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Playlists: songs from musicals that transcend their genre

November 5, 2025 Peter Kimpton

A revolutionary show: Les Misérables (with revolving stage)

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

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

November 13, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Captain Beefheart … of course

Prepare for a journey into the unknown and deeply strange. Whether in lyrics or musical sound or structure, guest playlister severin leads us through canticular caverns of wonder, inspired by last week’s topic

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, Future of the Left, Gong, Nora Dean, Slapp Happy, Syd Barrett, Sarah Vaughan, Captain Beefheart, Miles Davis, Adam Green, Futureheads, Ane Brun, John Jacob Niles, Amelia Coburn, Brian Eno, Tim Buckley, Tangerine Dream, Elvis Costello, The Grateful Dead, Sinead O'Connor, Maurice Ravel, The Lovin' Spoonful, The New York Dolls, Peter Hammill, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Siouxsie Sioux, Agnes Obel, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, The Fall, Edward Elgar, Shonen Knife, 17 Hippies, Toyah, Roy Orbison, Radiohead, Nina Simone, Massive Attack, Anais Mitchell, Jefferson Hamer, VNV Nation, John Zorn, Nik Bärtsch's Ronin, Joan Armatrading, Kevin Coyne, Anita Baker, severin, Severin
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Playlists: songs featuring superlatives

April 23, 2024 Peter Kimpton

A top shot at songcraft … LDR

Sweetest, biggest, baddest, punniest, funniest, spinniest, dreamiest, wooziest? Many more most ‘ests’ feature this week in the very best of superlative selections by guest playlister Uncleben, taking the very best shot from last week’s many nominations

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, superlatives, language, George Olsen, Dilated Peoples, The House of Love, Nickel Creek, Jesus & Mary Chain, David Childers, The Modern Don Juans, Utah Phillips, Ani di Franco, Garbage, Christophe Maé, REM, Charlie Rich, Lana Del Rey, Sarah Vaughan, Aswad, The Wild Swans, David Bowie, Clifford Jordan, No-No Boy, Rare Bird, Barry Brown, McCarthy, Gene Clark, The Kane Gang, Weyes Blood, Jockstrap, Uncleben
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Playlists: songs about butterflies and moths

March 15, 2023 Peter Kimpton

This week’s topic attracted a rainbow range of music and lyrics

Multi-coloured and international, from caterpillars to these winged insects in their full glory and the beauty, tragedy and majesty that they represent, all are captured in beautiful playlists gathered by guest Severin from last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, comedy, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, rock, reggae, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, butterflies, moths, insects, Leyanis Lopez, Screaming Trees, Sarah Vaughan, Hal Mooney, Cocteau Twins, Fiona Burnett, Deniece Williams, The Verve, Dolly Parton, Tio, Free Design, The Cure, Terry Callier, Talvin Singh, Wagakki Band, Sandrine Piau, George Brassens, Charlie Gracie, Za Pinattsu / The Peanuts, The Cinnamon Ship, Pink Martini, Hitsujibungaku, Lole y Manuel, Mercury Rev, Aimee Mann, Gal Costa, Chaka Kahn, Mallrat, Procol Harum, Giacomo Puccini, Ying Huang, Lana Del Rey, Caroline Polachek, Audioslave, Blonde Redhead, The Incredible String Band, Lucinda Williams, Great Lake Swimmers, Kevin Ayers, Richard Thompson, severin, Severin
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Playlists: songs about simple pleasures

December 7, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Keys to happiness: Blossom Dearie

Sunrise to sunset and everything in between, food to flowers and all the joys of the natural world, these are just some of the many simple pleasures rendered beautifully in perfect playlists by guest writer Barbryn picked from last week’s topic nominations

