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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 physical gestures

March 27, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Sound waves and beyond …

Pointing, clapping, nodding, waving, thumbs up, thumbs down, high fives and much more, there’s no end to the lyrical gesticulation on offer signalled from last week’s topic by guest playlister Loud Atlas, whose presentation and choices should attract a salute and long applause

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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, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags gestures, psychology, human behaviour, AC/DC, Marvin Gaye, Little Simz, Obongjayar, Brenton Wood, Alanis Morissette, Jake Bugg, Sufjan Stevens, Loyle Carner, Stevie Smith, The Bevis Frond, Richard Thompson, The Meters, Alfred Apaka, The Chiffons, Little Eva, Neil Diamond, Henry Hall, BBC Concert Orchestra, Dan Donovan, Soft Cell, The Lowest Pair, Was (Not Was), Herbie Hancock, The Fairfield Four, Mama Cass Elliot, Vanity Fare, The Guess Who, Slobberbone, Beck, Don McLean, Wreckless Eric, The Ramones, United Bottles, Tom Lehrer, Kismet Original Broadway Cast, Alfred Drake, Dropkick Murphys, Ludovico Bource, The Black Crowes, Ben Platt, Loud Atlas
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Revealed! Lesser-known original songs more famously covered or reworked

May 18, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Not lesser known, but definitely a revealing and true original …

This week it’s time to dig deep for those original songs overshadowed by hit or well-known covers. We can also include remixes and other reworkings, as well as lesser known songs so heavily sampled they make a prominent core more famous version

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, psychedelia, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, covers, Little Richard, NIck Lowe, The Ramones, Yoko Ono, John Lennon, The Beatles, Oasis, artificial intelligence, Aisis, Breezer, Blondie, The Slits, The Stranglers, The Flying Lizards, Randy & The Rainbows, The Paragons, The Marvelettes, Prince Buster, Desmond Dekker, Rufus Thomas, Tommy Dorsey, Smokey Robinson, Barrett Strong, Soft Cell, Gloria Jones, Wigan Casino, Happy Mondays, The Happy Mondays, Shaun Ryder, John Kongos, Daft Punk, Beyonce, Edwin Birdsong, The Chi-Lites, Elvis Presley, Pat Boone, Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, Ellie Goulding, Barry Manilow, Austin Mahone, Patti Smith, M. Ward, Hank Williams, Curtiss Maldoon, Gwen McCrae, Lori Lieberman, Sonny Dae, The McCoys, The Nerves
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Playlists: songs about the media of listening to recorded music

February 15, 2022 Peter Kimpton

What goes around …

Record players and vinyl, cassettes and stereo systems, 8-tracks, radios and cassettes, this week we’ve got it taped on every format as guest MussoliniHeadkick spins superb playlists inspired by nominations from last week’s topic

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In avant-garde, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, metal, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags music technology, turntables, stereo systems, cassettes, vinyl, Flanders and Swann, Todd Snider, Ben Lee, The dB's, Stereolab, Corinne Bailey Rae, Criminal Element Orchestra, Supergrass, Reggae Roast, Brian Setzer, LL Cool J, Big Audio Dynamite, Billy Childish, Bow Wow Wow, Darren Hayman, Slade, Hall & Oates, The Ramones, Aerosmith, Cliff Richard, Dub Syndicate, Lana Del Rey, Misty's Big Adventure, This Poison!, Nurse With Wound, MussoliniHeadkick
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Goth, gore and more: scary, creepy, horror-inspired songs

October 21, 2021 Peter Kimpton

Nosferatu, 1922

Whether inspired by fictional horror in books or film, or indeed horrors of the real world, physical or psychological, stylishly goth or gruesomely gory, this Halloween-inspired topic is all about songs that send a shiver up the spine

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In African, blues, avant-garde, classical, comedy, country, dance, drone, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, showtime, rocksteady, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, horror, Film, film soundtrack, books, fiction, Mary Shelley, Charles Baudelaire, Bram Stoker, H.P. Lovecraft, Truman Capote, Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock, Joseph Conrad, Francis Ford Coppola, Marlon Brando, Halloween, Bela Lugosi, architecture, Mervyn Peake, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, The Damned, Killing Joke, Theda Bara, Washington Irving, Georges Méliès, FW Murnau, Max Schreck, Kate Bush, David Byrne, Luis Bunuel, Bob Dylan, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, Vampire Weekend, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Ramones, Robert Bloch, The Simpsons, Stanley Kubrick
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Playlists: songs about masks

