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Playlists: songs referencing or influenced by Fats Domino

March 4, 2026 Peter Kimpton

Fats Domino left a star-studded list of those he influenced across the many strings of his music

From early rock ‘n’ roll to pop, rock, reggae, jazz and beyond, the quietly humble, smiling pianist and singer who rose to fame in the 1950s left a huge musical legacy. Loud Atlas expertly picks up some the many big names and songs he influenced, inspired by last week’s topic

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In blues, African, calypso, bossa nova, country, dance, dub, exotica, experimental, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, lounge, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, prog, punk, reggae, rhythm and blues, RnB, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags Fats Domino, songs, playlists, Chubby Checker, The Beatles, Cheap Trick, Dave Edmunds, Jools Holland, Theo Beckford, Neville Grant, Super Cat, Jack Radics, Lester Bowie, Fine Young Cannibals, Randy Newman, Dr John, Clarence 'Frogman' Henry, Ray Charles, Mott The Hoople, Elton John, Paul Davis, Lloyd Price, Bob Dylan, Chas & Dave, Lord Tanamo, Bitty McLean, The Rulers, Roy Montrell, James Brown, Billy Joel, The Fontane SIsters, Luca Sestak, Bruce Springsteen, Ben Folds Five, Neil Sedaka, Loud Atlas
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A striking subject: songs about percussion and percussionists

May 29, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Doubly great: John "Jabo" Starks and Clyde Stubblefield

Hit it! It’s a lyrical topic, where perhaps the singer might address, direct, encourage, or praise the band's drummer, any real or fictional player, or the beat, rhythm or instruments themselves

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, 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, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags percussion, drums, drummers, playlists, songs, John "Jabo" Starks, Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown, Buddy Rich, Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, The Who, Lionel Hampton, Dave Grohl, Chet Baker, Steven Adler, Miles Davis, Henry David Thoreau, Jack White, Evelyn Glennie, Max Roach, Neil Peart, Tony Allen, Sheila E, Film, film soundtrack
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Playlists: songs that energise

November 20, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Go!: The Go! Team

It’s positive, infectious, subjective yet strangely magical in effect. Spread across the genres and inspired by last week’s topic, ParaMhor brings his superb selection of music that will brighten your day and put a spring in your step

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In African, calypso, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, lounge, krautrock, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, energising songs, energy, The Cult, The Kinks, Jackson Sisters, Blondie, Big Star, Jesus & Mary Chain, Otis Redding, The Go! Team, The Associates, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Mahlathini, The Mahotella Queens, Gong Gong Gong, Art Tatum, Bo Diddley, Lulu, The Jacksons, Roger and the Gypsies, Kanda Bongo Man, James Brown, Sote, The Fire Engines, Nice as Fuck, Amyl and the Sniffers, The Ruts, King Crimson, Sergei Prokofiev, The MVPs, The Bhundu Boys, Gonzalez, Suede, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave, Keith Jarrett, ParaMhor
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Sheer release: songs that energise

November 14, 2024 Peter Kimpton

It's highly subjective, but we're throwing out there what songs, or pieces, give you that big physical or mental boost. So, what music puts a pep in your step? What pushes out the puissance, releases the pizzazz, flows the juice, brings vim, vitality, vigour,  zest, zing or the zip?

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, easy listening, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, gospel, 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 songs, playlists, energising songs, energy, Aristotle, Quincy Jones, Yoko Ono, Jean Paul, Albert Camus, Skrillex, Herb Albert, Shania Twain, Thandie Newton, Ray Charles, George Eliot, Dolly Parton, Beethoven, Amy Taylor, Amyl and the Sniffers, Gustav Mahler, Yehudi Menuhin, Rage Against The Machine, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, Chk Chk Chk, Henri Matisse, David Bowie, Voltaire, Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown, The Beatles, The Who, Pete Townshend, David Lee Roth
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Against all odds: songs about underdogs

October 17, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, was complete underdog when he faced Sonny Liston in the shock defeat of 1964

You’ll find them in real life or fiction, history and myth, sport, music, school, prison, books or film, but the arc of the underdog always inspires emotions and makes for a great story. How is it conveyed in song?

