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Playlists voting results: songs about popularity

October 8, 2025 Peter Kimpton

The following songs will teach us a few things about popularity, but this film has nothing to do with any of them …

Nominations came, and votes were cast. It’s something dreamed about in school, but can also bite back at you. Love, being in a band, to local or global fame, and its paradoxes, here are the results in playlist form …

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, easy listening, electronica, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, rock, showtime, songs, soundtracks, soul, traditional Tags popularity, playlists, songs, fame, relationships, love songs, The Boswell Sisters, Carl Perkins, Brenda Lee, Lloyd Price, William Bell, John Lennon, Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings, The Carpenters, Karen Carpenter, Kirsty MacColl, fiona apple, Sparks, Franz Ferdinand, The Kinks, The Byrds, The Stone Roses, Dobie Gray, Nina Simone, Doris Day, Ariana Grande, Johnny Cash, Jake Thackray, The Move, The Beatles, Colin Blunstone, The Undertones, Living Colour, Skee-Lo, Wham!, George Michael, Bros
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Playlists: songs about empty but fillable spaces

October 1, 2025 Peter Kimpton

A pearler of a song with a space filled by Mitski …

Empty vessels of all kinds a waiting for contents - heads, hearts, bottles, places and many more besides, with a truly fulfilling, insightful and entertaining result in playlists supplied by guest Nicko from last week’s topic theme

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In African, avant-garde, blues, bossa nova, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, RnB, rock, rocksteady, samba, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, gaps, holes, blanks, The Beatles, The Three Johns, Sprints, Dionne Warwick, Arcade Fire, Mitski, Culture, YĪN YĪN, The Supremes, Nada Surf, Cake (band), The Cramps, Barbra Streisand, Smashing Pumpkins, Jake Thackray, Bernard Cribbins, Pink Floyd, Magazine, Meat Puppets, Ka, The Specials, Sheila Hylton, Traffic, Karine Polwart, Rosana, Steven Wilson, Ninet Tayeb, Bessie Smith, Lonnie Johnson, Victoria Spivey, The Ethiopians, Connie Converse, New Life Trio, Clarion Fracture Zone, Nicko
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Playlists: songs about tricksters and trickery

September 2, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Foxy rock: the Megitsune portrayed by Babymetal

Untrustworthy, shapeshifting creatures from Japan and elsewhere, to a whole spectrum of deceitful and dodgy human behaviour spanning many genres from folk, rock, pop, funk and more, compiled in wily style by guest Suzi from last week’s topic

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In blues, avant-garde, comedy, country, dance, drone, dub, experimental, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, music, metal, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, RnB, rock, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, tricksters, mythology, folklore, Babymetal, Paramore, The A's, Kelis, Blind Alfred Reed, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, John Jacob Niles, The Who, The Eagles, The Adicts, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Amos Lee, The Meditations, Old Blind Dogs, Lynx DeMuth, Hercules and Love Affair, Otis Taylor, Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick, Pentangle, Eliza Carthy, Jake Thackray, Oysterband, Suzi
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Playlists: songs with double entendres

April 30, 2025 Peter Kimpton

The great Dinah Washington enjoyed slipping one in

Various professions, food and all seemingly innocent activities get the full suggestive double meaning dose this week in a splendidly entertaining set of lists picked by Marco den Ouden from last week’s hot topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, RnB, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags double entendres, euphemisms, innuendo, songs, playlists, Cyril Tawney, Eddi Reader, Alberta Hunter, Lord Kitchener, Billy Cotton and His Band, Lord Creator, Ebisu Muscats, Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson, Honky Tonk Highway, Camille, Sheena Easton, Connie Vannett, Dinah Washington, Jacques Brel, Marlene Dietrich, Britney Spears, Kenneth Williams, The Cramps, Alison Moyet, The Who, Chuck Berry, Bellamy Brothers, Tell Tale Tusk, ZZ Top, Judge Dread, Terry Jacks, Rick James, Charles Mingus, Harry Roy and His Orchestra, Piano Red, Anita Ward, Not The Nine O'Clock News, Mery Wilson, Ted Nugent, April Wine, Brendan Grace, Jake Thackray, Fleetwood Mac, Maria Muldaur, Van Halen, Mighty Duke, Memphis Minnie, John Martyn, Blue Lu Barker, Bull Moose Jackson, Slim Harpo, Wynonie Harris, Lightnin' Hopkins, Julia Lee, Lee Dorsey, Lil Johnson, Clarence Carter, John C Reilly, Angela Correa, Big and Rich, Bette Midler, Manhattan Transfer, Roy Brown, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Marco den Ouden
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Playlists: songs about bad boys and bad girls