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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, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, simplicity, pleasure, Etta Jones, Bim Sherman, Kenny Young, Bridget St John, Hilton Valentine, Paul Williams, Teenage Fanclub, Kathleen Edwards, Over The Rhine, Blossom Dearie, The Ink Spots, Phil Harris, Half Man Half Biscuit, The Dandy Warhols, Jimmy Buffett, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Prince Nico Mbarga, The Mighty Diamonds, Joyce Moreno, Vashti Bunyan, Kim Taylor, Sarah Vaughan, Yo La Tengo, Karine Polwart, Rachel Sermanni, Taylor Swift, Barbryn
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Playlists: songs about nightingales and the song thrush family

March 29, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Beautiful hybrid: the speckled nightingale thrush (Catharus maculatus)

They must sing on, and will not stop. From the national bird of Ukraine to a whole variety of vocally dextrous thrushes, this enduring topic, coming from a huge flock of nominations last week, is given full and beautiful playlist flight by guest Severin

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, birdsong, birds, nightingale, thrush, Camille Saint-Saëns, Go_A, Maude Maggart, Irving Berlin, Lady Blackbird, Laura Veirs, Nat King Cole, Bellowhead, Johnny Osbourne, Rocco Deluca, Gilberto Gil, Laurie Lewis, Roxy Music, Julee Cruise, Sam Lee, The Beatles, Everly Brothers, Michael Jackson, Cab Calloway, Rachel Unthank, Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, Brinsley Schwarz, Dionne Warwick, Peggy Lee, In Gowan Ring, Xavier Cugat, David Rotheray, Los Mirlos, Djivan Gasparyan, Paul McCartney, Wings, Trisha Yearwood, Nina Simone, The Eagles, Norah Jones, Yona, Sinead O'Connor, Buffalo Springfield, Lambchop, Marcos Valle, Stacey Kent, Jim Tomlinson, Jackie Oates, The Whiskey Rebellion, Larissa Kovalchuk, Prefab Sprout, Juan Perro, Igor Stravinsky, Sarah Vaughan, Pauline Vallance, severin, Severin
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Playlists: songs about tea

October 12, 2021 Peter Kimpton
It pours out …

It pours out …

Full of flavour and variety, complex and yet simple, stimulating as well as relaxing. And that’s just the tea. For even more refreshment, have a pot of this deliciously refreshing selection by guest DiscoMonster from huge pouring of nominations

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In avant-garde, African, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, tea, Art Tatum, Dillinger, Masters of Reality, Camille, Melon Kinenbi, Going Under Ground, Shack, Mono, Philip Jeays, Shonen Knife, Lorraine Bowen, Amalia de la Vega, Gracie Fields, Katzenjammer, Jim Noir, Erykah Badu, Harumi, Kelis, Sarah Vaughan, Cat Stevens, Yusuf, Loveninias, Coriky, Sage Francis, Ivor Cutler, Dogshit Sandwich, Gong, Lim Giong, DiscoMonster
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Playlists: songs about underwear

March 16, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Less is more, or more is more? Goodness. This sort of thing could raise a chap’s temperature somewhat

Less is more, or more is more? Goodness. This sort of thing could raise a chap’s temperature somewhat

Knee socks, stockings, Y-fronts and bags of bras, especially red. As with all the best things, a glimpse is far more exciting than baring all, and with these selections guest playlister philipphilip99 is primed in the art of titillation

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In blues, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, underwear, Arctic Monkeys, Bandit Queen, Divinyls, Space, John Prine, Iris Dement, Suzanne Vega, Nina Simone, PJ Harvey, Hang on the Box, Fujiya & Miyagi, Fela Kuti, Jonny Trunk, Pulp, Sarah Vaughan, Liza Minnelli, Joni Mitchell, The National Youth Girls' Choir of Great Britain, Bryan Ferry, Hoodoo Gurus, The Move, Sisqo, Tom Waits, The Sports, The Sugarcubes, The Drifters, Van Halen, philipphilip99
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Playlists: songs about body language and gestures

March 2, 2021 Peter Kimpton
It’s no illusion: Imagination becomes reality at this week’s Song Bar body politic

