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Playlists: songs about being single

September 1, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Sparks: the Mael brothers are simply married to their music

Sparks: the Mael brothers are simply married to their music

It’s time to see what resulted at last week’s Song Bar Singles Night. Sad, lonely to deliriously happy and free, the resultant songs go in many directions, all married together in poignant, perceptive and playful lists by guest picker pejepeine

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In avant-garde, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, being single, relationships, Fousheé, Lush, The Brooklyn Bridge, Nina Simone, Jake Thackray, Melissa Manchester, Mary Gauthier, Sparks, Ariana Grande, Jill Scott, Combo Los Galleros, Lucy González, Lunay, Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, The Radiators, Moondog, Bessie Smith, Abba, Beabadoobee, Sunfire, Helen Merrill, Slapp Happy, Original Carter Family, Ry Cooder, Days N' Daze, Billy Idol, Pet Shop Boys, Cameo, Wham!, Chic, Karin Krog, pejepeine
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Not just 45s: songs about being single

August 26, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Greta Garbo - a singular inspiration for many a song

Greta Garbo - a singular inspiration for many a song

Welcome to the special Song Bar Singles Night, where, with the help of many special guests who chat freely on the subject, we seek songs on the ups and downs of the single state, from loneliness to blissful solitude, dating and even giving yourself a helping hand …

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, comedy, classical, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, hip hop, gospel, funk, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, metal, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, being single, solitude, Charles Bukowski, Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand, Mae West, Jean-Paul Sartre, Oscar Wilde, Woody Allen, animals, Greta Garbo, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Thomas Hardy, Louisa May Alcott, Orson Welles, Henry David Thoreau, Lana Del Rey, Maya Angelou, William Blake, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Mary Wollstonecraft, Thomas De Quincey, Martin Buber, Alex Karate, Christina Aguilera, Sue Grafton, Voltaire, Gloria Steinem, Chuck Palahniuk, Julie Delpy, Zsa Zsa Gabor, William Carlos Williams, Billy Idol, Katy Perry, Audrey Hepburn, Cyndi Lauper, Lily Tomlin, Christopher Hampton, George Carlin, Milos Forman, Sigmund Freud
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Boss! G’wed, it's songs about Liverpool and Merseyside

August 19, 2021 Peter Kimpton
The Fab Four at Pier Head

The Fab Four at Pier Head

To the five boroughs! … of Merseyside, Liverpool city and beyond, this week it’s not about bands from the area, but those who reference its streets, buildings, landmarks, districts, history, the people, accents, broader culture and more

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In blues, avant-garde, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Liverpool, Merseyside, The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Alan Bleasdale, George Harrison, slavery, cotton trade, history, St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton, The Wirral, Liverpool FC, Everton FC, immigration, second world war, blitz, football, The Sun, Hillsborough tragedy, Jimmy McGovern, Ken Dodd, charity, libraries, medicine, Terence Davies, Film, documentary
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Playlists: songs about playing cards

August 17, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Ace solos …

Ace solos …

What will be turned? High rollers to full houses, this week the deck, and the record player, is stacked with wonderful winners as guest George Boyland plays his hand from a selection of nominations from last week’s topic

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In blues, avant-garde, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playing cards, games, The Cuban Brothers, Ronnie Lane, Slim Chance, Prefab Sprout, Ray Charles, Max Romeo, Etta James, The White Stripes, Little Feat, Stephen Stills, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Joni Mitchell, Offa Rex, Peter Hammill, Spirit, Boogie Down Productions, Anti-Nowhere League, Fairport Convention, And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Deadead, Sippie Wallace, Holly Golightly, Blind Willie McTell, XTC, Streetwalkers, George Boyland
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What's the deal? Songs about playing cards

August 12, 2021 Peter Kimpton
But … who’s the ace?

But … who’s the ace?

Queens, kings, aces and jacks, jokers and dealers, tricks and games, winners and loses, gambling, risk, and making the best of the hand you’re dealt, this week it’s time to shuffle the musical pack and see what’s in hand on this theme

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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, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playing cards, Robert Louis Stevenson, Laura Swenson, Amit Kalantri, Ambrose Bierce, Angel Moreira, Steven Wright, games, Tarot, Theodoor Rombouts, Paul Cezanne, Brian Eno, gambling, Paul Newman
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Playlists: music and songs featuring the trombone