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, 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 underdogs, songs, playlists, Film, books, politics, prison, school, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm Gladwell, Jimmy Page, John Peel, Shakespeare, William Shakespeare, The Bible, Game of Thrones, Muhammad Ali, boxing, Jake La Motta, Rocky films, Asif Kapadia, football, sport, hockey, James Brown, Robin Hood, Charlie Chaplin, athletics, basketball, David Bowie, Baz Luhrmann
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Playlists: songs for fictional commercials

December 28, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Fresh frozen? Give peas a chance …

Awash with ads for travel, clothing, leisure, painkillers, marijuana, vegetables, and even items to boost sex life? Well, it’s time to be entertained by a string of non-existent ones, framed in snappy marketing musical form, with playlists picked by guest magicman from last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, calypso, blues, classical, country, comedy, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags advertising, playlists, songs, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Say She She, James Brown, The Beach Boys, Les Paul, Mary Ford, Ned Doheny, Annette Hanshaw, Curtis Mayfield, Billy Ocean, Pete and the Pirates, Take That, Bing Crosby, U2, Elvis Presley, Ska-P, Gen Hoshino, Halmens, The Clash, Imagine Dragons, Katrina and the Waves, Frank Black, The Sleepy Jackson, Young Fathers, The Flying Lizards, Eurythmics, The Eurythmics, magicman
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Playlists: songs about gravity

November 8, 2023 Peter Kimpton

One giant leap, Felix Baumgartner returns to Earth from 24 miles up, 2012

Recurring dreams, space, tides and the Moon, or perhaps a very weighty animal? Gravity t’s a major force that controls us all, but channelled into playlists by guest of the week George Boyland from last week’s topic, it’s sure to go down very well …

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, gravity, Tankus The Henge, Erland Cooper, Ivor Cutler, John Mayer, Prince Far I, The Arabs, Tarpeian Rock, Gorillaz, Bootsy Collins, Kelli Ali, Nada Surf, James Brown, Desmond Dekker, XTC, Lau Nau, Peter Hammill, Ben Cox, Jesse Winchester, Gustav Holst, Robert Wyatt, Editors, King Crimson, Captain Chris Hadfield, Space, The Rolling Stones, Pylon, Frank Black, The Folk Implosion, REM, George Boyland, PJ Harvey
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Playlists: songs about perspiration

June 22, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Sweatiest video? Alewya

It’s more than warm in here. Sexual arousal to hard labour, cold sweats to night sweats, picked from all the nominations from last week’s hot topic guest of the week pejepeine’s playlists will leave you perspiring with excitement

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In African, blues, calypso, country, dance, disco, 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, perspiration, sweating, Laura Nyro, Van Morrison, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Alewya, Prince, Basement Jaxx, Roxanne Shanté, Findley, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Dana Bryant, Robin Kester, Yello, Bruce Springsteen, The The, The Fall, Ace Marino, The Soul Lifters, Ohio Players, Keith Sweat, C&C Music Factory, Nelly, Ralphi Rosario, Marcos Valle, Disco Tex & His Sex-o-Lettes, Aretha Franklin, Neil Diamond, Elvis Costello, Joe Dolan, Iggy Pop, pejepeine
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Sweat bands: songs about perspiration

June 16, 2022 Peter Kimpton

What will pour out into this week’s hot landings? Meanwhile here’s Ted Striker

As heatwaves spread around many parts of the world, it’s time to turn the perspiration into inspiration. Sweating covers many contexts, from work, to exercise, fear to sex, but how are its process and emotions expressed in song?