It’s no illusion: Imagination becomes reality at this week’s Song Bar body politic

Affectionate punches to bootylicious body talk, blank expressions and other bodily connections, after waves of physical communication from Song Bar nominations, guest pejepeine’s big gesture is to pick perfect playlists

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In avant-garde, blues, disco, dub, experimental, funk, indie, jazz, music, pop, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, soul, songs, dance, playlists Tags songs, playlists, gestures, body language, psychology, Dionne Warwick, Hal David, Imagination, Destiny's Child, Françoise Hardy, The Associates, The Cure, The Temptations, Jens Lekman, Tim Buckley, Elastica, The Specials, John Holt, Gregory Isaacs, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Charles Mingus, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, Brenton Wood, Solange Knowles, Barbara Lewis, Paramore, The Staple Singers, Patti Austin, Sault, Michael Kiwanuka, Andy Williams, Change, pejepeine
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Letters of note: songs about written correspondence

October 22, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Correspondence captures time, place, culture and emotions …

Correspondence captures time, place, culture and emotions …

Love letters to rejection replies, friendship, work or leisure, written correspondence are the preserved leaves of history, revealing human nature in all its states and culture, but how does it come up in songwriting? Reply here …

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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, letters, postcards, correspondence, Lord Byron, John Donne, Emily Dickinson, Blaise Pascal, Thomas Wolfe, David Herbert Donald, Ernest Hemingway, WH Auden, poetry, Tennis (band), William Donaldson, Henry Root, Robert Popper, Robin Cooper, TImewaster Letters, Aphra Behn, John Cleland, Samuel Richardson, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Letters of Note, Shaun Usher, Groucho Marx, Woody Allen, Mozart, Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Johnny Cash, June Carter, Jimi Hendrix, Iggy Pop, Mad magazine, Muriel Spark, Virginia Woolf, Lewis Carroll, Spike Milligan, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Charlie Chaplin, Phyllis Theroux, David Nicholls, Sarah Vaughan, Eminem, Linton Kwesi Johnson
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You can call me Alias: songs about nicknames and pseudonyms

January 9, 2020 Peter Kimpton
One mask, many articulate aliases, but mainly MF Doom

One mask, many articulate aliases, but mainly MF Doom

Nom de plume to nom de guerre, moniker, handle to sobriquet, this week let’s dig out songs that mention substitute names, from youth and the unknown to the famous, whether they come from affection, fear, pure description or hype

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, pseudonyms, nicknames, aliases, Theophile Gautier, Thomas Paine, social media, George Eliot, Benjamin Franklin, George Sand, Joe Klein, Ronnie Barker, Ford Madox Ford, Man Ray, Le Corbusier, El Greco, history, Caligula, Son of Sam, Joseph Stalin, Billy The Kid, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Unabomber, Prince, Daft Punk, MF Doom, Deadmau5, Sia, Aphex Twin, Elvis Presley, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Charlie Parker, Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, Ivan The Terrible, Edward The Confessor, John Lydon, FKA Twigs, Tinie Tempah, Shaggy, Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Jacinda Ardern, Carol Joyce Oates, Poppy Z. Brite, Felix Dennis, Sylvia Plath, Michio Kaku, Lewis Carroll
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Take parts: songs with great arrangements

December 5, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Two of the greats. Ray Charles, also a great arranger as well as performer, with composer and arranger Quincy Jones

Two of the greats. Ray Charles, also a great arranger as well as performer, with composer and arranger Quincy Jones

From full orchestration to carefully stripped back, this week let's consider work where in originals or later versions, added instrumentals, vocal parts, melodic fills, changing tempo or keys, have made a great song even better