August 10, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Bill Watrous

Bill Watrous

Slide right in here for a blow-by-blow account of the beautiful, broad-ranging, classy, brassy repertoire of the ‘bone – from early jazz to reggae, ska, pop, soul, salsa, funk and film soundtrack and more, perfectly picked by guest magicman from a massive range of nominations

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In blues, calypso, dance, dub, funk, hip hop, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, rock, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, showtime, postpunk, gospel Tags trombones, playlists, Jackie Wilson, Kid Ory, Benny Spellman, Mon Rivera, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Don Drummond, Bill Watrous, Fred Wesley Jr, John Barry, Charles Mingus, Jack Teagarden, Tommy Dorsey, Groove Armada, Andy Cato, The Avalanches, Honey Cone, Oscar D'Leon & Dimension Latina, Louis Armstrong, Melba Liston, Rico Rodriguez, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Sound Dimension, Freak Power, David Rose & His Orchestra, Art Blakey, Sergio Mendes, Brasil '66, Quincy Jones, Chris Barber, JJ Johnson, Dexys Midnight Runners, Maurice Ravel, Aswad, Mighty Sparrow, The Mighty Sparrow, Hoyt Curtin, Beny Moré, Blue Mink, Richard Wagner, magicman
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Slide this way: music and songs featuring the trombone

August 5, 2021 Peter Kimpton
JJ Johnson

JJ Johnson

From classical to Dixieland to New Orleans early jazz, swing, big band, bebop to modern jazz, pop, funk, rock and more, it’s time to bone up, slide in and have a blast with your suggestions on this great, often unheralded instrument

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In avant-garde, African, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, playlists, musical hall, pop, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, instrumentals, playlists, Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Strauss, Hector Berlioz, Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, JJ Johnson, Fred Wesley Jr, George Chisholm, Richard Wagner, Sigmund Freud, Mark Twain, Monteverdi, JS Bach, George Friederic Handel, Christoph Gluck, Joachim Nicolas Eggert, Beethoven, Miff Mole, Curtis Fuller, Kai Winding, Slide Hampton, Urbie Green, Robin Eubanks, Steve Turre, Chris Barber, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey, Roswell Rudd, Felix Vobaron, Wycliffe Gordon, Trombone Shorty, trombones
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Playlists: songs about wings

August 3, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Crane at sunset

Crane at sunset

Music on the magic of flight to the feathery movement of mythology and morality tales, beautiful murmurations to deadly war munitions, guest playlister Marco den Ouden marvellously spreads his wings from a vast array of song nominations

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Katrin Finch, Sekou Keita, Ziggy Marley, Elizabeth Mitchell, Hans Theesink, The Decemberists, Alan Parsons, Elton John, The D-Day Darlings, Cheap Trick, Joni Mitchell, Edgar Broughton Band, Morphine, Jimmy Buffett, Little Mix, Reverand Utah Smith, Everly Brothers, The Beatles, Barclay James Harvest, The Bells, Abba, Mr. Mister, Marlene Dietrich, Willie Nelson, Matt Anderson, Leon Russell, Malú, Julien Clerc, Peter Hammill, Anne Murray, BYU Women's Chorus, Eric Wiseacre, Nina Simone, Billie Eilish, Van Dyke Parks, Billie Jo Spears, Loretta Lynn, Anastacia, Tom Russell, Ruby and the Romantics, Patti Austin, Little Simz, Paul Robeson, Richard Thompson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Johnny Wiggs, Nils Frahm, Jean Luc Ponty, Mesa Music Consort, Johnny Hodges, Wild Bill Davis, Kitaro, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Socrates, Plato, Mohammed Ali, Salvador Dali, Marco den Ouden, Muhammad Ali
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And the beat goes on: songs about wings

July 29, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Hum that tune …

Hum that tune …

Birds to insects, bats and angels to Icarus and aeroplanes, myth and reality, metaphor and literal, it’s time to let your musical imagination take flight and soar with the senses in songs that feature these supreme super-limbs in lyrics

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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, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, birds, insects, animals, animal behaviour, Plato, William Blake, Paul McCartney, The Beatles, Robert Ardrey, Mae West, Greek mythology, Icarus, Sufjan Stevens, Wim Wenders, Film, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, Sir David Attenborough, Uli Emanuele, base jumping, wingsuits, George Herbert, William Shakespeare, Shakespeare, bats, mammals
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Playlists: songs about refreshment and cooling down

July 27, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Very cool: The Main Ingredient

Very cool: The Main Ingredient

As the heat continues, where might we find refreshment? From cold water, drinks and more there’s no fresher breeze to bring a sweet shade of musical relief than playlists picked by Hoshino Sakura from last week’s many nominations