September 24, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Tricky Ricky …

Lookin' for trouble? Then you've found the right place. Lotharios, vamps, tramps and troublemakers are truly in force as guest of the week tincanman brings us a brilliantly badass selection inspired by last week's topic

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In blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, exotica, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, hip hop, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Rick James, songs, playlists, The Waitresses, Mike Sarne, Belle & Sebastian, Jake Thackray, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Suzi Quatro, John Kongos, She Wants Revenge, Elvis Presley, Syndicats, The Vibrators, Rose Tattoo, Betty Davis, The Coasters, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, Glasvegas, Knack, Leather Boy, Lucille Bogan, M.I.A., Nelly Furtado, pink, P!nk, The Rolling Stones, Splodgenessabounds, 十四代目トイレの花子さん, Art Bergman, Esme Patterson, Gene Clark, tincanman
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Playlists: songs about the colour brown

September 4, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Howlin’ Wolf in his prime …

Tinted with the wrong associations and overshadowed by other colours, brown is heavily underrated. But it has a natural beauty and vast range, as shown by these perfect shade of playlists picked by guest Loud Atlas from last week's topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags brown, colours, playlists, songs, Ken Nordine, Don Cherry, Howlin' Wolf, Jake Thackray, The Po' Ramblin' Boys, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave, Glenn Miller, The Corries, Sonny Rollins, Milton Nascimento, D'Angelo, Billy Bragg, Van Morrison, Oscar Brown Jr, Stevie Wonder, Leon Bridges, Kaleidoscope (US), Guy Clark, Los Mocosos, The Purple Gang, Sam & Dave, Lil Hardin Armstrong, India Arie, Brad Paisley, Serge Gainsbourg, Slash, Shonen Knife, Heino, Loudon Wainwright III, Johnny Cash, Yussef Dayes, Tom Misch, Slim Gaillard, Mad Agnes, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs about chickens and other poultry

August 21, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Beautiful Golden Sebright

Start from scratch? No, there's a lot more fun in the farmyard and beyond with a brilliantly entertaining fluffy bird songs chosen by guest of the week Nicko from last week's topic. Now for the pecking order ...

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, folk, experimental, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, chickens, poultry, birds, turkeys, farmyards, Mississippi John Hurt, Jake Thackray, Sam The Sham And The Pharoahs, Little Feat, Hasil Adkins, Buckethead, The Magnetic Fields, DeZurick Sisters (AKA The Cackle Sisters), The Triffids, The Bees, Billy Ward & The Dominoes, Slim Gaillard, Tomita, Tenor Saw, Rosalía, Gorillaz, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Oliver Cobb and His Rhythm Kings, Thee More Shallows, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Hall Negro Quartette, Leroy And The Drivers, Cab Calloway, Witch, Cyril Diaz, Lord Christo, Cibo Matto, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Milford Perkins, João Bosco, Lucho Better y Su Sonora, Charlie Poole, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Dave Edmunds, John Cale, Jesus & Mary Chain, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Dead Kennedys, Pixies, Golden Earring, Chad Morgan, Georgia Pot Lickers, Cousin Joe, Frankie Lee Sims, Hoodoo Gurus, Wynonie Harris, Amos Milburn, The Soul Seven, Silim Harpo, Lee Scratch Perry, Esbee Family, Nicko
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Playlists: songs about awkwardness

June 8, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Tribe 8 have got themselves into an awkward position. Explore the playlist to find out where …

Inspired by last week’s history of royal awkwardness and a host of songs nominated, guest of the week Loud Atlas presents a superb Musical Self-Help Guide on How To Be Awkward. Follow its 14 steps and beyond for further entertaining embarrassment

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, awkwardness, embarrassment, Frank Zappa, Kippington Lodge, The Ink Spots, Tribe 8, The Police, The Shangri–Las, Panic! At The Disco, Warren Zevon, Wet Leg, Art Brut, Rio Romeo, Danny John-Jules, Glass Animals, Creative Source, Buzzcocks, Jake Thackray, Joe Jackson, Ralph McTell, Janis Ian, Lord Melody, Bernard Cribbins, Courtney Barnett, The Business, Sunny Sweeney, Frankie Valli, The Four Seasons, Rodney Carrington, Humphrey Ocean, The Hardy Annuals, The Smiths, Scala and Kolacny Brothers, Scala & Kolacny Brothers, Jonathan Coulton, Flo & Joan, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs about sisters