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, playlists, musicals, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, traditional, soundtracks, soul, songs, ska, showtime Tags songs, playlists, sweating, perspiration, heat, weather, Edgar Allan Poe, Keith Richards, George S Patton, Wayne Coyne, Karen Blixen, Elvis Presley, biology, Fame TV series, Film, television, James Brown, Prince, Iggy Pop, Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Cheers, Rocky films, Ice Cold In Alex, The Deerhunter, Robert De Niro, Raging Bull, Whiplash, Scarface, Cool Hand Luke, Airplane, Louis Armstrong
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Dawn chorus? Songs to start the morning

January 27, 2022 Peter Kimpton

The flurry of first light

Morning always comes, but how might you start it musically? This is a topic not about the morning and everything that goes with it, although those details may figure, but is one more about complementary mood, style, feeling and pace

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, folk, experimental, 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, playlists, music, morning, Marty Rubin, Kim Dallmeier, Richard Wilbur, poetry, John Donne, Benjamin Franklin, James Brown, Nick Drake, Syd Barrett, Henry David Thoreau, Leslie Connor, Marcus Aurelius, Jonathan Swift, Yoko Ono, Salvador Dali, Mahatma Gandhi, Donna Tartt, Edward Conlon, William Wordsworth, William Shakespeare, Shakespeare, TS Eliot, Philip Larkin, Sylvia Plath
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Playlists: Boastful songs

November 17, 2021 Peter Kimpton

Flash, brash and bulging with talent: Grandmaster Melle Mel with the Furious Five

Bombastic braggadocio to self-applauding swagger, sexual prowess and stamina to super-clever slick, non-stop self-description, guest playlister ShivSidecar picks supremely sharp and entertaining sets of songs from early rock’n’roll to soul, hip hop and beyond

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In blues, disco, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, soul, songs, comedy Tags boasting, arrogance, playlists, music, songs, Billy Ward & The Dominoes, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Rasputin's Stash, Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five, Roxanne Shanté, Joe Walsh, Brakes, Cat Power, The Temptations, Thee More Shallows, REM, Death In Vegas, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, EPMD, Young MC, The Third Bardo, The Warlocks, Utopia, Candye Kane, Manic Street Preachers, Virgin Prunes, Tom Waits, Juicy Bananas, Eminem, Chance The Rapper, Chelmico, Munchausen, Captain Beefheart, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Cerys Matthews, David Bowie, The Lower Third, Bette Bright & The Illuminations, The Pipettes, The Beat, Klark Kent, Steve Burns, The Flaming Lips, Sidecar Shiv
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Goodbye 2020: songs for the spirit of 2021

December 31, 2020 Peter Kimpton
And this bird must sing …

And this bird must sing …

Hope, fear, dreams, resolutions, giving the finger to 2020, but a welcome thumbs up to 2021? However you feel about this new chapter in the calendar of our lives, it’s time to express it in the form of song suggestions

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In African, blues, avant-garde, calypso, classical, comedy, 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, playlists, new year, 2020, 2021, Emily Dickinson, TS Eliot, Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Covid-19, green energy, environment, racism, Black Lives Matter, Dr Seuss, Dale Carnegie, CS Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, Samuel Johnson, George Eliot, Frank Sinatra, Socrates, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paul Coehlo, Vaclav Havel, Pliny The Elder, Cyril Cusack, James Brown, Bill Withers, Beak, Bing Crosby, Charles Brown, Bill Evans, Tony Bennett, The Zombies
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Hear, hit or blame? Songs that lyrically refer to rhythm, beat or boogie

August 20, 2020 Peter Kimpton
They get down and do it. Earth, Wind and Fire your inspiration …

They get down and do it. Earth, Wind and Fire your inspiration …

You got it, get down on it, it goes on, maybe it’s a wonderland or perhaps there’s blame pinned on it. This week we’re seeking songs where in whatever genre, in lyrics, one or more of these words are spoken, shouted or sung

