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Playlists: songs about unity and togetherness

July 15, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Neil Young, playing at Live Aid in 1985, also features on this week’s playlist

Inspired by last week’s topic about the 40th anniversary of Live Aid and song nominations, guest of the week tincanman reflects on the outcomes, Bob Geldof, and some songs that made it against the odds

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, drone, easy listening, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, RnB, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, traditional, trip hop Tags Live Aid, charity, Bob Geldof, Boukan Ginen, Richard Strange, Cee ElAssaad, Thandi Draai, The Comet Is Coming, Todd Rundgren, Matata, Neil Young, Zero 7, Mozez, Grant Lee Buffalo, Lost T Shirts of Atlantis, Siouxsie and the Banshees, H20, Dead Can Dance, Doyal Naniou, Oumou Sangaré, Woody Guthrie, Bryn Haworth, Benjamin Zephaniah, Jackson Browne, tincanman
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Playlists: songs about decluttering, reducing, purging and tidying

March 18, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Neat neat neat …

Spring cleaning season is in full swing - tidying, cleaning or paring back, from belongings to unwanted relationships, guest of the week Severin clears the bar with some very neat work inspired by last week’s topic

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In blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags decluttering, tidying, reducing, purging, Biteback, Mitski, Joss Stone, Sparks, Youssou N'Dour, Carmen McRae, Tapper Zukie, The Average White Band, The Beatles, The Wombles, Furry Lewis, Eminem, Joanna Newsom, The Spaniels, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Billie Holiday, Teenage Fanclub, Peggy Lee, Maxine Nightingale, Half Man Half Biscuit, Sammy Kershaw, Gala, Nina Simone, The Go-Betweens, Deco*27, Hatsune Miku, Jane Jarvis, Tindersticks, Neil Young, Femi Kuti, Abbey Lincoln, Vivian Stanshall, severin, Severin
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Playlists: songs about paths, tracks, trails and roads

January 29, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Follow this musical trail ….

From tiny woodland byways to endless stretching highways, across history and continents, Devon to Scotland, America to Australia, guest playlister Shiv Sidecar takes us on a fabulous musical journey inspired by last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, country, dance, drone, dub, exotica, easy listening, electronica, experimental, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, roads, paths, trails, Nick Drake, Archie Roach, Linkin Park, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Alasdair Roberts, The Aislers Set, Buddy Miles, Mazzy Star, Pavlov's Dog, Show Of Hands, The Move, The Triffids, Dengue Fever, Metric, Ivor Cutler, The Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Midnight Oil, Japanese Breakfast, Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Kevin Morby, Jackie Leven, Karine Polwart, Lal Waterson, Robb Johnson, JJ Cale, Bo Diddley, U-Roy, Billy Butler, Shocking Blue, The Factory, David Byrne, Nina Nastasia, Dan Fogelberg, Lightnin' Hopkins, PJ Harvey, Cult Maniax, Lhasa, Ralph MacDonald, Super Furry Animals, trees, The Battered Ornaments, The Gun Club, Plainsong, XTC, ShivSidecar, Sidecar Shiv, Gillian Welch
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Playlists: songs with lyrical symmetry

January 15, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Beautifully sad symmetry by Celeste

Mirrored lyrical patterns create an aural symmetry l that appeals to listeners, especially in pop music’s chorus. Inspired by last week’s nominations, guest playlister Maki weighs up the lyric sheets to create a perfect balance

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, 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 symmetry, antimetabole, lyrics, Boyzone, The Eagles, Elvis Costello, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Dessa, Joyner Lucas, Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Greaves, Peter Blegvad, Lisa Herman, The Piranhas, Celeste, Neil Young, The Osmonds, Elliott Smith, Billy Bragg, The Stylistics, H20, Jah Wobble, Andy Williams, Leonard Cohen, Supertramp, Anais Mitchell, David Bowie, Mala Rodríguez, Maki
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Playlists: songs about the frozen north

October 1, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Mush! The team all pulled together, leading to these splendid songs …

Stunning sights and sounds that will melt your heart, but hopefully not too much of the ice. From Siberia to Alaska, the Inuit to the Laps and beyond, Marco den Ouden takes us on a fabulous journey across the frozen north inspired by last week's topic