September 23, 2020 Peter Kimpton
A signature cover version

A signature cover version

Whether current or the historic, for survival or entertainment, metaphorical, literal, medical, protective, theatrical, comical or disguise, inspired a sea of masks in last week’s topic, guest playlister severin has got it totally covered

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, masks, Billy Bragg, The Ramones, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Jussi Björling, Iggy Pop, Nancy Wilson, Robyn Hitchcock, Loreena McKennitt, Captain Beefheart, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Kurangan, Peter Hammill, Clinton Fearon, Dave Matthews Band, They Might Be Giants, Grace Jones, The Skids, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Ditty Bops, Carolyn Crawford, Max Romeo, Graham Parker, Idles, Johann Strauss II, The Mountain Goats, Fugees, Lou Reed, Thaikkudam Bridge, George Benson, Susanne Sundfør, Rob Brydon, Severin, severin
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In full swing: songs and instrumentals from New York City

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

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

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

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

July 3, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Who will get a pickup this week?

Who will get a pickup this week?

Breakdowns to what’s around the bend, picking up from last week’s topic’s many passengers, our guest driver takeitawayGuru takes us on a fabulous rockin’ rollin’ journey with his pick of songs that really catch a musical ride

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, hitchhiking, Sheryl Crow, Tom Robinson, Savoy Brown, Boston, Vanity Fair, Bruce Springsteen, Earl Wright and his Orchestra, Dolly Parton, David Allan Coe, Lyle Lovett, Travis Tritt, Attila The Stockbroker, Simon & Garfunkel, Pearl Jam, The Ramones, Gov't Mule, The Grateful Dead, Tom Waits, The White Stripes, The Mutton Birds, Roger Waters, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Red City Radio, Heart, Black Ace, Green Day, takeitawayGuru
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Playlists: songs about electricity

May 8, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Where will lightning strike in this week’s playlists?

Where will lightning strike in this week’s playlists?

Ancient lightning gods and rods to pioneers of current, this week’s bright spark EnglishOutlaw connects nature, history and scientific experiment into musical form with playlists inspired by last week’s electrifying topic

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In avant-garde, comedy, country, dance, electronica, experimental, folk, indie, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, reggae, soul Tags songs, playlists, electricity, science, Screeching Wheel, White Noise, The Grateful Dead, MGMT, Buzzcocks, The Decemberists, The Bee Gees, Laurie Anderson, Peter Gabriel, Frank Sidebottom, Photomartyr, Band of Holy Joy, The Cure, They Might Be Giants, The Waterproof Candle, Man or Astro-Man?, The Ramones, Jenny Hval, Joni Mitchell, Barenaked Ladies, Albert Hammond, Captain Beefheart, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, The Cravats, Mischief Brew, EnglishOutlaw
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Playlists: songs about oddballs, outcasts and outsiders

August 29, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Bunny Wailer

Bunny Wailer

Bunny Wailer, Blind Melon, Beastie Boys, Blur … there all here, you know, and very different. And that’s just a few of the Bs. This week’s guest playlist writer amylee gives you a whole lot more than fantastic playlists inspired by last week’s topic.

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In blues, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, outsiders, outcasts, eccentricity, oddballs, Monty Python, The Ramones, Le Tigre, The Lewis Sisters, Arcade Fire, The Cure, Bunny Wailer, Blind Melon, Beastie Boys, Barbara Manning, Blur, Chumbawumba, Jackie Leven, Julian Cope, David Bowie, The Charlatans, The Shins, Barenaked Ladies, Mitski, The Strawbs, Dexys Midnight Runners, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Betty Davis, Was (Not Was), Cameo, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, The Fall, Stratford Mercenaries, Okkervil River, Joni Mitchell, Todd Rundgren, Susan McKeown, Belle & Sebastian, Beck, Soundgarden, AmyLee
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Playlists: songs about nursing and healthcare

July 11, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Feeling better yet? It's all part of the service …