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, musical hall, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags Maya Angelou, Henry David Thoreau, John Lee Hooker, Gloria Estefan, Miami Sound Machine, Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Earth Wind & Fire, Albert Ammons, Clarence PInetop Smith, Rosie Perez, Peter J Silvester, Jerry Lee Lewis, Louis Jordan, James Brown, Chuck Berry, Mose Allison, Jimmy Yancey, Meade Lux Lewis, Igor Stravinsky, Yehudi Menuhin, Gabrielle Roth, Edith Wharton, Dame Edith Sitwell, Nelly Mazioum, George Crumb, Charles Dickens, Bjork, Jimi Hendrix, Dr John, Ken Burns, Casey Kasem, Van Morrison, Ike Turner, Johnny Otis, Eric B & Rakim
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Playlists: songs about being stubborn and ignoring advice

February 5, 2020 Peter Kimpton
There’s no dictating to Pauline Murray from Penetration …

There’s no dictating to Pauline Murray from Penetration …

An impressive collection of tough cookies feature in this week’s lineup of artists ready to take no nonsense from anybody, covering the full spectrum obstinacy, from soul to punk and beyond, picked by discerning ear of guest Maki

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In avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, prog, rock, ska, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, stubbornness, obstinacy, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, The Lumineers, The Quireboys, The Kinks, Adrian Borland, Tool, Penetration, H.E.R., Robyn, The Grateful Dead, Richard Thompson, They Might Be Giants, Kirsty MacColl, Sex Pistols, Rod Stewart, Paco Ibáñez, Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Crosby Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Mia Sheard, Mayte Martin, Maki
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In full swing: songs and instrumentals from New York City

July 18, 2019 Peter Kimpton
There’s more than one way of having in ball in New York. The 1930s …

There’s more than one way of having in ball in New York. The 1930s …

It’s the city of the world that never sleeps, but this week let’s explore what kind of music, particularly instrumentals, but also lyrics, capture the particular spirit, culture, feel and rhythms of its extraordinary five boroughs

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, experimental, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, New York, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Beastie Boys, LCD Soundsystem, Henry Ford, Duke Ellington, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island, David Byrne, Talking Heads, George Gershwin, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Sonny Bono, paul simon, Broadway, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Blondie, The Ramones, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, B-52s, The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Dee-Lite, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Led Zeppelin, Joe Strummer, The Clash, Television (band), Prince, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Harlem, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Milos Forman, John Updike, Bette Midler, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Film, film soundtrack, Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, gangs, Statue of Liberty
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Playlists: songs that defy genre definition

April 24, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Dare to be different. Mitski

Dare to be different. Mitski

Embarking on adventures into the avant-garde, hip-hop, jazz and more, crossing continents and skimming multiple styles from waves of nominations, this week’s guest Nilpferd creates playlists enduringly indefinable

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, genres, Katzenjammer, Juana Molina, Mitski, The Durutti Column, The Kaleidoscope, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Roxy Music, The Last Poets, Kendrick Lamar, Herbie Hancock, Bohren and der Club of Gore, Thundercat, Sly & The Family Stone, James Brown, Ry Cooder, VM Bhatt, Shirley Collins, Davey Graham, The Real Tuesday Weld, Sudan Archives, Peter Blegvad, Andy Partridge, Ken Nordine, Bjork, Moondog, Portishead, Primus, Scritti Politti, My Bloody Valentine, Andrew Weatherall, Matthew Herbert, Miles Davis, Coldcut
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Joint effort: songs about knees, hips, elbows, wrists & toes …

April 4, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Join us … the joint is jumpin’

Join us … the joint is jumpin’

… as well as knuckles, ankles, shoulders and any other key bendy and swivelling bits of the body, human or otherwise. It's all about making connections, and freedom of movement …