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In avant-garde, blues, African, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rocksteady, showtime, rock, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, musical arrangements, orchestration, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Sibelius, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paul McCartney, Sir George Martin, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Mozart, Nancy Storace, Beethoven, George Gershwin, Ferde Grofé, Mussorgsky, Maurice Ravel, JS Bach, Joshua Bell, Ivor Novello, Cole Porter, Burt Bacharach, David Bowie, Paul Buckmaster, Tony Visconti, Clifford Slapper, David McAlmont, Elvis Costello, NIck Lowe, Jelly Roll Morton, Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk, Roy Haynes, Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, Robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes, Ennio Morricone, Henry Mancini, Tony Hatch, Sarah Vaughan, Joan Armatrading, Jeff Buckley, Paul Weller, Walter Becker, Steely Dan, Feist, David Sylvian, Peter Gabriel, AC/DC, Luka Sulic, Carla Bley, Ronald Reagan, The Star Spangled Banner, John Denver, The Tokens
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A very sound idea: songs with wordless vocals

September 19, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Welcome to the bar. What else is happening here besides whisky …?

Welcome to the bar. What else is happening here besides whisky …?

Jazz scat to beatboxing, Appalachian eefing to Scottish Puirt à beul, Indian bol and Blackfoot songs to Tuvan throat-singing, this week we go beyond language to explore the intricacy of the voice as a non-lexical instrument

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, vocals, Archibald Macleish, Robert Smith, The Cure, Helen Keller, Blackfoot peoples, Tuvan throat singing, Batzorig Vaanchig, Mongolia, Scotland, folk, Film, Ealing comedy, Whisky Galore!, Cocteau Twins, Elizabeth Fraser, Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughan, Cab Calloway, George Benson, Sheldon Reynolds, Earth Wind & Fire, Glenn Gould, India, Fat Boys, Doug E. Fresh, Joel Turner, Bjork, Biz Markie, Sigur Rós, Jimmie Riddle, Appalchian mountain music, Michael Winslow, beatboxing, Bobby McFerrin, Reggie Watts, Mr Bean, Rowan Atkinson, The Two Ronnies, Clare Torry, Pink Floyd, Dakhabrakha, Martin Scorsese, Harvey Keitel, The Chips
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Playlists: songs about collecting, cataloguing and listing

September 18, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Cat-alogue of course …

Cat-alogue of course …

1) Why do them? 2) What are they for? 3) Are they positive or negative? 4) How do they appear in song? This set of questions and more are creatively catalogued and crafted into playlists by this week’s skilful guest Severin from the recent topic

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In avant-garde, blues, country, disco, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, prog, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, catalogues, lists, playlists, Nine Inch Nails, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Nina Nastasia, Yapoos, Wilson Pickett, Marisa Monte, Saul Williams, Tracy Chapman, Husker Du, Mark Knopfler, The Legendary Pink Dots, Leonard Cohen, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, The Monkees, The Fall, Sparky, Christina Perry, The Go-Go's, Jeffrey Lewis, Joaquin Sabina, Talking Heads, Cate Le Bon, Kate Bush, Stephen Fry, Bryan Ferry, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Rolling Stones, Art Pepper, Milcho Leviev Quartet, Honolulu Mountain Daffodils, Severin, severin
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Playlists: songs from New York City

July 24, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus

It’s time to take the A Train and continue across the five boroughs on a musical journey. Inspired by last week’s topic, NY resident magicman takes us on fabulous tour of work recorded in, and capturing the spirit of the Big Apple

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, dance, disco, dub, experimental, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, funk Tags songs, instrumentals, New York, Duke Ellington, Princess Nokia, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Willie Colon, Joe Bataan, Dionne Warwick, Dion, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Eric B & Rakim, Bernard Herrmann, Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Lou Reed, Miles Davis, Afrika Bambaataa, The Soul Sonic Force, Raymond Scott, Bruce Springsteen, Pat Metheny, Toots Thielemans, Harry Nilsson, Benny Goodman, Nas, Nuyorican Soul, Jocelyn Brown, Larry Corvell, St Vincent, Vampire Weekend, The Notorious B.I.G., Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, A Tribe Called Quest, Crown Heights Affair, Sister Sledge, Art Blakey, magicman
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Playlists: songs about immortality and longevity