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, rock, reggae, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Arctic regions, Siberia, Alaska, Lapland, Finland, Johnny Horton, Hobo Jim, Show Of Hands, Momus, Torgeir Vassvik, Sverre Kjellsberg, Mattis Hætta, Tanya Tagaq, The Trews, Techno Sound Group, Jenny Räisänen, Redgum, Wire, Ludovico Einaudi, Lucinda Belle Orchestra, British Sea Power, Sea Power, Alan Parsons, Stompin' Tom Connors, The Pogues, Sólstöður, Kornet, Billy Bragg, Veda Hille, Bill Staines, Martin Carthy, John Denver, Neil Young, Shocking Blue, Lucy J Dalton, The Church, Mari Boine, Kardemimmit, Camel, Matt Elliott, Jet Blacks, Alestorm, Gladys Knight, Al Stewart, Jocelyn Dorian, Pamyua, Adam Bird’s Bowl of Fire, Jean Sibelius, Al di Meola, Oregon, Geir Bøhren, Bent Åserud, Woody Herman, Boreal Taiga, Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Australian Allstars, Finn Eriksen, Sun Ra, Charles Verstraete Et Son Orchestre, Terje Isungset, Hank Snow, Seth Boyer, Marco den Ouden
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Playlists: songs about or featuring national anthems

July 31, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Music in the air …

Take a world trip from standup straight to unusual traditionals, or distorted version radicals, alternative interpretations to parodies, as well as new lyrical angles, guest Severin creates a truly global selection from last week’s Olympic-inspired topic

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In African, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, easy listening, exotica, experimental, folk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, prog, postpunk, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags national anthems, playlists, songs, Jimi Hendrix, Kou Kakinohara, Richie Stephens, Jean Jacques Burnel, Beethoven, Tom Waits, Serge Gainsbourg, Laibach, The Rankin Family, George Fenton, Radiohead, Johnny Griffin Quartet, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Neil Young, Tanzania, Africa, Hawaii, Arrogant Worms, Marvin Gaye, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Gabry Ponte, Julia & Ayla Rodriguez, Juliette Greco, Мен, The Grateful Dead, Roy Ayers, Franz Liszt, Able Tasmans, Bro Gozh ma Zadou, Nitin Sawhney, The Voices of St Paul, Randy Newman, Richard Thompson, The Seekers, Nico, June Tabor, severin, Severin
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Playlists: songs featuring crooners

April 10, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Mic King: Nat King Cole

How do you demonstrate the craft of crooning? It brings a broader range than you imagine. After the many nominations springing from last week’s topic, defining as all about style and using the microphone, guest playlister ParaMhor brings some perfect performance picks …

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In blues, classical, country, folk, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, rock, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags crooning, singing, Richard Hawley, Patsy Cline, K.D. Lang, Chris Isaak, Chris Connor, Jimmy Little, Johnny Harman, John Coltrane, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Al Bowlly, Óðinn Valdimarsson, Fred Astaire, Nat King Cole, The Righteous Brothers, Depeche Mode, Billie Holiday, Maggie Gyllenhall, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Mills Brothers, Neil Young, Yves Montand, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Patty Page, Elvis Presley, George Michael, Robert Palmer, Caetano Veloso, Chappell Roan, Crowded House, Nina Simone, Mitski, The Passengers, The Beatles, ParaMhor
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Playlists: single-minded songs

November 14, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Single-minded pursuits: Roxy Music

It might mean concentration, determination, persistence, relentlessness, and even obsessive behaviour, but while that perhaps thinking of one thing, or one person, but this is a topic has gathered a broad range of music and ideas. Guest Sidecar Shiv reveals more in fabulous playlists picked from last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Primal Scream, The Fugees, Muhammad Ali, A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, John Forte, Nico Wayne Toussaint, The Impressions, David Holmes, Raven Violet, Taylor Swift, Roxy Music, Animals That Swim, Dave Hause, Fountains of Wayne, Fiona Apple, The Animals, Dean Parrish, Nocturnal Emissions, U2, The Sound, Talking Heads, The Temptations, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Boogie Down Productions, Giant Crab, Kevin Coyne, PJ Harvey, Bobbie Gentry, Amy MacDonald, Sufjan Stevens, Neil Young, The Triffids, Iris DeMent, Julian Cope, Husker Du, Eurythmics, The Eurythmics, Ronnie Lane, Slim Chance, Della Reese, ShivSidecar, Sidecar Shiv
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Playlists: songs about pioneers

October 17, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Some of the groundbreaking cast of The Real Ambassadors, including Dave Brubeck and Louis Armstrong