March 2, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Martha, my dear: Rufus Wainwright with his beloved fellow singer sister

Deep affection, solidarity, loyalty, but also a variety of bittersweet melanges, this week, after a tsunami of perceptive suggestions, guest of the week George Boyland picks songs of deep emotion and variety that sing out for the sister

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In blues, calypso, country, dub, electronica, folk, funk, gospel, indie, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, sisters, relatives, family, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Ursula Rucker, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Marianne Faithfull, Judy Mowatt, Lenny Kravitz, Jake Thackray, Elvis Presley, MC5, Sam and Dave, Bonnie Raitt, Maddy Prior, Standard Fare, The Sonics, Kaizers Orchestra, Slobberbone, The Juliana Hatfield Three, Juliana Hatfield, Camera Obscura, Terence Trent D'Arby, Nico, Tracey Thorn, Corinne Bailey Rae, Sufjan Stevens, Roberta Flack, Little Richard, Nicodermus, Lori McKenna, Tom Waits, The Edgar Broughton Band, George Boyland
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Playlists: songs about tradition

December 21, 2021 Peter Kimpton

British and German troops buck tradition, but also honour it, during the Christmas Day truce of 1914, to play football instead of war

Ancient religions to strange festivals, drinking rituals to counting sheep to chasing cheeses, small slices of history to long formed social behaviour, enjoy wonderful stories and playlists picked by guest Marco den Ouden from last week’s topic

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In blues, comedy, country, experimental, folk, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, tradition, Topol, Fiddler On The Roof, musicals, Steeleye Span, Jake Thackray, Giorgio Moroder, The Maccabees, Die 3 Besoffskis, Takashi Hirayaus, Bob Brozman, Les Innocents, Shikata Akiko, Lila Downs, Mike Harding, Tim Minchin, Nat King Cole, Hen Ogledd, Samingad, Dadawa, The Saw Doctors, Show Of Hands, Sea Power, B Movie, Billy Idol, The Fantastics, Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson, Joni Mitchell, NIck Lowe, Careg Lafar, Heilung, Peter Gabriel, Waylon Napadogan, John McCutcheon, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Chloe Adams, The Kickstands, Stan Getz, Stanley Clarke, Jon Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Sufjan Stevens, John Coltrane, Alex Khaskin, Swing Out Sister, Peter Green, Simani, Big Crosby, The Irish Rovers, National Lampoon, Marco den Ouden
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Playlists: songs about being single

September 1, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Sparks: the Mael brothers are simply married to their music

Sparks: the Mael brothers are simply married to their music

It’s time to see what resulted at last week’s Song Bar Singles Night. Sad, lonely to deliriously happy and free, the resultant songs go in many directions, all married together in poignant, perceptive and playful lists by guest picker pejepeine

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In avant-garde, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, being single, relationships, Fousheé, Lush, The Brooklyn Bridge, Nina Simone, Jake Thackray, Melissa Manchester, Mary Gauthier, Sparks, Ariana Grande, Jill Scott, Combo Los Galleros, Lucy González, Lunay, Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, The Radiators, Moondog, Bessie Smith, Abba, Beabadoobee, Sunfire, Helen Merrill, Slapp Happy, Original Carter Family, Ry Cooder, Days N' Daze, Billy Idol, Pet Shop Boys, Cameo, Wham!, Chic, Karin Krog, pejepeine
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Playlists: songs about social mobility

October 21, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Class reflections: Mighty Mo Rodgers

Class reflections: Mighty Mo Rodgers

It’s a life of ups and downs, hopes and dreams. From financial ambition to border immigration, breaking the rules to criticising status quo fools, this week’s playlists, picked from a big crowd of nominations by guest Suzi, are truly classy

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In African, avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, dub, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, social class, social mobility, Peter Gabriel, Action Pact, !Action Pact!, Billy Bragg, Tracy Chapman, Ja'Net Dubois, Gentle Giant, Marvin Gaye, The Kinks, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ry Cooder, Mighty Mo Rodgers, Mischief Brew, Rage Against The Machine, Zoot Money and the Big Roll Band, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, June Christie, The The, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, Sly & The Family Stone, Future of the Left, The O'Jays, Yazz, Madeleine Peyroux, Jake Thackray, Suzi, The I.D, Jeff St John
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Playlists: songs about nicknames and pseudonyms

January 15, 2020 Peter Kimpton
They call him … Otis Redding. But what other moniker does his emotional music inspire?