Feeling better yet? It's all part of the service …

Hospital care, pills, patients and patience, we’ve got a musical medicine cabinet of the finest healthcare for you, administered by guest playlist writer Dr Severin and readers nursing great song suggestions

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In blues, country, dance, electronica, folk, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, medicine, nursing, health, NHS, Vainica Doble, ナース (The Nurse), Jesca Hoop, The White Stripes, Country Joe McDonald, The Rolling Stones, Bo Diddley, PJ Harvey, Manic Street Preachers, Sinead O'Connor, Ministry, Gruff Rhys, Tiger, Joni Mitchell, Parsnip, Budgie, The Ramones, Billy Bragg, Poison Girls, The Who, The Taxpayers, The Buff Medways, Billie and De De and Their Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Goldfrapp, The Black Angels, The Marvelettes, Champion Jack Dupree, The Raw Herbs, Lee Perry, Frida Hyvönen, Frightened Rabbit, The Velvet Underground, Courtney Barnett, A Spectre Is Haunting Europe, Severin
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Playlists: songs about anonymity

March 28, 2018 Peter Kimpton
That's not us.

That's not us.

Who are you? Who are they? Hackers to the hidden, secret societies to strangers in crowds, masked meetings to sexual liaisons, this week's playlists are superbly assembled by a famous but Anonymous figure

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In soul, ska, rock, reggae, punk, postpunk, pop, playlists, music, indie, hip hop, dance, country, electronica, folk, blues Tags Songs, playlists, Anonymous, anonymity, Tom Petty, Bob Seger, The Cramps, David McWilliams, Suzanne Vega, The Cravats, Courtney Barnett, Traffic, The Who, Soft Cell, Kate Bush, Poison Girls, Alicia Keys, Andrés Calamaro, Elvis Costello, The Taxpayers, Sigrid, Buffy Sainte-Marie, UB40, Belle & Sebastian, Carly Simon, Gene Vincent, Van Morrison, The Chordettes, The Ramones, The Upsetters
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Playlists: personal theme and entrance songs

February 21, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Make your entrance here at the Bar. Strict door policy, obviously …

Make your entrance here at the Bar. Strict door policy, obviously …

There's a big 2nd anniversary gig going on at the bar, but who will perform after all the songs and bands put forward last week? The Landlord invites you to witness the whole variety show, and also stay for a second stage afterparty

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, punk, rock, songs, soul, postpunk, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Undertones, George Baker Selection, Jacques Brel, Mohammed Safi, Bollywood, Quentin Tarantino, film soundtrack, Dave Grusin, Henry Mancini, Etta James, Over The Rhine, Tom Petty, HM Coldstream Guards, Monty Python, Richard Wagner, Donald Trump, James Brown, The JBs, The Ronettes, Ronnie Spektor, Peggy Lee, Amy Irving, Jessica Rabbit, Echobelly, Norma Tanega, Betty Carter, Al Green, Barry White, Van McCoy, Ron Grainer, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, George Friederic Handel, Joel Grey, Roy Budd, Takeshi Terauchi and The Bunnys, The Stranglers, Ken Nordine, Mick Weaver, Shawn Phillips, Dudley Simpson Orchestra, TV themes, The Grateful Dead, CCS, The Rolling Stones, The Mother Hips, The Feelies, New Model Army, Klark Kent, The Dogs D'Amour, Adam and the Ants, Prince, Kendrick Lamar, Dizzee Rascal, Volbeat, David Rose & His Orchestra, Ethel Merman
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Playlists: songs with provocative, strange or humorous titles

February 7, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Mac users: Amon Düül II

Mac users: Amon Düül II

Psychological perspectives to sexual proclivities, social commentary to downright silliness, our guest playlist writer attwilightlarks covers a large articulate range of the human psyche in the wordy titles from last week's topic

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In blues, classical, country, comedy, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, pop, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, titles, sex, philosophy, Carl Jung, Martin Heidegger, Amon Düül II, A Sunny Day In Glasgow, The Deep Freeze Mice, Garfunkel And Oates, They Might Be Giants, Los Campesinos, Joan Armatrading, The Soft Machine, The Turtles, Jackie Leven, Felt, Indians In Moscow, The Movement, Billie Holiday, The Gourds, The Ramones, The Faces, Tony Joe White, Sam The Sham And The Pharoahs, Mental As Anything, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Ricky Warwick, Desmond Dekker, attwilightlarks
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Sing out for unsung heroes: songs with great backing vocals

December 28, 2017 Peter Kimpton
The Andantes: backing vocal mainstays of Motown – Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps. Who didn't they sing for?