Traversing not just wildernesses, this week’s topic celebrates those who found forms of new territory, land, sea, or space, to those who broke new ground in their specialist field. For these, guest of the week Marco den Ouden creates landmark playlists inspired by last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, prog, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, showtime Tags pioneering, history, Horrible Histories, Elton John, Mark Knopfler, James Taylor, Klaus Badelt, Public Service Broadcasting, John Stewart, John Denver, The Sweet, Dominique Moore, Katie Melua, Daft Punk, Syran Mbenza, Ensemble Rumba Kongo, Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, Lambert Hendricks & Ross, Split Enz, Roxette, Fess Parker, Ron Goodwin, Phil Lynott, Ani di Franco, Utah Phillips, Neil Young, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Simple Minds, Procul Harum, Jon and Vangelis, Bruce Cockburn, Blakie & The Rodeo Kings, Jen Cloher, Paul McCartney, New Christy Minstrels, High Llamas, The Long Ryders, Nick Cave, Dion, Smokey Robinson, Gap Band, Stevie Wonder, Tapper Zukie, Etta James, Bob Dylan, Janis Martin, Chick Corea, Max Richter, Vangelis, Allan Holdsworth, REM, Bill Conti, London Symphony Orchestra, Laika and the Cosmonauts, Yuri Honing, Embryo, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Groove Collective, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger
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Playlists: songs about raptors

April 26, 2023 Peter Kimpton

The watchful, high-soaring Aquila audax or wedge-tailed eagle

Eagle, kestrels, vultures and more, after last week’s topic took flight and inspired nominations, keen-eyed musical ornithologist Nicko spreads his wings, swoops in and makes a skilful and erudite grab with these evocative playlists

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, rock, reggae, ska, songs, traditional, soundtracks, soul Tags songs, playlists, raptors, birds, birds of prey, religion, mythology, The Doors, Jim Morrison, James Yorkston, Nina Persson, Lorcán Mac Mathúna, Gerald Manley Hopkins, Marty Robbins, Van Der Graaf Generator, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Them Bird Things, Barbara, Mari Boine, Garmarna, Oddjob, Israel Vibration, Maria Bethânia, Jefferson Airplane, Robin Trower, Daddy Cool, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Neil Young, Kate Wolf, Richard and Mimi Farina, Renaissance, Nico, Grasscut, James Domestic, Superchunk, Thee More Shallows, Electric Banana, Laura Marling, Gil Scott-Heron, Super Eagles, Los Incas, Miles Davis, Xavier Rudd, Archie Roach, Russell Morris, Jana Hunter, The Cat Empire, Labi Siffre, Nicko
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Playlists: songs about roses

May 25, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Roses of many colours decorate this week’s lists …

Roses of many colours decorate this week’s lists …

Whether wild or cultivated, on western plains to eastern mountains, country gardens or inner city, guest flower picker AmyLee creates a bloomin’ marvellous bouquet of music to display a fabulous selection of aural and lyrical colours

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In African, avant-garde, blues, 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, roses, flowers, The Smithereens, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Otis Taylor, The Temptations, Chris & Cosey, The Association, Elliott Smith, Oysterband, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Hope Sandoval, The Warm Invention, Waxahatchee, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Airto Moreira, The Maytals, Shawn Phillips, Peter Hammill, Gary Lucas, Van Morrison, Praetorius, Ben Webster, OutKast, Betty Harris, Dub Syndicate, Bobby Hebb, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, PJ Harvey, The West Coast Pop Art Experiment, Squeeze, Clear Light, Marianne Faithfull, television, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Jerry Garcia, Ray LaMontagne, Rosanne Cash, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Ben Harper, Tom Waits, Thin Lizzy, The Magnetic Fields, Pete Docherty, Them, Fairport Convention, Kaia Kater, Captain Beefheart, Nazareth, Bijan Chemirani, James P. Johnson, St. German, St Germain, Oscar Peterson, Johann Strauss II, Benjamin Britten, Handel, George Friederic Handel, Henry Purcell, Mouse on Mars, Virgil Fox, Tony Gould, Vangelis, Brian Eno, Roger Eno, AmyLee
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Playlists: meta-songs or songs that reference themselves

January 12, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Portrait of Laurence Sterne by Joshua Reynolds, 1760. Sterne’s revolutionarily divergent meta-novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, became a huge influence on great 20th century novelists from James Joyce to Italo Calvino and T…