They call him … Otis Redding. But what other moniker does his emotional music inspire?

There are many, and they might come from a reputation for sexual prowess, musical style, behaviour or appearance. Whatever the sobriquet, or the source, we can certainly name the result: two fantastic playlists from this week’s guest writer Uncleben

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, metal, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, nicknames, pseudonyms, identity, Bobby Rush, Marianne Faithfull, Nick Cave, Janelle Monae, Memphis Slim, Carl Malcolm, Simon & Garfunkel, The Association, Sons of the Pioneers, Todd Rundgren, Otis Redding, Ray Barretto, Gil Scott-Heron, Moondog, Charlie Parker, Edward Elgar, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Peter Blegvad, Steeleye Span, Steve Miller Band, Pixies, Ry Cooder, Geoffrey Oi!Cott, Jake Thackray, Royal Trux, First Choice, MF Doom, Hamilton Bohannon, Karen Dalton, Uncleben
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Playlists: song lyrics with strange, rare or unlikely words

September 19, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The divine Joanna Newsom: diluvian shoulders to magnetic embrace, balletic and glacial, of bear’s insatiable shadow

The divine Joanna Newsom: diluvian shoulders to magnetic embrace, balletic and glacial, of bear’s insatiable shadow

From antirrhinums of Jake Thackray to the pretentious Pet Shop Boys to the hyperbolic hippopotamus of Sparks, this week’s guest EnglishOutlaw articulates wonderfully wordy playlists from last week’s topic

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, words, dictionary, Kirsty MacColl, Sparks, Oi Polloi, Pet Shop Boys, Momus, Frank Zappa, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Jake Thackray, Organized Konfusion, Teenage Fanclub, Stevie Wonder, Joanna Newsom, Travelling Wilburys, The Gourds, The Divine Comedy, Mighty Sparrow, John Betjeman, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Lorde, Paul Kelly, Mose Allison, Vivian Stanshall, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Inkubus Sukkubus, Tyla J Pallas, EnglishOutlaw
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Playlists: songs featuring honorific titles

February 14, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Sir Jake Thackray (honorary knight of the Song Bar, posthumously given)

Sir Jake Thackray (honorary knight of the Song Bar, posthumously given)

King, Queen or Lord, Big Chief to Brigadier, Corporal and more, from a list of titles nominated as long as history itself, this week's playlist writer, Sir Severin, serves up superb lists that would honour any ears

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In classical, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, pop, reggae, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags Ty Segall, Slapp Happy, The Shadows, Jake Thackray, Professor Longhair, Katzenjammer, Pink Floyd, Pentangle, The Techniques, Bill Evans Trio, The Clash, Colleen Hewitt, Rich Kids, Jacques Brel, John Lee Hooker, Billie Holiday, The Wankys, Veda Hille, Paul McCartney, Gene Chandler, Gillian Welch, Edith Piaf, The Fall, The Unthanks, Kass Kass, Olivia Chaney, Offa Rex, Severin
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Going once, going twice … playlists: songs about sales, selling and bargains

January 17, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Gone!

Gone!

Sold! Paddle at the ready, and waiting for the gavel to drop, this week's excellent guest playlister EnglishOutlaw takes on a musical journey through the auction house, watching other punters and bidding for with some fabulous songs

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In folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, metal, pop, punk, rock, songs, soul, country, blues Tags Songs, playlists, selling, bargains, auctions, Fugazi, Tom Waits, Bobby Bare, The Who, Junior Wells, The Velvet Underground, Conflict, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Public Enemy, Alan Jackson, Jake Thackray, John McCutcheon, Memphis Minne, Ronnie Spektor, Lambchop, The Mississippi Sheiks, The Streets, Loudon Wainwright III, The Saints, Antidote, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Manic Street Preachers, Sammy Davis Jr, Weird Al Jankovic, Mischief Brew, EnglishOutlaw
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Playlists: songs about bread, cakes, pastry and biscuits

November 1, 2017 Peter Kimpton
What songs have made the cut?

What songs have made the cut?

