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Playlists: songs about getting older

October 22, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Paul Kelly: a perennial Song Bar favourite storyteller

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

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Tags songs, playlists, ageing, David Bowie, Sage Francis, Chuck Berry, The Long Blondes, Game Theory, Skyhooks, Hank Williams, Jill Sobule, Amy Rigby, Pulp, Paul Kelly, John Mayer, Lori McKenna, Lee Hazelwood, Matraca Berg, paul simon, The Ramones, Kenickie, Françoise Hardy, Bonny Light Horseman, Dar Williams, Avett Brothers, The Modern Lovers, Eels, Idlewild, Edwin Morgan, The Kinks, George Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Emily Breeze, Frida Hyvönen, Wolf Alice, Barbryn
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Playlists: songs about life in the 19th century

August 10, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Let’s dance through some 19th century history ….

It brought enduring global change, from the Industrial Revolution to the American Civil War and abolition of slavery. Inspired by last week’s song nominations, guest Shiv SideCar captures the century in a series of historic playlists

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, dub, experimental, folk, electronica, indie, jazz, music, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, prog, punk, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, United States of America, American Civil War, slavery, Babe Ruth, London, Merthyr Rising, emigration, Ireland, Germany, France, Paul Cezanne, Battle of Waterloo, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Burning Spear, Woody Guthrie, RIchie Havens, Clutch, Sound Experience, Elton John, Rosanne Cash, Etta James, Billy Joel, XTC, The Fall, Chumbawamba, Megson, The Men They Couldn't Hang, The Pogues, David Bridie, Amon Düül II, Jonathan Richman, The Modern Lovers, Neil Innes, Brigitte Fontaine, Abba, Ed Harcourt, The Charlatans (US), Warren Zevon, The Unthanks, Public Image Limited, Titus Andronicus, Dead Moon, Culture, Lake Ruth, Jad & David Fair, Thee Headcoatees, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Long Ryders, Blyth Power, Al Stewart, Madness, Paul Roland, Meic Stevens, The Would-Be-Goods, The Teardrop Explodes, New Model Army, ShivSidecar, Sidecar Shiv
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Playlists: songs about the sixth sense

February 8, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Trust your senses: Björk

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

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In blues, country, disco, folk, funk, indie, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, sixth sense, psychology, Kate Bush, Linx, Ruby Turner, Imelda May, Bjork, Dave Brubeck, Emiliana Torrini, Jackie Leven, The Grateful Dead, Willie Mabon, Cadaver Club, Peter Blegvad, Arthur Lee, Love, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Blondie, Rod Stewart, The Waterboys, Tom Petty, Enrique Morente, The Modern Lovers, Tim Buckley, Ann Peebles, Benny Spellman, Carole King, Leonard Cohen, Show Of Hands, Ella Fitzgerald, Suzi
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Playlists: songs about sand

July 15, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Made of soft rock? Far better to come on this week’s musical shoreline …

Made of soft rock? Far better to come on this week’s musical shoreline …

Songs about sand is a lot more than soft rock. These playlists, picked by skilful guest beachcomber George Boyland from waves of nominations, features a beautiful coast of styles from rock to reggae, postpunk to flamenco and electronica

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In African, blues, calypso, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, sand, geology, beaches, coasts, Jonathan Richman, The Modern Lovers, The Who, family, The Drifters, Freddie McGregor, Bomb The Bass, El Camaron de La Isla, Paco de Lucia, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Whiskey Rebellion, Misty in Roots, Taska Black, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Bonobo, Bill Nelson, The Bees, Temples, Donald Fagen, B-52s, Brain Ticket, The God Machine, Maggie Holland, The Youngbloods, Wire, Beyonce, Squeeze, George Boyland
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Playlists: songs about or expressing empathy

August 21, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Sammy and Frank

Sammy and Frank

Best pals to the pangs of parenthood, lost lonely souls to lovers entwined, this week’s lists explore closeness in all forms through empathy, with emotionally powerful work chosen by guest Marco den Ouden from last week’s topic