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In avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, showtime, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, biology, science, dance, Jimi Hendrix, Charles Bukowski, Liza Minnelli, The Wizard of Oz, Pete Townshend, The Who, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffett, James Brown, Norman Cook / Fatboy Slim, Christina Aguilera, Shakira, Bernard Sumner, animals, evolution, Terry Notary, Andy Serkis, Film, Lee Majors, robotics, Grace Jones, Soul Train, West Side Story, Jon Heder
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Playlists: songs featuring personification

March 19, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Rokia Traoré … dancing with a constant companion Mélancolie

Rokia Traoré … dancing with a constant companion Mélancolie

The Bar is delighted. Places, emotions, elements, the weather and even music itself take human traits as this week’s guru Uncleben is excellence personified, guiding through two exhaustive and illuminating playlists on this topic

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In blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, metal, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, personification, poetry, John Milton, The Incredible String Band, Philip Jeays, Slapp Happy, Henry Cow, Ella Fitzgerald, Rokia Traoré, Sandra Carrasco, The Young 'Uns, Bill Wells, Aidan Moffat, Indian Ocean, Frank Sinatra, Neko Case, Bob Marley, Electric Light Orchestra, Grace Jones, Julian Cope, Reparata & The Delrons, The Auteurs, Ann Peebles, The Meters, Art Pepper, B.J. Thomas, James Brown, The Very Things, The Kinks, Richard Strauss, Jessye Norman, Def Leppard, Black Star, Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Uncleben
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How great thou art: songs influenced by gospel

December 6, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Guitar and singing legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Guitar and singing legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Big flamboyant, expressive voices to call-and-response choirs, praise and looking for answers? This week we soul search into gospel’s musical styles infused into other genres, from soul to R&B, hip hop to rock, folk and indie

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In blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, gospel, soul, church music, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson, Bobby Womack, Brian Eno, Yolanda Adams, George F. Root, Philip Bliss, Charles H. Gabriel, William Howard Doane, Fanny Crosby, Ira David Sankey, Dwight L. Moody, Charles E. Gold, The Fairfield Four, The Dixie Hummingbirds, Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, The Soul Stirrers, The Swan Silvertones, The Charloteers, The Golden Gate Quartet, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, Reverend Gary Davis, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Ry Cooder, Thomas Dorsey, Bessie Smith, Tampa Red, Ma Rainey, Reverend James Cleveland, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Martin Luther King, civil rights, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Ray Charles, James Brown, Clyde McPhatter, Roy Brown, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Kahn, Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Chance The Rapper, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Leonard Cohen, The Kooks, The Rolling Stones, Bon Iver
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Stand up for your mics: songs about equality

October 18, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Peter Norman, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, 200m medal ceremony, Mexico 1968

Peter Norman, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, 200m medal ceremony, Mexico 1968

Whatever the platform, the genre or message, this week we’re exploring the issue of equality, if not being the same, from gender to race, politics to work, how to get and if it’s even possible, all through lyrics

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In blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, equality, politics, gender, race issues, sport, Black Power salute 1968, Tommie Smith, Olympic Games, Mexico, John Carlos, Peter Norman, Kurt Vonnegut, Keith Richards, Malcolm X, Mahatma Gandhi, John le Carre, William Shakespeare, Mary Wollstonecraft, Bob Dylan, education, family, childhood, children, racism, Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke, James Brown, suffrage, suffragettes, Emmeline Pankhurst, Millicent Fawcett, Charlotte Manning, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Ban Ki-moon, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Timothy Leary, William Golding, Socrates, Iris Murdoch, Pink, Peterloo Massacre, Manchester, Henry Hunt, Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy, Jimi Hendrix, Terry Eagleton, Friedrich Nietzsche, Harvey Milk, George Orwell, Winston Churchill, Waturu Watari, Honore de Balzac, Douglas Adams, Josh Homme
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New Albums …

Featured
Kim Gordon - Play Me album.jpeg
Mar 13, 2026
Kim Gordon: Play Me
Mar 13, 2026