The Andantes: backing vocal mainstays of Motown – Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps. Who didn't they sing for?

They're the brilliant singers who blend beautiful and really make the music. From Motown and soul to to church and gospel, barbershop to pop or even punk, suggest songs made backed brillliantly by the unknown or famous

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In classical, folk, indie, music, playlists, pop, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, backing vocals, singers, The Primettes, The Supremes, Diana Ross, Elvis Presley, Las Vegas, church music, choirs, gospel, Jordanaires, Foggy River Boys, The Sweet Sensations, Emily 'Cissy' Houston, Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne Warwick, The Drinkard Singers, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Wilson Pickett, Lisa Harrigan, Solomon Burke, The Andantes, The Andrews Sisters, Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, Louvain Demps, Martha Reeves, The Vandellas, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, Jimmy Ruffin, Edwin Starr, The Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye, The Isley Brothers, Gino Washington, John Lee Hooker, James Velvet, Eddie Holland, Motown, Holland-Dozier-Holland, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, The Pips, George Harrison, Phil Collins, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Ava Cherry, Robin Clark, Luther Vandross, The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Carly Simon, The Neville Brothers, The Mamas and Papas, Prince, New Power Generation, The Revolution, Fleet Foxes, Kings of Leon, The Unthanks, Everything Everythng, The Seekers, The Bachelors, The Drifters, Burt Bacharach, The Kingsmen, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Everything Everything, Franz Ferdinand, Vampire Weekend, Take That, Sugababes, Le Mystere des voix Bulgares, The Ramones, The Mahotella Queens, Mahlathini, Simon & Garfunkel, Freddie Mercury, barbershop, Sly & The Family Stone, Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, Whitney Houston, Gwen Stefani, Pink
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Playlists: songs about reunions

December 6, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Guess which boys are back for a reunion in this week's A-list …

Guess which boys are back for a reunion in this week's A-list …

Allman Brothers to Viv Albertine, Rolling Stones to Robert Earl Keen, Lene Lovich to Thin Lizzy, this week brings a wonderful wave of reunion and homecoming in playlist form, compiled by Ravi Raman from last week's topic

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In blues, folk, indie, country, pop, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, reunions, The Allman Brothers Band, Gram Parsons, Bert Jansch, John Sebastian, Lene Lovich, Viv Albertine, The Rolling Stones, Tony Carey, John Mayer, Robert Earl Keen, Thin Lizzy, Dar Williams, Mrs Ackroyd Band, The Adverts, The Who, June Tabor, G Love and Special Sauce, Jennifer Warnes, The Mountain Goats, The Ramones, Roy Orbison, Louis Armstrong, Father John Misty, Sparklehorse, Pulp, ZZ Top, David Ackles, The Statler Brothers, Ravi Raman
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Playlists: songs about rooms

August 30, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Room for imagination. House shown in picture may differ from that which is advertised …

Room for imagination. House shown in picture may differ from that which is advertised …

Leaving plenty of room for the imagination from a palace of nominations from last week's topic, guest agent EnglishOutlaw presents a musical property currently on the market that's a must-see and listen

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In music, playlists, songs Tags songs, rooms, property, The Pretenders, Cream, Half Man Half Biscuit, Frazier Chorus, Bill Fay, The Ramones, The Cure, The Strokes, Elvis Costello, The Bangles, Tom Petty, Everything But The Girl, Bessie Smith, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Kate Bush, Phish, Lee Scratch Perry, Klymaax, John Cooper Clarke, Fugazi, Dropkick Murphys, Kings of Leon, Eminem, Cadaver Club, EnglishOutlaw
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Playlists: songs about bad decisions, poor judgement and U-turns

April 5, 2017 Peter Kimpton
The Ramones … slightly regretting opening that door …