May 2, 2018 Peter Kimpton
A voice everlasting: Mahalia Jackson

A voice everlasting: Mahalia Jackson

Want to achieve immortality? After a fountain of youth of song nominations last week, guest playlist writer treefrogdemon takes amusing musical solutions via reincarnation to science, Neil Young, Bob Dylan to David Bowie

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In blues, country, dance, electronica, folk, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, immortality, longevity, The Highwaymen, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Neil Young, Karine Polwart, Julian Cope, Heaven 17, Cadaver Club, Mahalia Jackson, Hank Williams, Delano Stewart, Bob Dylan, Jason Isbell, The 400 Unit, Van Der Graaf Generator, David Bowie, Lord Huron, Grant Lee Buffalo, Sinead O'Connor, Slapp Happy, The Grateful Dead, Loudon Wainwright III, The Bangles, The Dirty Guv'nahs, Sarah Vaughan, Slint, The Magnetic Fields
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Playlists: great songwriting 1900-1955

April 18, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The Boswell Sisters

The Boswell Sisters

Armstrong and Astaire to the Boswell Sisters and Al Bowlly, Whispering Jack Smith to Sarah Vaughan, this week's guest playlist writer DiscoMonster digs out many a treasure in a golden age of discovery

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In blues, country, folk, classical, gospel, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, First World War, Second World War, Gus Elen, Harry Champion, Scott Joplin, Marion Williams, "Whispering" Jack Smith, Lucienne Boyer, Carlos Gardel, Trio Matamoros, Me Trixie Smith, Trixie Smith, Duke Ellington, Lucille Bogan, Vernon Dalhart, Rezso Seress, Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Larry Clinton, Bea Wain, The Boswell Sisters, Al Bowlly, Dorival Caymmi, Chiyoko Shimakura, Nat King Cole, Jesse Powell, Fluffy Hunter, Jimmy Liggins and His Drops of Joy, Howlin' Wolf, The Orioles, Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, Elsie Carlisle, DiscoMonster
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Calm waters: songs about contentment and tranquility

March 16, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Cat contentment

Cat contentment

Want to escape from chaos to a state of stillness, simplicity and calm? This week we explore music and songs that aspire to, or express, a physical or mental place we can all yearn for

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Tags songs, happiness, contentment, calm, tranquility, animals, nature, Dale Carnegie, Socrates, Alfred Nobel, Lao Tzu, philosophy, Doug Larson, Donald Hall, poetry, William Wordsworth, James Thurber, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Florence Welch, Florence and the Machine, Buzz Aldrin, Earth, the moon, space, Claude Debussy, Frédéric Chopin, Erik Satie, piano music, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Greenwood, Radiohead, Film, film soundtrack, Scientology, religion, Jo Stafford, Elvis Presley, Artie Glenn
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Songs about or containing laughter? Funny you should say that …

July 21, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Primates are also known to laugh ... at humans

Primates are also known to laugh ... at humans

It's not just the best medicine, it also appears in songs, as the subject matter or spontaneously sounding within it. So let's roll of the barrel, and serve up a hearty party of laughter-based music …

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Tags songs, laughter, Elvis Presley, Ken Dodd, Woody Allen, Comedy, Victor Hugo, Arthur Smith, Norman Cousins, Mozart, Charlie Chaplin, Jasper Carrot, Chakachas, Regina Spektor, Sarah Vaughan, David Bowie, Napoleon XIV, Michael Jackson, Vincent Price
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DRINK OF THE WEEK

Prune juice

SNACK OF THE WEEK

celery sticks in guacamole dip

New Albums …

Featured
Sam Grassie - Where Two Hawks Fly.jpeg
Apr 29, 2026
Sam Grassie: Where Two Hawks Fly
Apr 29, 2026