New album: Following 2024’s The Collective, the former Sonic Youth frontwoman’s fourth solo LP continues her extraordinary experimental, innovative journey, moving to more melodic beats shorter tracks, and motorik krautrock-style driven coloured by strange sounds, intense emotions and sharply angled and abstract social commentary

Mar 13, 2026
ELIZA - The Darkening Green.jpeg
Mar 11, 2026
ELIZA: The Darkening Green
Mar 11, 2026

New album: The London artist Eliza Caird (formerly under the mainstream pop moniker Eliza Doolittle) returns with more of the cool, slow, sensual, gentle, sophisticated experimental soul-funk style evolving from her 2022 album A Sky Without Stars, here with particularly polished, silky, stripped back grooves and vocals

Mar 11, 2026
Irreparable Parables by Andrew Wasylyk.jpeg
Mar 11, 2026
Andrew Wasylyk: Irreparable Parables
Mar 11, 2026

New album: The Scottish multi-instrumentalist and composer returns with a new selection of soothing, meditative mix of experimental classical and jazz, but this time joined with six different singers represented by the birds on the album artwork

Mar 11, 2026
waterbaby - Memory Be A Blade.jpeg
Mar 10, 2026
waterbaby: Memory Be A Blade
Mar 10, 2026

New album: A delicate, experimental, understated soulful chamber pop debut by the pure-voiced Stockholm-born singer-songwriter (aka Kendra Egerbladh) in 25-minute, eight-track release of lo-fi, lyrically semi-improvised numbers about heartbreak and self-renewal in a world of gorgeous musical sensations

Mar 10, 2026
Joshua Idehen - I Know You're Hurting ....jpeg
Mar 10, 2026
Joshua Idehen: I know you're hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try
Mar 10, 2026

New album: With a strikingly long title, a euphoric and honest full debut LP by the British-born Nigerian poet, spoken word artist and musician based in Sweden, working with his musical partner Ludvig Parment’s sonic layers, packed pacy dance and hip-hop grooves, clever sampling, slower reflections, and articulate expressions of positivity through the ups and downs of grief and hope

Mar 10, 2026
Atlanta by Gnarls Barkley.jpeg
Mar 10, 2026
Gnarls Barkley: Atlanta
Mar 10, 2026

New album: Finally, after an 18-year gap since their last collaboration in the heady days of the hit Crazy, with the St Elsewhere and The Odd Couple LPs a third and supposedly final album from fabulous singer CeeLo Green and producer and musician aka Brian Burton with a mix of soaring soul, hip-hop, pop and RnB with songs filled with vivid lyrical memories and strong, emotive melodies

Mar 10, 2026
War Child - Help(2).jpeg
Mar 9, 2026
Various: HELP(2) - War Child Records
Mar 9, 2026

New album: Not only a timely and topical milestone charity record following the first in 1995 to help bring aid and wide variety of support to children in war zones around he world, but an impressive double-LP array of stellar British and international talent and powerful, poignant 23 songs from Arctic Monkeys to Young Fathers

Mar 9, 2026
Bonnie Prince Billy - We Are Together Again.jpeg
Mar 9, 2026
Bonnie “Prince” Billy: We Are Together Again
Mar 9, 2026

New album: Just over a year after 2025’s The Purple Bird, but from parallel recording sessions and familiar co-musicians, the veteran Louisville-Kentucky singer-songwriter Will Oldham returns with another collection of exquisite, intimate, gently defiant lo-fi folk to troubled times, an ode to community with a beautiful array of acoustic instruments and his poignant, insightful lyrics and delivery

Mar 9, 2026
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Mar 5, 2026
DEADLETTER: Existence Is Bliss
Mar 5, 2026

New album: This second LP by the South Yorkshire/London six-piece expands their post-punk sound palette with a collection of arresting, thrumming songs, often dark and challenging, with richly exploratory lyrics across dystopian and existential questions, yet despite a climate of difficult, shows how gasping for life’s oxygen is essential