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In African, blues, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags refreshment, playlists, songs, J. Walter Negro & The Loose Jointz, !!!, Chk Chk Chk, Garolou, Wreckless Eric, Kieran Kane, Main Ingredient, Gabor Szabo, The Zombies, The Beach Boys, Pavement, Wilco, Cheryl Wheeler, Doris Day, Leonard Cohen, Peter Hammill, Kinobe, Tricot, Tommy Heavenly6, Shonen Knife, De Press, Johnny Winter, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Saw Doctors, Christine Wheeler, Melon Kinenbi, Hoshino Sakura
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Ice going: songs about refreshment and cooling down

July 22, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Ice work if you can get it …

Ice work if you can get it …

Things are really hotting up, so it’s time to lower the temperature a bit. Whether that involves cooling off on your insides or outside, physical, visceral, mental or metaphorical, let’s cool off with some songs on the subject

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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, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, climate change, temperature, Olympic Games, World Cup, Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, James Norwood Pratt, Oscar Wilde, Francis Bacon, Edgar Guest, Ovid, Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Brendan Behan, JS Bach, Spike Lee, Film, Questlove, Harlem, Harlem Cultural Festival, Holger Czukay, Can, animals
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Playlists: songs about stereotypes

July 20, 2021 Peter Kimpton
The Specials. A most atypical and brilliant band …

The Specials. A most atypical and brilliant band …

Band member types to black racial stereotyping, standard gender attributes to cultural cliches, this week our guest writer Loud Atlas explores all the standard norms and from a huge choices picks playlists are outstandingly atypical

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags stereotyping, stereotypes, songs, playlists, Thin Lizzy, Peggy Lee, The Specials, Stromae, En Vogue, Maddie & Tae, Matt Andersen, Sylvia Vrethammar, Big Bill Broonzy, Joni Mitchell, Ben Folds, Bobbie Gentry, The Beatles, Kool & The Gang, Flanders and Swann, The Whatnauts, Blur, Johnny Cash, Monty Python, Consolidated, Lord Kitchener, Septic Psychos, The Jam, The Gourds, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Tom Lehrer, Dario G, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Bad Religion, The Book of Mormon, Loud Atlas
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Typecast? Songs about stereotypes

July 15, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Stereo-typing

Stereo-typing

Which type are you? Portraying or satirising, explaining or exploding, this week we explore these social generalisations about race, gender, age, nationality, class or profession as expressed in song lyrics or even musical style

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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, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags Soren Kierkegaard, stereotyping, society, racism, gender, race issues, age, WJT Mitchell, David Cronenberg, Ice Cube, Anna Quindlen, Roland Barthes, Quentin Crisp, media, social media, sport, Walter Lippmann, The Simpsons, Film, Spike Lee, The Fast Show, Monty Python
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Playlists: songs about museums, galleries and exhibitions

July 13, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Airing the sound: MOMA’s Music Gallery

Airing the sound: MOMA’s Music Gallery

It’s a private view where all are invited. Led by our expert guest curator EnglishOutlaw, chosen from a range of musical hanging fruit, welcome to the grand tour reopening of an entirely unique grand expo - a canticular spectacular

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In African, avant-garde, blues, comedy, dance, country, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rocksteady, rock, reggae, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, exhibitions, art galleries, museums, 10000 Maniacs, The Strawbs, P-Model, Regina Spektor, Mick Thomas' Roving Commission, Phillip Jeays, Andre Williams, David Dondero, Tiny Ruins, They Might Be Giants, Gecko, Grant Hart, Steve Taylor, Kraftwerk, 4Hero, Gretchen Peters, Rufus Wainwright, Josh Ritter, Sparks, Croydon Tourist Office, Perfume, Lorde, King Missile, X-Ray Spex, Weird Al Jankovic, EnglishOutlaw, Bongwater
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Public exposure: songs about museums, galleries and exhibitions

July 8, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Some of the Horniman Museum’s many musical instruments

Some of the Horniman Museum’s many musical instruments

It’s time to show off your best and most collectible nominations about venues of art and artefacts, whether that is the building, the people, or the interacting with the items within, from grand palaces to tiny garages