New album: Beautiful debut LP by the London-based Glaswegian fingerstyle folk guitarist and singer-songwriter, with added saxophone, double bass, flute, clairsach and clarinet in a release of mostly the traditional, covers, sung or instrumental, and supported by the Bert Jansch Foundation

Apr 29, 2026
Irmin Schmidt - Requiem.jpeg
Apr 29, 2026
Irmin Schmidt: Requiem
Apr 29, 2026

New album: A strangely mesmeric, avant-garde and analogue-ambient, field recording-based experimental release by the last surviving founding member of experimental ‘krautrock’ band CAN, who, approaching the age of 89, has also written over 40 TV and film scores

Apr 29, 2026
Gia Margaret - Singing.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Gia Margaret: Singing
Apr 28, 2026

New album: Gently profound, and full of wondrous, mesmeric, slow, delicate experimental songs, this simple title has a powerful resonance – it is the Chicago artist’s first vocal album since 2018’s There’s Always Glimmer (there have been two instrumental LPs since), having suffered and recovered from a severe vocal injury, she returns with a delicate, candid, whispery but hauntingly beautiful delivery

Apr 28, 2026
Angel In Plainclothes by Angelo De Augustine.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Angelo De Augustine: Angel in Plainclothes
Apr 28, 2026

New album: A beautiful, delicate fifth LP from the Los Angeles singer-songwriter, friend and collaborator with Sufjan Stevens with whom he shares a stylistic resemblance, here with themes on life's fragility, second chances, and picking up the pieces after an undiagnosed illness forced him to re-learn basic abilities

Apr 28, 2026
Carla dal Forno - Confession.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Carla dal Forno: Confession
Apr 28, 2026

New album: This lo-fi, darkly minimalist but also oddly candid fourth LP by the Australian, Castlemaine-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist centres on the conflicted, obsessive feelings about “a friendship that became emotionally charged in an unexpected way”, and “an album about closeness that arrives late and unexpectedly. About stability rubbing up against desire.”

Apr 28, 2026
Friko - Something Worth Waiting For album.jpeg
Apr 26, 2026
Friko: Something Worth Waiting For
Apr 26, 2026

New album: Passionate, powerful, dynamic indie rock in this sophomore LP by the Chicago-based quartet that gallops forwards with a driving momentum, some elements of early PJ Harvey and Radiohead, and is produced by John Congleton

Apr 26, 2026
White Denim - 13.jpeg
Apr 26, 2026
White Denim: 13
Apr 26, 2026

New album: This 13th LP in two decades by the Austin, Texas rock band fronted by James Petralli has a particularly mischievous experimentalism, spreading styles far beyond breathlessly paced prog rock, with wrily humorous, surreal, personal and passionate numbers across heavy funk, dub, soul, psyche, country, dirty blues and more, joined by host of outstanding extra musicians

Apr 26, 2026
Asili ya Mama by Hukwe Zawose Foundation.jpeg
Apr 24, 2026
Hukwe Zawose Foundation: Asili ya Mama
Apr 24, 2026

New album: Wonderfully evocative field recordings release of Wagogo, Waluguru and Wasambaa Tanzanian women singing traditional songs in their villages, rarely heard outside of their own circles, the title is translated as The Origin of Mother, rich in stories and capturing the place where song is first learned, first felt, first shared

Apr 24, 2026
They Might Be Giants - The World Is To Dig.jpeg
Apr 23, 2026
They Might Be Giants - The World Is To Dig
Apr 23, 2026

New album: Four decades since their self-titled debut, Brooklyn alternative rockers John Flansburgh and John Linnell return with their 24th LP, packed with of punchy, pacy, wistful, whimsical, clever wordplay and indie rock-pop, buoyantly satirical and also a little world weary at times, they remain oddball, lively commentators on the ongoing absurdity of life

Apr 23, 2026
Eaves Wilder - Little Miss Sunshine.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Eaves Wilder: Little Miss Sunshine
Apr 22, 2026