Baked bread to perfect pies and pastry, Bessie Smith's Sweet Jelly Roll to Jake Thackray's Roly Poly, this week's guest chef Maki pulls it all out of the oven into two tasty playlists, inspired a big dollop of song nominations

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In folk, indie, music, playlists, punk, rock, songs Tags songs, playlists, cake, biscuits, bread, pastry, food, Anthony Reynolds, Patty Griffin, Os Mutantes, 10000 Maniacs, Mike Heron, California Ramblers, Bessie Smith, The Silly Sisters, Felix Wazekwa, Jake Thackray, The Newbeats, Streetband, Richard Harris, Eileen Barton, Led Zeppelin, Katzenjammer, Wales Forever, Johnny Cash, Eleni Mandell, Kinky Friedman, The Stranglers, Rosendo Amparano, Maki, Natalie Merchant, Billy Bragg
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Playlists: songs about chance and coincidence

March 1, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Turning a final corner … George Michael

Turning a final corner … George Michael

Crossing The Streets and serendipity, to turning different corners with George Michael, this week's guest writer Maki takes his chance with not entirely random nominations to create inevitably perfect playlists 

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Tags songs, playlists, chance, coincidence, The Streets, Peter Hammill, Dory Previn, Barenaked Ladies, Jake Thackray, Lise Hvoslef, George Michael, Liza Minnelli, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Public Enemy, Paris, Big Country, Megson, Al Stewart, Silver Jews, dBs, John Martyn, Momoiro Clover Z, The Grateful Dead, Guy Clark, Brother to Brother, Funkadelic, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, Strangelove, I Am Kloot, U2, Maki, Bill Bryson
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New Albums …

Featured
Devotion & The Black Divine by anaiis.jpeg
Dec 2, 2025
anaiis: Devotion & The Black Divine
Dec 2, 2025

New album: Following a summer Song of the Day - Deus Deus, a review of the autumn release and third LP by the London-based French-Senegalese singer-songwriter of resonantly beautiful, dynamic, sensual soul, gospel, R&B and experimental and chamber pop, with themes of new motherhood, uncertainty, religion, self-love and acceptance

Dec 2, 2025
De La Soul - Cabin In The Sky.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
De La Soul: Cabin In The Sky
Nov 26, 2025

New album: The hip-hop veterans return with their first without, yet including the voice of, and a tribute to, founding member Trugoy the Dove, AKA Dave Jolicoeur who passed away in 2023, alongside many hip-hop luminary guests, with trademark playful skits, and all themed around the afterlife

Nov 26, 2025
The Mountain Goats- Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
The Mountain Goats: Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan
Nov 26, 2025

New album: An evocative musical journey of a concept album by the indie-folk band from Claremont, California, fronted by singer-songwriter John Darnielle, based on a dream of his in 2023 about a voyage to a fictional island by the titular captain, charting adventure, wonder and tragedy

Nov 26, 2025
Allie X - Happiness Is Going To Get You.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
Allie X: Happiness Is Going To Get You
Nov 26, 2025

New album: A hugely entertaining, witty, droll, inventive, chamber and synth-pop fourth LP with a goth twist by the charismatic and theatrical Canadian artist Alexandra Hughes, who brings paradox and dark themes through sounds that include string quartet, harpsichord, classical and pure pop piano with killer lyrics

Nov 26, 2025
Tortoise - Touch.jpeg
Nov 25, 2025
Tortoise: Touch
Nov 25, 2025

New album: A welcome return with a cinematic and mesmeric groove-filled first studio LP in nine years, and the eighth over all by the eclectic Chicago post-rock/jazz/krautrock multi-instrumentalists Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas McCombs, John McEntire and Jeff Parker

Nov 25, 2025
What of Our Nature by Haley Heynderickx, Max García Conover.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Haley Heynderickx and Max García Conover: What of Our Nature
Nov 24, 2025

New album: Beautiful, precise, poignant and poetic new folk numbers inspired by the life and music style of Woody Guthrie as the Portland, Oregon and New Yorker, now Portland, Maine-based singer-songwriters bring a delicious duet album, alternating and sharing songs covering a variety of forever topical social issues

Nov 24, 2025
Tranquilizer by Oneohtrix Point Never.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Oneohtrix Point Never: Tranquilizer
Nov 24, 2025

New album: Ambient, otherworldly, cinematic, mesmeric, and at times very odd, the Brooklyn-based electronic artist and producer Daniel Lopatin returns with a new nostalgia-based concept – constructing tracks from lost-then-refound Y2K CDs of 1990s and early 2000s royalty-free sample electronic sounds