The Ramones … slightly regretting opening that door …

Brexit or breakup? Heartbreak or international crisis? Hitting the hurt and mistakes hard, from Ramones to Radiohead, guest writer Violet Vivid tells a personal tale of woe with a wonderful set of playlists from last week's topic

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In playlists, music, songs Tags Songs, playlists, The Woodentops, Kim Weston, The Rose of Avalanche, The Dirtbombs, Soft Cell, Cadaver Club, Half Man Half Biscuit, Everything But The Girl, The Adverts, KKKKitchens, The Long Blondes, The Ramones, Megadeth, Radiohead, Meatload, Meatloaf, New Model Army, The Housemartins, Bobby Vee, Fela Kuti, Public Image Limited, Cassette Boy, UK Subs, Mischief Brew, Sex Pistols, Desmond Dekker, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Stranglers, Cornershop, Violet Vivid, KK Kitchens
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Putin on the Ritz: songs and music from or about Russia

January 19, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Vladimir, in a gesture of true hospitality, is taking his friend Donald for a ride

Vladimir, in a gesture of true hospitality, is taking his friend Donald for a ride

Language need be no barrier. Let’s reveal, explore, inaugurate, even celebrate, from classical, film to pop, from inside and out, the rich musical heritage inspired by this vast, contradictory country

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Tags Songs, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Winston Churchill, Paul Robeson, Nikolai Gogol, US presidential election, Peter the Great, Catherine The Great, Andrei Sakharov, folk, classical, Eduard Khil, Leonid Kharitonov, Vitas, Shostakovich, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Andrei Tarkovsky, Sergei Eisenstein, film, Anton Chekhov, Moscow, Blondie, The Vibrators, Ronald Reagan, Cold war, Otto von Bismark, marxism, Tony Benn, Pussy Riot, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Marc Almond, The Ramones, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Adam Curtis, Garry Kasparov, Rudolph Nureyev
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Playlists: songs about fighting

June 15, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Frazier, Foreman and Ali. All friendly like.

Frazier, Foreman and Ali. All friendly like.

Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Liston, and Louis? You can bet this week's round of themed song selections by guest writer Ravi Raman packs a punch – and check out even more music moves with kung fu and karate …

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Tags songs, boxing, fighting, martial arts, Sonny Liston, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, kung fu, Paul Kelly, Memphis Minne, Mark Knopfler, Johnny Wakelin, Everlast, BIg Youth, Styx, Garbage, Brad Paisley, Carl Douglas, Afu Ra, Masta Killa, Morrissey, Joe Ely, Genesis, The Rolling Stones, Jackie Leven, Primus, Bob Dylan, Oi Polloi, Tom Russell, The Ramones, David Essex, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Colin Hay, Boomtown Rats, Simon & Garfunkel, Just Dave, Ravi Raman
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Sing out, act on CLIMATE CHANGE

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DRINK OF THE WEEK

pint of guinness


SNACK OF THE WEEK

Bacon and egg ice cream (Heston Blumenthal style)


New Albums …

Featured
Book of Churches.jpeg
Mar 19, 2026
Book of Churches: Book of Churches
Mar 19, 2026

New album: Beautiful, tender, melancholic and poetic, a walking-pace acoustic folk and Americana debut solo release by the singer-songwriter Felix Mackenzie-Barrow, co-lead singer with the Nottingham alternative indie band Divorce

Mar 19, 2026
A Pound of Feathers by The Black Crowes.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
The Black Crowes: A Pound of Feathers
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Following 2024’s resurgent release Happiness Bastards, Atlanta, Georgia brothers Chris and Rich Robinson return with their 10th album in four up-and-down decades, with a belting release packed with Stones/ Keith Richards-style riffs, and a full-blooded, full-throttle classic and catchy rock

Mar 18, 2026
 Paris In The Spring by Alexis Taylor.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Alexis Taylor: Paris In The Spring
Mar 18, 2026

New album: The clarity and high range of the distinctive Hot Chip lead singer returns with his seventh solo LP, packed with personal, candid, philosphofical and sometimes melancholy lyrics allided with bright, melodic leftfield electro-pop, a dash of country, elegant disco-house, and Vangelis-inspired soundscapes, and a title echoing a psychological test where things are not as they seem