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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, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, prog, punk, rock, reggae, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, museums, art, exhibitions, art galleries, Horniman Museum, Orhan Pamuk, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Bjorn Ulvaus, Abba, Jerry Salz, Thelma Golden, Edmond de Concourt, Michael Dirda, Museum of Broken Relationships, Museum of Youth Culture, Victoria and Albert Museum, Serpentine Gallery, Tilda Swinton, David Bowie, William Boyd, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, architecture, Thomas Heatherwick, Museum of Modern Art, Viktor Wynd Museum, The British Museum, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Derwent Pencil Museum, Lawnmower Museum, Ramones Museum Berlin, Soane Museum, Phallological Museum Iceland, Iceland, MUSA Cancun Underwater Museum, Museum of Bad Art (MOBA), Guggenheim Museum, Frank Gehry, New Zealand
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Playlists: songs about coins

July 7, 2021 Peter Kimpton
The-Royal-Mint-David-Bowie-coins-uk-1369143.jpeg

Heavenly pennies to begged 10p, stolen florins to counterfeit double-dealing, this week we coin in the songs courtesy of a shower of suggestions from last week’s topic, out of which guest George Boyland picks a shiny set of collectibles

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In blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, folk, funk, gospel, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, coins, The Ejected, Smashing Pumpkins, The Smashing Pumpkins, XTC, Billie Holiday, Iron And Wine, The Pogues, Estrella Morente, Big Mama Thornton, Colin Lucas, Sir Vincent Lone, Esperanza Spalding, Misty in Roots, Ernest Ranglin, Georgia Satellites, Ray Charles, Gaunt, Prince Buster, Pink Floyd, The Rotations, Joe Walsh, Albert Hammond, The Grateful Dead, Husker Du, Chumbawamba, Steve Earle, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Boogertown Gap, George Boyland
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Time for change: songs about coins

July 1, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Heavy metal: American guitar pick coins

Heavy metal: American guitar pick coins

Penny for your thoughts? Spare a dime? Money may often be on anyone’s mind, but this week we’re spinning a theme in particular all about coins, incidentally or centrally in a song lyrics. Will your suggestions come up heads or tails?

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In African, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, musical hall, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, coins, money, busking
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Pride playlists: songs about gender and LGBTQ+

June 30, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Pride: coming out from black and white

Pride: coming out from black and white

Coded 30s black blues to a 1950s Mexican diva, 1970s and 80s politics to full on out dirty disco in 2021, this week’s guest playlister Pop Off! celebrates a personal birthday with Gay Pride parade that goes beyond the obvious anthems

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, experimental, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, LGBTQ, Gay Pride, gender, David Bowie, Bimini, Chavela Vargas, Christine and the Queens, Chumbawamba, Culture Club, Elvis Presley, Fat White Family, The Gossip, Grace Petrie, Jayne County and the Electric Circus, Jobriath, John Grant, Living Color, Living Colour, Ma Rainey, Michel Sardou, Panic! At The Disco, Peaches, Regina, The Replacements, Shemekia Copeland, Skyhooks, Utada Hikaru, Queen, Black Lips, D.A.F., The Damned, Divine, Dusty Springfield, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, George Michael, Hayley Kiyoko, Indigo Girls, Joan Armatrading, Josie Cotton, K.D. Lang, Katie Pruitt, Pansy Division, Pete Shelley, Revolting Cocks, Shirley Bassey, Scissor Sisters, Studio Killers, Tom Robinson, Teegan and Sarah, Turbonegro, Willie Nelson, Sylvester, Alaska y Dinarama, Against Me!, Melissa Etheridge, Kree Harrison, PopOff!
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Gay pride struggles and strides: songs exploring gender and LGBTQ

June 24, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Very fruitful: Little Richard

Very fruitful: Little Richard

It’s time to come out with our own Song Bar gay parade – songs exploring, expressing the experience from confusions and problems, all the way to coming out and celebrating gender, difference across the sex spectrum

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, drone, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, homosexuality, gender, Gay Pride, Little Richard, Sappho, Oscar Wilde, E.M. Forster, Jeffrey Eugenides, Harvey Milk, Derek Jarman, RuPaul, Simone De Beauvoir, Quentin Crisp, animal behaviour, LTBTQ, David Bowie, Tchaikovsky, Benjamin Britten, Noel Coward, Joe Orton, Cole Porter, Peter Tatchell, Alan Turing, Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, Grayson Perry, Adrian Street, Marc Almond, Anohni, Dusty Springfield, Y-Love, Ezra Furman, Sophie, Donna Summer, Village People, Lucille Bogan, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Kylie Minogue, Cher, Madonna, Lady Gaga
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Playlists: songs about switches, buttons, knobs and levers

June 22, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Don’t adjust the dial. Stay tuned. All the buttons and songs are on this week’s Song Bar radio

