 2026
Dead Dads Club: Dead Dads Club
Jan 27, 2026

New album: Dynamic, passionate, heart-stirring indie rock in this project fronted by Chilli Jesson (formerly bassist of Palma Violets) with songs spurred by the trauma of losing his father 20 years ago, retelling a defiant and difficult aftermath, with sound boosted by producer Carlos O’Connell of Fontaines D.C.

Jan 27, 2026
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Jan 25, 2026
The Paper Kites: If You Go There, I Hope You Find It
Jan 25, 2026

New album: Warm, tender, gently-paced, calmly reflective, beautifully soothing, poetic, melancholic alternative folk and Americana by the band from Melbourne in their seventh LP in 15 years

Jan 25, 2026
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Jan 24, 2026
PVA: No More Like This
Jan 24, 2026

New album: Inventive, alluring, sensual, mysterious, minimalistic electronica, trip-hop and experimental pop by the London trio of Ella Harris, Joshua Baxter and Louis Satchell, in this second album following 2022’s Blush, boosted by the creativity of producer and instrumentalist Kwake Bass

Jan 24, 2026
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Jan 20, 2026
Imarhan: Essam
Jan 20, 2026

New album: A mesmeric fourth LP in a decade by the band from Tamanrasset, Algeria, whose name means ‘the ones I care about’, their Tuareg music mixing guitar riffs, pop melodies and African rhythms, but this time also evolves slightly away from the desert blues rocky, bluesy influence of contemporaries Tinariwen with electronic elements

Jan 20, 2026
Courtney Marie Andrews - Valentine.jpeg
Jan 20, 2026
Courtney Marie Andrews: Valentine
Jan 20, 2026

New album: Emotional, beautiful, stirring, Americana, folk and indie-pop by singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona, in this latest studio LP in of soaring voice, strong melodies, love, vulnerability and heartbreak, longing and bravery

Jan 20, 2026
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Jan 18, 2026
Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore: Tragic Magic
Jan 18, 2026

New album: Delicate, beautiful, ethereal, meditative new work by the two American experimental composers in their first collaborative LP, with gentle understated vocals, classic synth sounds, and rare harps chosen from from the Paris Musée de la Musique Collection

Jan 18, 2026
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Jan 16, 2026
Sleaford Mods: The Demise of Planet X
Jan 16, 2026

New album: The caustic wit of Nottingham’s Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn return with a 13th LP of brilliantly abrasive, dark humoured hip-hop and catchy beats, addressing the rubbish state of the world, as well as local, personal and social irritations through slick nostalgic cultural reference, some expanded sounds, and an eclectic set of guests

Jan 16, 2026
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Jan 14, 2026
SAULT: Chapter 1
Jan 14, 2026

New album: As ever, released suddenly without fanfare or any publicity, the prolific experimental soul, jazz, gospel, funk, psychedelia and disco collective of Cleo Sol, Info (aka Dean Josiah Cover) and co return with a stylish, mysterious LP

Jan 14, 2026
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Jan 14, 2026
The Cribs: Selling A Vibe
Jan 14, 2026

New album: A first LP in five years by the likeable and solid guitar indie-rock Jarman brothers trio from Wakefield, now with their ninth - a catchy, but at times with rueful, bittersweet perspectives on their times in the music business

Jan 14, 2026
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Jan 9, 2026
Dry Cleaning: Secret Love
Jan 9, 2026

New album: This third LP by the London experimental post-punk quartet with the distinctive, spoken, droll delivery of Florence Shaw, is packed with striking, vivid, often non seqitur lyrics capturing life’s surreal mundanities and neuroses with a sound coloured and polished by Cate Le Bon as producer

Jan 9, 2026

new songs …

Featured
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Jan 30, 2026
Song of the Day: Robber Robber - The Sound It Made
Jan 30, 2026

Song of the Day: Striking, dynamic, noisy stop-and-start, stylish experimental post-rock and post-rock by the band from Burlington, Vermont, fronted by Nina Cates, heralding their new album, Two Wheels Move the Soul, out on 3 April via on Fire Talk

Jan 30, 2026
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Jan 29, 2026
Song of the Day: Holly Humberstone - To Love Somebody
Jan 29, 2026

Song of the Day: Shimmeringly catchy and singalong, effervescent Abba-esque and Fleetwood Mac-ish piano and synth pop with an eye-catching, vampiric-themed video by the British singer-songwriter from Grantham, heralding her second album Cruel World out on 10 April via Polydor/Universal.