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, experimental, folk, hip hop, jazz, music, metal, pop, playlists, postpunk, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, empathy, relationships, The Pretenders, Elmore James, Prince, Jonathan Richman, The Modern Lovers, Loyle Carner, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Barenaked Ladies, Steve Ignorant's Slice of Life, Killdozer, Joe South, The Hollies, Buckshot Lefonque, Maya Angelou, Billy Joel, Alanis Morissette, Bonnie Herman, The Singers Unlimited, The Primitives, Johnny Cash, Sinead O'Connor, Seal, Amanda Shires, The Young 'Uns, Eri Sasaki, John Prine, The Four Tops, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, The Four Pennies, Jason Isbell, Drew Holcomb, Frankie Valli, Dean Jones, Cast of Company, Rihanna, Rilo Kiley, Modern English, Over The Rhine, Ben Harper, The Blind Boys of Alabama, lovelytheband, Marco den Ouden
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Playlists: songs about staying and remaining

July 25, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Sly and the Family Stone … more than happy to stay on this playlist

Sly and the Family Stone … more than happy to stay on this playlist

Bowie to Dylan, Sly Stone to Suede, this week’s playlists, picked perfectly by this week’s guest Amylee, from a mountain of timeless nominations, is hanging around here for good, a monument to staying

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In blues, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, indie, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, staying, staying power, remaining, David Bowie, Sly & The Family Stone, Helmsley Morris, The Pastels, Suede, Linda Thompson, Richard Shindell, Offa Rex, Ian Anderson, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, The Modern Lovers, Ty Segall, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Whyte Horses, Lack of Knowledge, Sonic Boom 6, REM, Jane's Addiction, Husker Du, Mark Lanegan, Willie Dixon, Funkadelic, Thunder w/ Spike and Gryff, AmyLee
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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 multitasking and being busy

May 10, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Busy band on their way: Jonathan Richman with The Modern Lovers

Busy band on their way: Jonathan Richman with The Modern Lovers

As preparations are hastily made for a special event at the Song Bar, guest playlister Hoshino Sakura tries to organise the artists nominated from last week's topic. But will it all come together in time?

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Tags songs, playlists, Chuck Berry, Marvin Smith, The Average White Band, Carly Simon, The Streets, Marvin Gaye, Cat Stevens, Joe Jackson, The Modern Lovers, Lowell George, The Coasters, The Rolling Stones, A House, Peggy Lee, The Oldham Tinkers, The Temptations, Louis Armstrong, Lillie Delk Christian, The Hot Four, Arthur Askey, Peter Lee Stirling, Tom Waits, Hoshino Sakura
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DRINK OF THE WEEK

Galaxy Lemonade


SNACK OF THE WEEK

Orange twiglets from Jupiter


New Albums …

Featured
Tori Amos - In Times of Dragons.jpg
May 6, 2026
Tori Amos: In Times of Dragons
May 6, 2026

New album: The acclaimed American singer-songwriter and pianist’s 18th album in a 35-year career is a grandiose, powerful 17-track album of odyssey and allegory around politics, power and feminist resistance, fuelled by the current state of her nation, set from the view of fictionalised marriage to a dangerous billionaire and an escape across the country with a narrative twist

May 6, 2026
Kacey Musgraves - Middle of Nowhere.jpeg
May 6, 2026
Kacey Musgraves: Middle of Nowhere
May 6, 2026

New album: Moving away from the pop-folk direction of 2021’s Star-Crossed and 2024’s Deeper Well, the Nashville singer-songwriter returns with this seventh LP back to her country roots with gently trotting, stripped-back finely crafted collection of witty, catchy, candid numbers covering a spectrum of moods

May 6, 2026
OUTTANATIONAL by Pigeon.jpeg
May 5, 2026
Pigeon: OUTTANATIONAL
May 5, 2026

New album: Hugely enjoyable, stylish, playfully eclectic debut LP of indie, electronica and Afro-disco and krautrock grooves by the Margate band fronted by the multi-lingual artist Falle Nioke from Guinea Conakry, West Africa, with songs about identity and ancestry, and a sound somewhere between New Order and William Onyeabor