Portrait of Laurence Sterne by Joshua Reynolds, 1760. Sterne’s revolutionarily divergent meta-novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, became a huge influence on great 20th century novelists from James Joyce to Italo Calvino and Thomas Pynchon

In the spirit of Laurence Sterne’s wonderfully original novel, and inspired by a hive mind of nominations, guest guru Uncleben embarks on a marvellous meandering journey of deliberate divergence to explore a self-referential mirror-hall of lyrical meta

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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, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, meta-songs, Stan Kenton, Odyssey, Donny Hathaway, Yachts, The Frank and Walters, Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto, Carla Bley, Billie Eilish, The Yummy Fur, David Bowie, Belle & Sebastian, Procul Harum, Marty Feldman, Simon & Garfunkel, Christine and the Queens, The Burning Hell, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Todd Rundgren, Neil Young, The Gladiators, The Four Intruders, Car Seat Headrest, Wire, Quiet Sun, Al Green, King Curtis, Pulp, Matching Mole, Chic, Baccara, Fujiya & Miyagi, The Beatles, Thin Lizzy, Camera Obscura, Public Image Limited, Magazine, Captain Beefheart, Uncleben
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Playlists: songs featuring steel guitar

August 12, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Smooth liquid sound: a 1947 Rickenbacker

Smooth liquid sound: a 1947 Rickenbacker

Smoothly glidin’, slidin’, pickin’, these playlists with players from the US to India, Hawaii to Sweden picked by guest Marco den Ouden, are a treasure chest of beautiful sounds and genres spanning blues, rock, country and way more across the big neck

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, country, folk, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, rock, songs Tags songs, playlists, steel guitars, Sheryl Crow, The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Judy Collins, Steely Dan, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Barbara Mandrell, Cindy Cashdollar, First Aid Kit, Jerry Garcia, Ricky King, Bob Brozman, Ledward Kaapana, Luke Vibert, B.J. Cole, Harry Manx, Bill Frisell, Greg Leisz, Lucky Oceans, Paul Kelly, Larkin Poe, Gaby Jogeix, Kimberly Murray, Junior Brown, George Harrison, Son Lux, Christopher Wray, Elmore James, Tammy Wynette, Pete Drake, John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, The Byrds, Lloyd Green, Susanne Sundfør, Taj Mahal, Sandy Denny, Sneaky Pete Kleimow, Juicy Lucy, Glen Ross Vampbell, Neil Young, Ben Keith, Jonathan Richman, Tom Brumley, Matthews Southern Comfort, Gordon Huntley, Alvino Rey & His Orchestra, Chris Rea, Bill Bottrell, Dave Stewart, Orianthi, Kacey Musgraves, Bucky Baxter, K.D. Lang, The Siss Boom Bang, Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers, Mudcrutch, Josh Jove, Julius Rucker, Dan Dugmore, Dr. Nico, L’African Fiesta Sukisa, The Notting Hillbillies, Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Gary Morse, Emily Burridge, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Jerry Douglas, Doug Beaumier, Santo & Johnny, David Hartley, John Russell, Zane King, Brian Eno, David Rothon, The Waikikis, Convergence, Bob Dylan, Marty Rifkin
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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 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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Playlists: songs about trust

December 18, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Lotte Lenya

Lotte Lenya

Sometimes you can believe, yet it doesn’t work out. But sometimes it does. This week it has, at least through hundreds of brilliant song nominations, and playlists equal that by guest Severin, spanning genres, mood and eras

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In blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, trust, William Shakespeare, George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway, Philip Pullman, Mildred Bailey, Fine Young Cannibals, Lotte Lenya, Nine Inch Nails, Karine Polwart, Inspiral Carpets, John Cooper Clarke, Rocco Deluca, Susheela Raman, Jimmy Cliff, Blues Traveler, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Chemical Brothers, Etta James, John Lee Hooker, Billy Bragg, Barbara West, Murray Head, The Wedding Present, Little Feat, The Versatiles, Suzi Quatro, The Tymes, Steve Forbert, Culture, Susanne Sundfør, Neil Young, RIchie Havens, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Anti Establishment, Postmodern Jukebox, Caroline Baran, Ann Peebles, Ben Harper, Charlie Musselwhite, JS Bach, Sam Cooke
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Playlists: songs about different jobs

November 20, 2019 Peter Kimpton
‘The morning is here and there’s work to be done': Who sings a story of the ‘navvies’ who built our railways?