Don’t adjust the dial. Stay tuned. All the buttons and songs are on this week’s Song Bar radio

Click! Radio to romance, computers to transport, even death and destruction, those switches are primed for all occasions, so stay tuned for super songs picked by guest Marco den Ouden from nominations that push all the right buttons

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, drone, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, musicals, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, buttons, switches, radio, machines, weapons, romance, sex, computers, transport, Edwin Starr, Agnetha Fältskog, Paul Casey, Terri Hooley, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Newcleus, Kirsty MacColl, Heath McNease, Dresden Dolls, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Murray McLauchlin, Brother Rodney, Black Box Recorder, Graham Parker, Gemma Ray, Bobby Bare, Mark Knopfler, Fairport Convention, Norah Jones, Lil Johnson, Object One, R Kelly, Ninette, Joni Mitchell, Freddy Cannon, Cornelius, Kate Bush, Teddy Prendergrass, Tori Amos, Propellerheads, The Champs, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, Phil Collins, Josh Ritter, The Dubliners, Kenny Burrell, English Beat, Van Morrison, Roomful of Blues, Royksopp, Lykke Li, Fats Waller, Cult With No Name, The Mountain Goats, Leroy Anderson, The Alan Parsons Project, Lena Horne, Earl Grant, Marco den Ouden
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New Albums …

Featured
Dove Ellis - Blizzard.jpeg
Dec 9, 2025
Dove Ellis: Blizzard
Dec 9, 2025

New album: An extraordinarily mature, passionate, poetic, and outstandingly powerful debut by the Manchester-based Galway-born singer-songwriter, whose soaring delivery has instant echoes of Jeff Buckley and lyrics that go above and beyond

Dec 9, 2025
Spíra by Ólöf Arnalds.jpeg
Dec 5, 2025
Ólöf Arnalds: Spíra
Dec 5, 2025

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

Dec 5, 2025
Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded.jpeg
Dec 5, 2025
Melody's Echo Chamber: Unclouded
Dec 5, 2025

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

Dec 5, 2025
Devotion & The Black Divine by anaiis.jpeg
Dec 2, 2025
anaiis: Devotion & The Black Divine
Dec 2, 2025

New album: Following a summer Song of the Day - Deus Deus, a review of the autumn release and third LP by the London-based French-Senegalese singer-songwriter of resonantly beautiful, dynamic, sensual soul, gospel, R&B and experimental and chamber pop, with themes of new motherhood, uncertainty, religion, self-love and acceptance

Dec 2, 2025
De La Soul - Cabin In The Sky.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
De La Soul: Cabin In The Sky
Nov 26, 2025

New album: The hip-hop veterans return with their first without, yet including the voice of, and a tribute to, founding member Trugoy the Dove, AKA Dave Jolicoeur who passed away in 2023, alongside many hip-hop luminary guests, with trademark playful skits, and all themed around the afterlife

Nov 26, 2025
The Mountain Goats- Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
The Mountain Goats: Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan
Nov 26, 2025

New album: An evocative musical journey of a concept album by the indie-folk band from Claremont, California, fronted by singer-songwriter John Darnielle, based on a dream of his in 2023 about a voyage to a fictional island by the titular captain, charting adventure, wonder and tragedy

Nov 26, 2025
Allie X - Happiness Is Going To Get You.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
Allie X: Happiness Is Going To Get You
Nov 26, 2025

New album: A hugely entertaining, witty, droll, inventive, chamber and synth-pop fourth LP with a goth twist by the charismatic and theatrical Canadian artist Alexandra Hughes, who brings paradox and dark themes through sounds that include string quartet, harpsichord, classical and pure pop piano with killer lyrics

Nov 26, 2025
Tortoise - Touch.jpeg
Nov 25, 2025
Tortoise: Touch
Nov 25, 2025

New album: A welcome return with a cinematic and mesmeric groove-filled first studio LP in nine years, and the eighth over all by the eclectic Chicago post-rock/jazz/krautrock multi-instrumentalists Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas McCombs, John McEntire and Jeff Parker

Nov 25, 2025
What of Our Nature by Haley Heynderickx, Max García Conover.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Haley Heynderickx and Max García Conover: What of Our Nature
Nov 24, 2025

New album: Beautiful, precise, poignant and poetic new folk numbers inspired by the life and music style of Woody Guthrie as the Portland, Oregon and New Yorker, now Portland, Maine-based singer-songwriters bring a delicious duet album, alternating and sharing songs covering a variety of forever topical social issues