Nov 24, 2025
Iona Zajac - Bang.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Iona Zajac: Bang
Nov 24, 2025

New album: A powerful, stirring, passionate and mature debut LP by the 29-year-old Glasgow-based Scottish singer with Polish and Ukrainian heritage who has toured as the new Pogues singer, and whose alternative folk songs capture raw emotions and the experience of modern womanhood, with echoes of PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, Aldous Harding and Lankum

Nov 24, 2025
Austra - Chin Up Buttercup.jpeg
Nov 19, 2025
Austra: Chin Up Buttercup
Nov 19, 2025

New album: This fifth studio LP as Austra by the Canadian classically trained vocalist and composer Katie Stelmanis brings beautiful electronica-pop and dance music, and has a bittersweet ironic title – a caustically witty reference to societal pressure to keep smiling despite a devastating breakup

Nov 19, 2025
Mavis Staples - Sad and Beautiful World.jpeg
Nov 18, 2025
Mavis Staples: Sad and Beautiful World
Nov 18, 2025

New album: A timelessly classy release by the veteran soul, blues and gospel singer and social activist from the Staples Singers, in a release of wonderfully moving and poignant cover versions, beautifully interpreting works by artists including Tom Waits, Curtis Mayfield, Leonard Cohen, and Gillian Welch

Nov 18, 2025
Stella Donnelly - Love and Fortune 2.jpeg
Nov 18, 2025
Stella Donnelly: Love and Fortune
Nov 18, 2025

New album: Finely crafted, stripped back musical simplicity combined with complex melancholic emotions mark out this beautiful, poetic, and deeply personal third folk-pop LP by the Australian singer-songwriter reflecting on the past and present

Nov 18, 2025
picture-parlour-the-parlour-album.jpeg
Nov 17, 2025
Picture Parlour: The Parlour
Nov 17, 2025

New album: Following last year’s EP Face in the Picture, a fabulously stylish, smart, swaggering glam-rock-pop debut LP by the Manchester-formed, London-based band fronted by the impressively raspy, gritty, vibratro delivery of Liverpudlian vocalist and guitarist Katherine Parlour and distinctive riffs from North Yorkshire-born guitar Ella Risi

Nov 17, 2025
FKA twigs - Eusexua Afterglow.jpeg
Nov 16, 2025
FKA twigs: EUSEXUA Afterglow
Nov 16, 2025

New album: Springing from her much lauded third LP Eusexua, out in January this year, and following a hugely successful and spectacular tour, the innovative British experimental pop artist, dancer and producer extends her palette of ethereal, otherworldly and sensual creations in this new, more carnal, harder, beat-filled parallel release

Nov 16, 2025
Celeste - Woman of Faces.jpg
Nov 15, 2025
Celeste: Woman of Faces
Nov 15, 2025

New album: The outstanding British singer returns, a long four years after her acclaimed debut Not Your Muse, with a classy, passionate set of nine, simmering, smoky, rippling dramatic, timeless numbers in which her vocal prowess is magnificently on show on songs playing on the theme of self and identity

Nov 15, 2025

new songs …

Featured
The Lemon Twigs - I've Got A Broken Heart.jpeg
Dec 4, 2025
Song of the Day: The Lemon Twigs - I've Got A Broken Heart
Dec 4, 2025

Song of the Day: Despite the title, this new double-A single (with Friday I’m Gonna Love You) has a wonderfully uplifting guitar-jangling beauty, with echoes of The Byrds and Stone Roses, but is of course the brilliant 60s and 70s retro sound of the Long Island brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario, out on Captured Tracks

Dec 4, 2025
Alewya - Night Drive.jpeg
Dec 3, 2025
Song of the Day: Alewya - Night Drive (featuring Dagmawit Ameha)
Dec 3, 2025

Song of the Day: A sensual, stylish, dreamy electro-pop single by the striking British singer-songwriter, producer, multidisciplinary artist and model Alewya Demmisse, musically influenced by her rich Ethiopian-Egyptian heritage and early childhood upbringings in Saudi Arabia and Sudan

Dec 3, 2025
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Dec 2, 2025
Song of the Day: Radio Free Alice - Rule 31
Dec 2, 2025

Song of the Day: Stirring, passionate indie postpunk by the band based in Melbourne, Australia, with echoes of The Cure’s core sound, new wave, and 90s indie-rock influences, and out on Double Drummer