‘The morning is here and there’s work to be done': Who sings a story of the ‘navvies’ who built our railways?

Drivers to traders, craftsmen to carers, traffic wardens to roadies, this week’s superb playlists by guest writer ShivSidecar capture a huge spectrum of styles, emotions, toil and characters, and after so many nominations, it’s a job very well done indeed

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In avant-garde, blues, country, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, work, jobs, Buck 65, Elliott Smith, Glasvegas, Richard Dawson, Kacey Musgraves, The Pogues, Elbow, The Bevis Frond, The Whitlams, The Beatles, St Vincent, Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson, Neil Young, Hoodoo Gurus, Webb Wilder, Nico Wayne Toussaint, Brooklyn Funk Enterprises, Talking Heads, Angelique Kidjo, Charlie Parr, Mark Kozelek, Jimmy LaValle, The Unthanks, Patrice Holloway, Blotto, Belle & Sebastian, Robb Johnson, Captain Beefheart, Television Personalities, T Rex, Roger Daltrey, John Cale, Clive Gregson, Christine Collister, Iron + Wine, RIchie Havens, The Wailing Souls, Cotton Mather, The Loud Family, Voice Of The Beehive, Spencer Davis Group, Johnny Burton, Lal Waterson, Mike Waterson, Johnny Ryan, Sidecar Shiv
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Vote labour: choose songs about different jobs

November 14, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Panda nanny, anyone? Hours may be long …

Panda nanny, anyone? Hours may be long …

Habitual to unusual, the professional or the manual, the skilled or the basic, gig economy to obscure and hidden, this week we look at a variety of job titles and what they all entail, all evoked through song

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In avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, soul, songs, soundtracks, traditional, ska Tags songs, song titles, jobs, work, careers, Lena Horne, Neil Young, Kathy Skaggs, Charles Bukowski, Jimmy Webb, Glen Campbell, Al De Lory, Ken Loach, Richard Dawson, Pablo Picasso, Mehmet Murat ildan, Michelle Obama, Jessie Belle Rittenhouse, Frederick Herzberg, David Graeber, Ken Poirot, Mokokoma Mokhonoana, Terry Pratchett, Studs Terkel, service industry, poetry, art, books
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Playlists: songs about substitutes

July 4, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Irreplaceable: The Modern Lovers

Irreplaceable: The Modern Lovers

Replacements for players, soldiers, husbands, lovers, even robot sex – it’s all going on this these superb playlists chosen by our guest lister Marco den Ouden, who also replaces some of his words with those by nominators

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In blues, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, metal, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, songs, soul, rock, reggae, prog Tags Songs, playlists, substitutes, football, Jorge Ben, Richard Thompson, Sloan, Millie Jackson, The Modern Lovers, Jonathan Richman, Beyonce, Dr John, Tom Odell, Melvin Bliss, Neil Young, Brad Paisley, Hatsune Miku, The Who, Clout, Gregory Isaacs, Strawberry Switchblade, Lenny Kravitz, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Everlast, Prince, Frank Sinatra, The Magic Numbers, Billie Jo Spears, FKA Twigs, Jacques Brel, Elvis Presley, Karla Bonoff, Jesse Fuller, Stevie Wonder, George Jones, Melba Montgomery, The Seekers, Estelle, Yes, Tarnation, Dee D. Jackson, The Beautiful South, Chumbawumba, Fountains of Wayne, Ry Cooder, Mark Lanegan, Isobel Campbell, Marco den Ouden, Marconius
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Playlists: songs about cannabis / marijuana

June 13, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Peter Tosh. No need to ask which side of the fence he's on.

Peter Tosh. No need to ask which side of the fence he's on.

Bongs to the Byrds, ditch weed to Nick Drake, spliff to Steppenwolf and tea’n’tree to Peter Tosh, everybody must get stoned with a woozily wonderful playlists by guest writer megadom from last week’s theme

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In blues, dance, electronica, folk, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs Tags Songs, playlists, marijuana, cannabis, drugs, medicine, Kevin Ayers, Flight of the Conchords, The Association, Nick Drake, Joe Boyd, Parquet Courts, Culture, Steppenwolf, Eek-a-Mouse, Fraternity of Man, The Stairs, Peter Tosh, The Wailers, Bob Marley, The Supremes, The Byrds, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Georges Garvarentz, Black Uhuru, Bobby Darin, Keith Hudson, Cab Calloway, Neil Young, Dub Syndicate, Barrington Levy, Joe Gibbs, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals, Man, Steel Pulse, Lindisfarne, The Toyes, Creedence Clearwater Revival, megadom, The Big Lebowski
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New album: An extraordinarily mature, passionate, poetic, and outstandingly powerful debut by the Manchester-based Galway-born singer-songwriter, whose soaring delivery has instant echoes of Jeff Buckley and lyrics that go above and beyond

