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Heated exchanges: Rita Moreno and Animal of the The Muppets
Silly ballads to battles of the sexes, parodies to social commentary, odd duets and witty wordplay and musical japery, guest jester Marco den Ouden picks a bundle of lyrical and other laughs inspired by last week’s comedic songs theme
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It’s dragon on a bit. But how will it end? Gratuitous picture that has nothing to do with music
Sex, love relationships, work, politics, and war, appearances all play apart in the game of life, and this week with a huge cast of talent coming to visit the Bar, we discuss and explore the art and topic of false or true in song lyrics
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Roy would …
This week’s topic takes a particular accent towards music inspired by the great British West Midlands city and its surrounding area, a rich cultural mix of ethnicities and styles, industrial history, upheaval and humour
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Do your wurst: What could go horribly right? The Producers (1967) starring Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel
The brilliantly bad to the awesomely atrocious, whether in sound or lyrics, this week it's time to stretch the realms of musical and lyrical taste into the outer regions, and boldly go where we've never been before
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Global repair
From cars to people, mind and body, clocks or guitars, the world at large or little local difficulties, let’s start 2019 by fixing up and looking sharp with skills and toolkits on this topic
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Superb lyrebird - sounds like everything else, but nothing sounds like it.
The topic over the Christmas holiday season is a form of convivial, parlour game in which pairs of songs can be nominated that share musical or other echoes - but which came first and where are the comparisons? You decide …
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Not so strange bedfellows: Eric and Ernie
The non-sexual, non-romantic sort is what makes up most of the love we experience in life, so whether that concerns real or fictional experiences, let’s define and explore it as expressed in song lyrics
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Perhaps these steps will lead you to the right key …
Steep, sweeping, stone, wood or metal? This week we're exploring how music give us a certain kind of lift – through lyrics that describe all ways to up or down, on foot or via mechanical means, actual or metaphorical
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The men from CIA? Fugs-style.
Who are they? Where are they? And what are they doing? Are the answers in songs nominated? It’s time to burrow deep with our mystery guest playlister Deep Throat-Singer to see how the plot plays out …
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Altogether now ....
The lyrics are about dark matters, but they are played with extremely contrasting upbeat music. This week let’s explore songs that, through stark contrast, can unlock humour, tragedy, comedy and empathy
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Cassettes? What a carry on.
Travelling to shopping, fashion houses to homeless hobos, suitcases to handbags, briefcases to guitar cases, bags are the performer’s constant companion carried out in many songs, but it’s also about the contents …
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… made glorious summer by this song of York, canvassing for business …
Step right up! This week we look into the psychology of selling and the heartbeat of bargains across our culture. Retail therapy to ripoff, suggest lyrics all about the intimacy and anonymity of commercial transaction
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Lamb. Obviously.
Innocence lost or regained, from childhood to animals, in fact or fantasy, lyrics or style, this week we enter less cynical world, one of wide-eyed wonderment and promise, all in the form of songs and more
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Big-boned …
Skulls to skeletons, dry to bad, dinosaur to Shakespeare, dead or alive, let's dig deep in our collections and unearth musical examples, inspired here by range of references from Hamlet to Ray Harryhausen
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The Day Today ... the perfect headline.
Headlines in lyrics or titles, to songs about the press, TV, websites and social media, this week it’s time to retell stories of how the news and its communication can also be a musical muse for songwriters
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Spongebob Squarepants. Getting it done, or just swamped?
From juggling duties and spinning plates for family, social life, relationships, work or other chores, name songs that talk about that struggle to keep concentration when there's a long list of distracting tasks
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Jump, they say. But where next? David Bowie
Rock band does reggae? Punk band goes country? Rapper does jazz? This week we explore genre-switching or surprise moments in artists’ careers that confounded fans’ expectations
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Monty Python's the Ministry of Silly Walks
Sometimes the most sensible way to deal with a serious world is to get silly with it. From Spike Milligan to Jacques Tati, this week we look at music's most inventive, surreal and strange wonders of whimsy
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Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin …
Aaron to Zygmunt, Al to Ziggy, Johnny to Sonny, boys to men, what's in a name? With some inspiration here, suggest songs with male names in title or lyrics and what role they play …
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'I'm not a politician' ... Welcome to two-faced Trumpton town ... Photograph: Flickr
Restless, bored, or ambitious? Fuelled by feelings of inadequacy? No, this isn’t a help or advice line, they’re just a few things may spark songs about wanting to become someone else, real or imagined. Can you suggest any?
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