Mar 5, 2026
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Mar 5, 2026
Lala Lala: Heaven 2
Mar 5, 2026

New album: Moving from Chicago to New Mexico, Reykjavík, then London and now Los Angeles, the UK-born artist Lillie West’s experimental indie dream pop is a fascinating release about restless escapism while trying to stay where she is

Mar 5, 2026
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Mar 3, 2026
Iron & Wine: Hen's Teeth
Mar 3, 2026

New album: Timeless, poetic, gentle folk-rock in this eighth solo album by the North Carolina multi-instrumentalist and producer Sam Beam, in warm, tender album with a title that suggests the idea of the impossible yet real, and an earthier, darker, more more tactile companion to his Grammy-nominated 2024 album Light Verse

Mar 3, 2026
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Mar 3, 2026
Buck Meek: The Mirror
Mar 3, 2026

New album: The Brooklyn-based Texan guitarist of Big Thief returns with his fourth solo LP filled with tender, thoughtful, beautiful folk-country-rock, a tiny splash of analogue synths, joined by bandmate James Krivchenia as producer, Adrianne Lenker on backing vocals, plus guitarist Adam Brisbin and harp player Mary Lattimore

Mar 3, 2026
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Mar 1, 2026
Mitski: Nothing’s About To Happen To Me
Mar 1, 2026

New album: Following 2023’s acclaimed The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, now an eighth LP of sublime beauty, wit and melancholy and silken vocal tones from the American singer-songwriter, mixing pop, rock, echoes of Laurel Canyon era, and stories and metaphors of love and loss, insecurity, independence and solitude all set at home – and no shortage of cats

Mar 1, 2026
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Mar 1, 2026
Gorillaz: The Mountain
Mar 1, 2026

New album: Released with an art book, new games, and extended videos, a multicultural, multifarious and multilingual return for the collective cartoon pop-hip-hop project led by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, with many intercontinental guest appearances, and a particular Indian musical and visual flavour centred on fictional Himalayan peak as metaphor for life’s journey and illusionary truths

Mar 1, 2026

new songs …

Featured
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Mar 15, 2026
Song of the Day: Hannah Lew - Sunday
Mar 15, 2026

Song of the Day: An appropriate day to highlight this classy latest single of shimmering 80s-style synth-pop with echoes of OMD, with themes about pain, love and grief from the upcoming debut album by the Richmond, California artist, out on 10 April via Night School Records

Mar 15, 2026
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Mar 14, 2026
Song of the Day: Mei Semones - Tooth Fairy (featuring John Roseboro)
Mar 14, 2026

Song of the Day: A charming cross-genre fusion of bossa nova, jazz, folk and chamber pop sung in English and Japanese by the Brooklyn-based American musician with a tale of losing a tooth on the subway and friendship, from the upcoming album Kurage, out 10 April on Bayonet Records

Mar 14, 2026
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Mar 13, 2026
Song of the Day: Robyn - Blow My Mind
Mar 13, 2026

Song of the Day: Quirky, sensual electro-pop with a dash of Kraftwerk by the acclaimed Swedish singer, songwriter and producer Robin Miriam Carlsson, in this latest from the upcoming album Sexistential out on 27 March via Konichiwa / Young Records

Mar 13, 2026
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Mar 12, 2026
Song of the Day: Lava La Rue - Scratches
Mar 12, 2026

Song of the Day: The latest single by the London singer-songwriter is punchy, powerful psychedelic rock number with tearing riffs and lyrics about damage from troubled relationship, abuse and self-harm, from the forthcoming EP Do You Know Everything?, out on BMG

Mar 12, 2026
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Mar 11, 2026
Song of the Day: Alewya - City of Symbols (featuring eejebee)
Mar 11, 2026