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Dec 5, 2025

New album: A gorgeous, delicate, ethereal first release in a decade by the Icelandic singer-songwriter, acoustic instruments and her gentle, high, pure voice, all in her native language, caressing this listening experience like pure waters of some slowly trickling glacial stream

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Melody's Echo Chamber: Unclouded
Dec 5, 2025

New album: A fourth album, here full of delicious uplifting, dreamily chic, psychedelic soul pop by the French musician Melody Prochet, with bright, upbeat, optimistic numbers and a title lifted from a quote by the acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, about achieving equilibrium

Dec 5, 2025
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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

new songs …

Featured
Peter Perrett - Proud To Be Self-Hating.jpeg
Dec 12, 2025
Song of the Day: Peter Perrett - PROUD TO BE SELF-HATING (irony and provocation)
Dec 12, 2025

Song of the Day: The veteran British artist, originally frontman of The Only Ones, and now with three solo albums, who actually has Jewish heritage, releases a gently powerful, nuanced, pro-Palestine acoustic number as a response to ongoing genocide by the Israeli government, out on Domino Records

Dec 12, 2025
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Dec 11, 2025
Song of the Day: Maddie Ashman - Jaded
Dec 11, 2025

Song of the Day: Magical, delicate, eclectic, intricate, experimental microtonal music by the London musician and singer, released alongside a longer track, In Autumn My Heart Breaks

Dec 11, 2025
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Dec 10, 2025
Song of the Day: Ye Vagabonds - The Flood
Dec 10, 2025

Song of the Day: Wonderfully warm, rich, lively fiddle-driven Irish folk by the award-winning band fronted by Carlow brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn with a heartbreaking number about the housing crisis, heralding their upcoming new album, All Tied Together, out on Rough Trade’s River Lea Recordings on 30 January

Dec 10, 2025
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Dec 9, 2025
Song of the Day: DBA! A Poet And A Clown
Dec 9, 2025

Song of the Day: Catchy fuzz-guitar indie rock with a swagger by the Liverpool-formed trio of Sam Warren, James Lindberg and Joshua Grant in a song described as “a confessional story of desire tangled with religious guilt”

Dec 9, 2025
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Dec 8, 2025
Song of the Day: Puma Blue - Croak Dream
Dec 8, 2025

Song of the Day: A dark, esoteric, mysterious and stylish title track with a hint of Radiohead and playing with the idea of knowing your future death, from the experimental indie/goth/ambient London artist Jacob Allen’s forthcoming album out on 6 February via Play It Again Sam

Dec 8, 2025
ELIZA - Anyone Else.jpeg
Dec 7, 2025
Song of the Day: ELIZA - Anyone Else
Dec 7, 2025

Song of the Day: Stripped-back, bluesy, fuzzy funk with slight echoes of Prince and alt-R&B are conjured up in this love song by the London-based singer-songwriter Eliza Caird, her first single for two years, now off the mainstream and out on Log Off Records

Dec 7, 2025
SILK SCARF by Tiga & Fcukers.jpg
Dec 6, 2025
Song of the Day: Tiga (featuring Fcukers) - Silk Scarf
Dec 6, 2025

Song of the Day: A fun, sensual, quirkily oddball electronica dance single with a slick, fetish-flirtatious ode to a favourite smooth material by the Montreal musician (Tiga James Sontag) joined here with vocals by the New York band (Shanny Wise and Jackson Walker Lewis), and heralding Tiga’s upcoming album Hotlife, out in April on Secret City Records

Dec 6, 2025
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Dec 5, 2025
Song of the Day: Flea - A Plea
Dec 5, 2025

Song of the Day: A striking, powerful new single by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers bassist (aka Michael Balzary), who brings a fusion of jazz and spoken word with a fabulous band on an impassioned number about the state of the US in a culture of hatred, social and political tensions, out now on Nonesuch Records

Dec 5, 2025
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
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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
Sailor Honeymoon - Armchair.jpeg
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

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
autumn-red-leaves.jpeg
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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