May 5, 2026
KNEECAP - FENIAN.jpeg
May 3, 2026
KNEECAP: FENIAN
May 3, 2026

New album: Still the scourge of the establishment after 2024’s debut LP Fine Art, a hugely entertaining second LP of punchy, slick, defiant Irish Gaelic rap by Belfast’s Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap, and beatmaker DJ Próvaí, with an expanded sound aided by innovative producer Dan Carey and an appearance by Kae Tempest

May 3, 2026
Long Wave Home by Jesca Hoop.jpeg
May 2, 2026
Jesca Hoop: Long Wave Home
May 2, 2026

New album: Brilliantly inventive, eclectic, poetic, experimental folk and art-pop by the acclaimed Manchester-based Californian singer-songwriter and guitarist in her first self-produced album, variously about the end of relationships, life changes, technology’s social effects, Gaza victims and other contemporary issues with perhaps her finest yet

May 2, 2026
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

new songs …

Featured
Balming Tiger - Home.jpg
May 7, 2026
Song of the Day: Balming Tiger - Home
May 7, 2026

Song of the Day: A stylishly fun, funky, eccentric electronica, indie and hip-hop fusion by the South Korean collective known as “alternative K-pop”, heralding their new album, Gongbu, out on 19 May, via MOAH

May 7, 2026
Zoh Amba - Eyes Full.jpeg
May 6, 2026
Song of the Day: Zoh Amba - Eyes Full
May 6, 2026

Song of the Day: An impassioned, stirring, dark and driving country/indie-rock number about what makes someone’s heart full and questioning why by the NY-based band with Kingsport, Tennessee roots, with this title track of the forthcoming debut LP Eyes Full, out on 5 June via Matador Records

May 6, 2026
Cowboy Mouth by Sophie Royer.jpeg
May 5, 2026
Song of the Day: Sofie Royer - Cowboy Mouth
May 5, 2026

Song of the Day: A catchy, cool, stylish fusion of indie and electro-pop by the classically trained, California-born, Vienna-based Iranian-Austrian artist, inspired by reading Patti Smith and Sam Shepard’s play of the same title, reimagining the play’s characters as Angel and Cowboy, and out now on Stones Throw Records

May 5, 2026
Hodge - Wiggler.jpeg
May 4, 2026
Song of the Day: Hodge - Wiggler
May 4, 2026

Song of the Day: A hugely fun, energising, infectious, effervescent, repetitive electronic dance track by the Bristol-based DJ/producer (aka Jake Martin) featuring a 3D pipe bassline by Memotone, and released alongside another track,Trust, out on Local Action

May 4, 2026
Return to Sender by Ibibio Sound Machine.jpeg
May 3, 2026
Song of the Day: Ibibio Sound Machine - Return To Sender
May 3, 2026

Song of the Day: Fizzing with vibrant energy and intricate rhythms, a fabulous new single with a personal accidental backstory by the London electronic afro-funk band out of London fronted by vocalist Eno Williams, out Merge Record

May 3, 2026
The Puppini Sisters - The Birthday Party.jpeg
May 2, 2026
Song of the Day: The Puppini Sisters - Total Eclipse of the Heart
May 2, 2026

Song of the Day: A fabulous new version of the Jim Steinman-penned 1983 Bonnie Tyler power pop hit, arranged by Marcello Puppini in an entirely different style for her swing-jazz trio and band, part of their 20th anniversary celebrations and album, The Birthday Party, out now on Millionaire Records

May 2, 2026
Bleachers - Everyone For Ten Minutes.jpeg
May 1, 2026
Song of the Day: Bleachers - I'm Not Joking
May 1, 2026

Song of the Day: Featuring harpsichord, Hammond organ, Dobro and more, producer Jack Antonoff and his New Jersey rock band return with a heartfelt love song single heralding the upcoming album, Everyone For Ten Minutes, out on 22 May via Dirty Hit

May 1, 2026
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
metric romanticize-the-dive.jpeg
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
Jim Ghedi - The Hungry Child single.jpeg
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
holybones with Baxter Dury - SLUGBOY.jpg
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
Hand Habits - Good Person.jpeg
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

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
Undine - Novella.jpeg
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
Veena player.jpg
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
Snail on a wall.jpeg
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
Swordfish.jpg
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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