New album: After 2023’s Hookey EP, a strong, passionate indie-dream-pop-shoegaze full debut by the London singer-songwriter, whose breathy voice intertwines with strong, stirring riffs and textured sounds, themed around cycles of nature aiming to explain and celebrate the mercurial nature of human emotional weather

Apr 22, 2026
Honey Dijon - The Nightlife.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Honey Dijon: The Nightlife
Apr 22, 2026

New album: The irrepressible, prolific and charismatic London-based Chicago DJ, musician, producer and vinyl lover returns with a flamboyantly fun celebration of club and queer culture through the prism of dance music from disco to house, with a wide variety of guest vocalists

Apr 22, 2026
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Apr 21, 2026
Tiga: HOTLIFE
Apr 21, 2026

New album: Montreal’s acclaimed electronica/techno/dance artist Tiga Sontag returns with his fourth album - inventively packed with head-nodding, toe-tapping, oddly itchy, infectious grooves, cleverly crafted retro sounds recalling Kraftwerk to acid house and electroclash, insistent bold beats and synth riffs, with lyrics of the existential, droll and surreal

Apr 21, 2026
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Apr 20, 2026
TOMORA: Come Closer
Apr 20, 2026

New album: A striking, dynamic collaboration between Norwegian experimental pop sensation Aurora and Tom Rowlands, one of half of Chemical Brothers, with a sensual, otherworldly energetic fusion of mystical, sensual ambience, and block-rocking dance beats

Apr 20, 2026
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Apr 20, 2026
Jessie Ware: Superbloom
Apr 20, 2026

New album: Following 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure? and 2023’s That! Feels Good!, as well as the successful food podcast Table Manners she hosts alongside her mother, the British pop singer continues to ride the 70s disco ball train, catering to the clever, kitsch and catchy with an ironic wink, adding also a luxuriant garden metaphor

Apr 20, 2026

new songs …

Featured
Alewya - Saleh.jpeg
Apr 30, 2026
Song of the Day: Alewya - Selah
Apr 30, 2026

Song of the Day: Striking, stylishly agile electronica and dance with a rich African and Arabian influence by the London-based British singer-songwriter, producer, multidisciplinary artist and model Alewya Demmisse, heralding her upcoming album, Zero, out on 26 June via LDN Records

Apr 30, 2026
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Apr 29, 2026
Song of the Day: Metric - Crush Forever
Apr 29, 2026

Song of the Day: Uplifting, effervescent electro-disco-pop by the Toronto indie rock band, with a song vocalist/keyboardist Emily Haines describes as “my love letter to strong girls in this world”, taken from their recently released 10th album, Romanticize the Dive, out on Metric Music via Thirty Tigers

Apr 29, 2026
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Apr 28, 2026
Song of the Day: Jim Ghedi - The Hungry Child
Apr 28, 2026

Song of the Day: Dark, gripping, visceral folk by the Sheffield singer-songwriter, with a striking number based on an early 19th-century German poem about the fatal story of a child pleading for food, and, following last year’s acclaimed album, Wasteland, also out on Basin Rock, it heralds his upcoming soundtrack for the Hugh Jackman film, The Death of Robin Hood.

Apr 28, 2026
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Apr 27, 2026
Song of the Day: holybones (with Baxter Dury) - SLUGBOY
Apr 27, 2026

Song of the Day: Dark, unsettling, sleazy and strange, this is arrestingly vivid new collaborative single between the clandestine London electronic collective and the downbeat, deep-voiced poetic Londoner, out on Promised Land Recordings

Apr 27, 2026
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Apr 26, 2026
Song of the Day: Hand Habits - Good Person
Apr 26, 2026

Song of the Day: Gentle, droll, humorously self-deprecatingly, and also delicately beautiful, this new experimental folk single by the moniker of Los Angeles singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Meg Duffy addresses the love-hate relationship with making music, out on Fat Possum