Mar 18, 2026
Madeleine by Diagonale des Yeux.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Diagonale Des Yeux: Madeleine
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Wonderfully weird, wonky, woozy, avant-garde, absurdist oddness by the French duo of Laurène Exposito and Théo Delaunay, with their lo-fi, ramshackle, DIY postpunk and retro-electronica, sharing sung and spoken vocals across French, German, English and Spanish

Mar 18, 2026
Yebba - Jean.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Yebba: Jean
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Following 2021’s Dawn, a second LP by the American singer and songwriter from West Memphis, Arkansas, aka Abigail Smith, moves towards an eclectic mix of gentler, more understated pop, folk, gospel, R&B, and soul, is named after her late grandmother, and has candid, personal themes of mourning and spiritual healing

Mar 18, 2026
The Sophs - Goldstar.jpeg
Mar 17, 2026
The Sophs: Goldstar
Mar 17, 2026

New album: A fairytale story of a debut for the Los Angeles six-piece fronted by Ethan Ramon, who cold-emailed demos to Rough Trade Records before even playing a live gig and were signed – that instinctive leap of faith rewarded by this stylish, bold, mercurial, confident, darkly humorous, eclectic debut leaping between rock, indie, pop, hoedown country, delta blues and beyond

Mar 17, 2026
Kim Gordon - Play Me album.jpeg
Mar 13, 2026
Kim Gordon: Play Me
Mar 13, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mar 10, 2026
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Mar 10, 2026
Gnarls Barkley: Atlanta
Mar 10, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

Mar 9, 2026

new songs …

Featured
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Mar 20, 2026
Song of the Day: Jorja Smith - Price Of It All
Mar 20, 2026

Song of the Day: Sumptuous, soaring, classic soul/R&B/pop by the British smooth-voiced singer-songwriter from Walsall, West Midlands, in this number from the soundtrack for new TV series, Bait, starring Riz Ahmed, and released on FAMM

Mar 20, 2026
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Mar 19, 2026
Song of the Day: Liza Lo - Birdsong
Mar 19, 2026

Song of the Day: Following her acclaimed debut album Familiar, a beautiful, warm, intimate, tender folk number featuring guitar, fiddle and double bass by the Amsterdam-born, London-based producer and singer-songwriter, Liza Lo Hoek, out on Gearbox Records

Mar 19, 2026
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Mar 18, 2026
Song of the Day: Rostam - Like A Spark
Mar 18, 2026

Song of the Day: A beautiful new acoustic folk-pop single with echoes of early 70s Van Morrison by the US musician, producer and former member of Vampire Weekend, heralding his upcoming third solo album American Stories out on 15 May via Matsor Projects

Mar 18, 2026
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Mar 17, 2026
Song of the Day: Kacey Musgraves - Dry Spell
Mar 17, 2026

Song of the Day: A catchy, witty, innuendo-filled new number about being and single and lonely, with some stylistic echoes of Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac, heralding the acclaimed Grammy-winning Texas country singer-songwriter’s upcoming seventh album, Middle of Nowhere, out 1 May on Lost Highway

Mar 17, 2026
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Mar 16, 2026
Song of the Day: Jaakko Eino Kalevi - Black Diamond
Mar 16, 2026

Song of the Day: A splendidly rousing eight-minute retro-style electro-pop baroque melodrama by the Finnish artist with the deep, rich voice, one that stylistically and in his own fashion, draws a pentagram between Goblin, Rondo Veneziano, Cerrone, Doris Norton and Lindstrom, out on Domino Records

Mar 16, 2026
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Mar 15, 2026
Song of the Day: Hannah Lew - Sunday
Mar 15, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mar 9, 2026

Word of the week

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 12, 2026
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Jan 22, 2026
Word of the week: zumbador
Jan 22, 2026

Word of the week: A wonderfully evocative noun from the Spanish for word buzz, and meaning both a South American hummingbird, a door buzzer, and symbolic of resurrection of the soul in ancient Mexican culture, while also serving as the logo for a tequila brand

Jan 22, 2026
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Jan 8, 2026
Word of the week: aspectabund
Jan 8, 2026

Word of the week: This rare adjective describes a highly expressive face or countenance, where emotions and reactions are readily shown through the eyes or mouth

Jan 8, 2026

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