Dec 2, 2025
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Dec 1, 2025
Song of the Day: Sailor Honeymoon - Armchair
Dec 1, 2025

Song of the Day: Catchy, punchy, fuzz-guitar indie rock with a droll lyrical delivery and some echoes of Wet Leg come in this new single by the trio from Seoul, South Korea, out on Good Good Records

Dec 1, 2025
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Nov 30, 2025
Song of the Day: Ellie O'Neill - Bohemia
Nov 30, 2025

Song of the Day: A beautiful, poetic finger-picking debut folk single with a mystical, distantly stormy twist by the Dublin-based Irish singer-songwriter from County Meath, out now on St Itch Records

Nov 30, 2025
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Nov 29, 2025
Song of the Day: Danalogue - Sonic Hypnosis
Nov 29, 2025

Song of the Day: A full flavour of future-past with mesmeric, euphoric retro acid house and electronica in this new single by Daniel Leavers, producer and the founding member of The Comet Is Coming and Soccer96, out now on Castles In Space

Nov 29, 2025
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Nov 28, 2025
Song of the Day: Cardinals - Barbed Wire
Nov 28, 2025

Song of the Day: Another striking, passionate, punchy, catchy single by the Irish postpunk/indie-folk-rock band from Cork, heralding their upcoming debut album, Masquerade, out on 13 February via So Young Records

Nov 28, 2025
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Nov 27, 2025
Song of the Day: Frank Popp Ensemble (with Paul Weller) - Right Before My Eyes
Nov 27, 2025

Song of the Day: A strong, soaring, emotive, soulful release by the German artist co-written by British singer and former Jam frontman who here sings and plays guitar, the lyrics about witnessing the increasing injustices and demise of the world, out on Unique Records / Schubert Music Europe

Nov 27, 2025
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Nov 26, 2025
Song of the Day: Tessa Rose Jackson - Fear Bangs The Drum
Nov 26, 2025

Song of the Day: Using a musical metaphor, beautiful, crisply rhythmical, soaring piano and atmospheric indie-pop-folk about facing your fears by the Dutch/British singer-songwriter, heralding her forthcoming new album The Lighthouse, out on 23 January 2026 on Tiny Tiger Records

Nov 26, 2025
Melanie Baker - Sad Clown.jpeg
Nov 25, 2025
Song of the Day: Melanie Baker - Sad Clown
Nov 25, 2025

Song of the Day: Catchy, candid, cathartic indie-grunge-pop by the British singer-songwriter from Cumbria in a melancholy but oddly uplifting emotional work-through of depression, love and exhaustion, out now on TAMBOURHINOCEROS

Nov 25, 2025
Holly Humberstone - Die Happy.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Song of the Day: Holly Humberstone - Die Happy
Nov 24, 2025

Song of the Day: Luxuriant, breathy, femme-fatale dream pop with a dark, southern gothic, Lana del Rey-inspired, live-fast-die-young theme, and stylish video by the 25-year-old British singer-songwriter from Grantham, out on Polydor/Universal

Nov 24, 2025
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Nov 23, 2025
Song of the Day: These New Puritans - The Other Side
Nov 23, 2025

Song of the Day: A delicate, tender, and unusually minimalist single, their first since this year’s acclaimed album Crooked Wing, by the Southend-on-Sea-born Barnett twins, here with Jack on improvised piano and George on drums and a soprano register wordless vocal, out on Domino Records

Nov 23, 2025

Word of the week

Featured
Hangover.jpeg
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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Nov 6, 2025
Word of the week: erythrophyll
Nov 6, 2025

Word of the week: A seasonally topical word relating to the the red pigment of tree leaves, fruits and flowers, that appears particularly when changing in autumn, as opposed to the green effect of chlorophyll, from the Greek erythros for red, and phyll for leaves. But what of songs about this?

Nov 6, 2025
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Oct 22, 2025
Word of the week: fennec
Oct 22, 2025

Word of the week: It’s a small pale-fawn nocturnal fox with unusually large, highly sensitive ears, that inhabits from African and Arab deserts areas from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula. But has it ever been seen in a song?

Oct 22, 2025
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Oct 9, 2025
Word of the week: gongoozler
Oct 9, 2025

Word of the week: A fabulous old English slang term for someone who tends to stand or sit for long periods staring at the passing of boats on canals, sometimes with a derogatory or at least ironic use for someone who is useless or lazy. But what of songs about this activity and culture?

Oct 9, 2025
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