Apr 26, 2026
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Apr 25, 2026
Song of the Day: Pigeon - Miami
Apr 25, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, sunny, upbeawt indie synth-pop with an African twist by the Margate band fronted by Falle Nioke, with flavours of William Onyeabor, Hot Chip and New York 70s disco, heralding their upcoming album OUTTANATIONAL, out on 1 May via Memphis Industries

Apr 25, 2026
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Apr 24, 2026
Song of the Day: Tricky - Out of Place (featuring Marta Złakowska)
Apr 24, 2026

Song of the Day: A pulsating fusion of beats, orchestral strings and the Bristol trip-hop pioneer’s distinctive, deep, croaky voice, with an emotional reference to his daughter Mina Topley-Bird (1995–2019), and heralding his first solo album for six years, Different When It’s Silent, out on 17 June via False Idols

Apr 24, 2026
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Apr 23, 2026
Song of the Day: Beck - Ride Lonesome
Apr 23, 2026

Song of the Day: Beautiful, simmering, slow, melancholy and reflective, a surprise single and welcome return by the acclaimed US artist, evoking the haunting, sun-bleached landscapes and musical textures of his 2015 Grammy winning album Morning Phase, out now on Iliad Records/Capitol Records

Apr 23, 2026
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Apr 22, 2026
Song of the Day: Gelli Haha - Klouds Will Carry Me To Sleep
Apr 22, 2026

Song of the Day: Described appropriately as somewhere between Studio 42 and Area 51, eccentric, effervescent, spacey, catchy and eclectic disco pop by the Los Angeles artist (aka Angel Abaya, co-written with Sean Guerin) out on Innovative Leisure

Apr 22, 2026
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Apr 21, 2026
Song of the Day: LEENALCHI 이날치 - Here Comes That Crow 떴다 저 가마귀
Apr 21, 2026

Song of the Day: Wonderfully catchy, funky, psychedelic and quirky new work by the seven-piece Seoul-based Korean pansori band led by bassist Jang Young Gyu with the title track of their new EP, out on 12 June via Luaka Bop, and heralding a European and North American tour

Apr 21, 2026
Jesca Hoop - Big Storm.jpeg
Apr 20, 2026
Song of the Day: Jesca Hoop - Big Storm
Apr 20, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, quirky experimental indie folk-pop by the innovative Manchester-based California artist, featuring a clever video that old footage and Hoop in various vintage guises, heralding her upcoming album Long Wave Home, out on 1 May via Last Laugh / Republic of Music

Apr 20, 2026
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Apr 19, 2026
Song of the Day: Gia Margaret - Alive Inside
Apr 19, 2026

Song of the Day: Delicate, dream-like, reflective experimental folk-pop by the American singer-songwriter and producer from Chicago, heralding her upcoming fourth album, Singing, out on Jagjaguwar

Apr 19, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
Song thrush 2.jpeg
Apr 23, 2026
Word of the week: throstle
Apr 23, 2026

Word of the week: An archaic, evocative noun with two connected meanings, originally for the song thrush, then later a textiles industrial frame for spinning, twisting and winding machine for cotton, wool, and other fibres simultaneously

Apr 23, 2026
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Apr 9, 2026
Word of the week: undine
Apr 9, 2026

Word of the week: It might sound like the act of abstaining from food, but this noun from derived from undina (Latin unda) meaning wave, refers to mythical, elemental beings associated with water, such as mermaids, and stemming from the alchemical writings of the 16th-century Swiss physician, alchemist and philosopher Paracelsus

Apr 9, 2026
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Mar 27, 2026
Word of the week: veena
Mar 27, 2026

Word of the week: This ornate, curvaceous, south Indian classical instrument, the saraswati veena, is a special bowl lute with a rich, resonant tone, has 24 copper frets with four playing strings and three drone strings, and is used for Carnatic music

Mar 27, 2026
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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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