Song of the Day: A stylish fusion of electronica, soul, hip hop and Ethiopian rhythmic influences centring on themes of heritage, family by London singer, songwriter, producer and multidisciplinary artist, with drums from eejebee and guitar from Vraell, heralding from the forthcoming new debut Zero out 22 June via LDN Records / Because Music

Mar 11, 2026
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Mar 10, 2026
Song of the Day: Huarinami - Carried Away
Mar 10, 2026

Song of the Day: Explosive, stylish, gritty, restless indie-psychedelic punk with angular, angry guitars, driving bass and wonderfully arresting vocals by Pauline Janier (aka Cody Pepper) fronting the French London-based four-piece in this single fuelled by the frustration of big-city life, and heralding their sophomore EP Nothing Happens, due for release on 6 June

Mar 10, 2026
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Mar 9, 2026
Song of the Day: Avalon Emerson & The Charm - Written into Changes
Mar 9, 2026

Song of the Day: Following the singles Eden and Jupiter and Mars, another stylish, experimental indie synth-pop release by the New York artist with the title track of upcoming second Charm moniker album, out on 20 March via Dead Oceans

Mar 9, 2026
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Mar 8, 2026
Song of the Day: Aldous Harding - One Stop
Mar 8, 2026

Song of the Day: An enigmatic, oddly stylish, stripped back, piano-based new experimental folk single by the New Zealand singer-songwriter, namechecking John Cale, and from her upcoming album Train on the Island out May 8 via 4AD

Mar 8, 2026
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Mar 7, 2026
Song of the Day: Max Winter, Asha Lorenz & Rael - Candlelight
Mar 7, 2026

Song of the Day: A dark, stylish, striking fusion of hip-hop, trip-hop, spoken word, and jazz by the London-based rapper and friends, and the the first single from the collaborative mixtape Like the season!, out on Secret Friend

Mar 7, 2026
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Mar 6, 2026
Song of the Day: SPRINTS - Trickle Down
Mar 6, 2026

Song of the Day: The feisty, ferociously fun Dublin post-punk band return with a punchy, on-point angry new number about the flawed economic term, watching systems fail in slow motion, housing crisis, rising costs, culture wars, climate collapse, and frustratingly being told to stay patient while everything burns

Mar 6, 2026
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Mar 5, 2026
Song of the Day: Jordan Rakei & Tom McFarland - Easy to Love
Mar 5, 2026

Song of the Day: Elevating, soaring soul with the high vocals of the New Zealand-Australian singer and songwriter joined by one half the British band Jungle, heralding the collaborative EP Between Us, out on 24 April on Fontana Records / Universal Music

Mar 5, 2026
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Mar 4, 2026
Song of the Day: José González - A Perfect Storm
Mar 4, 2026

Song of the Day: A beautiful, delicate, evocative and profound new single about impending Earth disaster by the Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist from Gothenburg, heralding his fifth album Against the Dying of the Light out on 27 March via Imperial Recordings / City Slang

Mar 4, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
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Mar 12, 2026
Word of the week: wallfish
Mar 12, 2026

Word of the week: It sounds like the singing finned picture ornament Big Mouth Billy Bass that became popular in the late 1990s, but this is a much older noun, derived in Somerset, England, pertains to the climbing gastropod that can slowly climb up any surface

Mar 12, 2026
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Feb 25, 2026
Word of the week: xiphias
Feb 25, 2026

Word of the week: Get the point? This is the scientific name for the swordfish, in full Xiphias gladius (from the Greek and Latin for sword), that extraordinary sea creature with the long, pointy bill. But what of it in song?

Feb 25, 2026
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Feb 12, 2026
Word of the week: yanggeum
Feb 12, 2026

Word of the week: A form or hammered dulcimer, this traditional Korean instrument, with a flat and trapezoidal shape, has seven sets of four metal strings hit by thin bamboo stick

Feb 12, 2026
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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
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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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