Jan 29, 2026
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Jan 28, 2026
Song of the Day: Nathan Fake - Slow Yamaha
Jan 28, 2026

Song of the Day: Hypnotic electronica with woozy layers of smooth resonance and a lattice of shifting analogue patterns by the British artist from Norfolk, taken from his forthcoming album, Evaporator, out on InFiné Music

Jan 28, 2026
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Jan 27, 2026
Song of the Day: Charlotte Day Wilson - Lean (featuring Saya Gray)
Jan 27, 2026

Song of the Day: Stylish, striking, sensual experimental electro-pop and R&B in this fabulous collaboration between the two Canadian singer/ multi-instrumentalist from Toronto, out on Stone Woman Music/ XL Recordings

Jan 27, 2026
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Jan 26, 2026
Song of the Day: Lime Garden - 23
Jan 26, 2026

Song of the Day: Wonderfully catchy, witty, quirky indie pop about age and adjustment by the Brighton-formed quartet fronted by Chloe Howard, heralding their upcoming album Maybe Not Tonight, out on So Young Records on 10 April

Jan 26, 2026
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Jan 25, 2026
Song of the Day: Madra Salach - The Man Who Seeks Pleasure
Jan 25, 2026

Song of the Day: A powerful, slow-simmering and gradually intensifying, drone-based original folk number about the the flipsides of love and hedonism by the young Irish traditional and alternative folk band, with comparisons to Lankum, from the recently released EP It's a Hell of an Age, out on Canvas Music

Jan 25, 2026
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Jan 24, 2026
Song of the Day: Adult DVD - Real Tree Lee
Jan 24, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, witty, energised acid-dance-punk with echoes of Underworld and Snapped Ankles by the dynamic, innovative band from Leeds in a new number about a dodgy character of toxic masculinity and online ignorance, and their first release on signing to Fat Possum

Jan 24, 2026
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Jan 23, 2026
Song of the Day: Arctic Monkeys - Opening Night (for War Child HELP 2 charity album)
Jan 23, 2026

Song of the Day: A simmering, potent, contemplative new track by acclaimed Sheffield band, their first song since 2022’s album The Car, with proceeds benefiting the charity War Child, heralding the upcoming HELP (2) compilation out on 6 March with various contributors

Jan 23, 2026
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Jan 22, 2026
Song of the Day: White Denim - (God Created) Lock and Key
Jan 22, 2026

Song of the Day: The Austin, Texas-formed LA-based rockers return with an infectiously catchy groove fusing rock, funk, dub, soul, and down-dirty blues with some playful self-mythologising and darker themes, heralding 13th album, 13, out on 24 April via Bella Union

Jan 22, 2026
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Jan 21, 2026
Song of the Day: Holy Fuck - Evie
Jan 21, 2026

Song of the Day: The Canadian experimental indie rock and electronica quartet from Toronto return with a pulsating new track of thrumming bass and shimmering keyboards, heralding their forthcoming new album Event Beat, out on 27 March via Satellite Services

Jan 21, 2026
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Jan 20, 2026
Song of the Day: KAVARI - IRON VEINS
Jan 20, 2026

Song of the Day: Exciting, cutting-edge electronica and hardcore dance music by innovative the Birkenhead-born, Glasgow-based artist Cameron Winters (she), with a stylish, striking video, heralding the forthcoming EP, PLAGUE MUSIC, out digitally and on 12-inch vinyl on 6 February via XL Recordings

Jan 20, 2026
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Jan 19, 2026
Song of the Day: A$AP Rocky - Punk Rocky
Jan 19, 2026

Song of the Day: The standout catchy hip-pop/soul/pop track from the New York rapper aka Rakim Athelston Mayers’ (also the husband of Rihanna) recently released album, Don’t Be Dumb, featuring also the voice of Cristoforo Donadi, and out on A$AP Rocky Recordings

Jan 19, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
Zumbador dorado - mango bumblebee Puerto Rico.jpeg
Jan 22, 2026
Word of the week: zumbador
Jan 22, 2026

Word of the week: A wonderfully evocative noun from the Spanish for word buzz, and meaning both a South American hummingbird, a door buzzer, and symbolic of resurrection of the soul in ancient Mexican culture, while also serving as the logo for a tequila brand

Jan 22, 2026
Hamlet ad - Gregor Fisher.jpg
Jan 8, 2026
Word of the week: aspectabund
Jan 8, 2026

Word of the week: This rare adjective describes a highly expressive face or countenance, where emotions and reactions are readily shown through the eyes or mouth

Jan 8, 2026
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Dec 24, 2025
Word of the week: bellonion (or belloneon)
Dec 24, 2025

Word of the week: It sounds like a bulbous, multi-layered peeling vegetable, but this obscure mechanical musical instrument invented in 1812 in Dresden consisted of 24 trumpets and two kettle drums and, designed to mimic the sound of a marching band, might also make your eyes water

Dec 24, 2025
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Dec 4, 2025
Word of the week: crapulence
Dec 4, 2025

Word of the week: A term that may apply regularly during Xmas party season, from the from the Latin crapula, in turn from the Greek kraipálē meaning "drunkenness" or "headache" pertains to sickness symptoms caused by excess in eating or drinking, or general intemperance and overindulgence

Dec 4, 2025
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Nov 20, 2025
Word of the week: discalceate
Nov 20, 2025

Word of the week: A rarely used, but often practised verb, especially when arriving home, it means to take off your shoes, but is also a slightly more common adjective meaning barefoot or unshod, particularly for certain religious orders that wear sandals instead of shoes. But in what context does this come up in song?

Nov 20, 2025
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