Nov 24, 2025
Tranquilizer by Oneohtrix Point Never.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Oneohtrix Point Never: Tranquilizer
Nov 24, 2025

New album: Ambient, otherworldly, cinematic, mesmeric, and at times very odd, the Brooklyn-based electronic artist and producer Daniel Lopatin returns with a new nostalgia-based concept – constructing tracks from lost-then-refound Y2K CDs of 1990s and early 2000s royalty-free sample electronic sounds

Nov 24, 2025
Iona Zajac - Bang.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Iona Zajac: Bang
Nov 24, 2025

New album: A powerful, stirring, passionate and mature debut LP by the 29-year-old Glasgow-based Scottish singer with Polish and Ukrainian heritage who has toured as the new Pogues singer, and whose alternative folk songs capture raw emotions and the experience of modern womanhood, with echoes of PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, Aldous Harding and Lankum

Nov 24, 2025
Austra - Chin Up Buttercup.jpeg
Nov 19, 2025
Austra: Chin Up Buttercup
Nov 19, 2025

New album: This fifth studio LP as Austra by the Canadian classically trained vocalist and composer Katie Stelmanis brings beautiful electronica-pop and dance music, and has a bittersweet ironic title – a caustically witty reference to societal pressure to keep smiling despite a devastating breakup

Nov 19, 2025
Mavis Staples - Sad and Beautiful World.jpeg
Nov 18, 2025
Mavis Staples: Sad and Beautiful World
Nov 18, 2025

New album: A timelessly classy release by the veteran soul, blues and gospel singer and social activist from the Staples Singers, in a release of wonderfully moving and poignant cover versions, beautifully interpreting works by artists including Tom Waits, Curtis Mayfield, Leonard Cohen, and Gillian Welch

Nov 18, 2025
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Nov 18, 2025
Stella Donnelly: Love and Fortune
Nov 18, 2025

New album: Finely crafted, stripped back musical simplicity combined with complex melancholic emotions mark out this beautiful, poetic, and deeply personal third folk-pop LP by the Australian singer-songwriter reflecting on the past and present

Nov 18, 2025

new songs …

Featured
The Paper Kites - If You Go There.jpeg
Dec 16, 2025
Song of the Day: The Paper Kites - Change Of The Wind
Dec 16, 2025

Song of the Day: A beautiful, reflective number by the alternative folk-rock band from Melbourne fronted by Sam Bentley, heralding their seventh studio album If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, out on 23 January via Nettwerk Music Group

Dec 16, 2025
Courtney Marie Andrews - Valentine.jpeg
Dec 15, 2025
Song of the Day: Courtney Marie Andrews - Little Picture Of A Butterfly
Dec 15, 2025

Song of the Day: Beautiful, delicate, fluttering, eclectic, heartbreak folk and Americana by the singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona, heralding her forthcoming new album, Valentine, out on 16 January via Loose Future

Dec 15, 2025
Peter Perrett - Proud To Be Self-Hating.jpeg
Dec 12, 2025
Song of the Day: Peter Perrett - PROUD TO BE SELF-HATING (irony and provocation)
Dec 12, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 7, 2025
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Dec 6, 2025
Song of the Day: Tiga (featuring Fcukers) - Silk Scarf
Dec 6, 2025

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

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

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

Dec 5, 2025
The Lemon Twigs - I've Got A Broken Heart.jpeg
Dec 4, 2025
Song of the Day: The Lemon Twigs - I've Got A Broken Heart
Dec 4, 2025

Song of the Day: Despite the title, this new double-A single (with Friday I’m Gonna Love You) has a wonderfully uplifting guitar-jangling beauty, with echoes of The Byrds and Stone Roses, but is of course the brilliant 60s and 70s retro sound of the Long Island brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario, out on Captured Tracks

Dec 4, 2025
Alewya - Night Drive.jpeg
Dec 3, 2025
Song of the Day: Alewya - Night Drive (featuring Dagmawit Ameha)
Dec 3, 2025

Song of the Day: A sensual, stylish, dreamy electro-pop single by the striking British singer-songwriter, producer, multidisciplinary artist and model Alewya Demmisse, musically influenced by her rich Ethiopian-Egyptian heritage and early childhood upbringings in Saudi Arabia and Sudan

Dec 3, 2025

Word of the week

Featured
Hangover.jpeg
Dec 4, 2025
Word of the week: crapulence
Dec 4, 2025

Word of the week: A term that may apply regularly during Xmas party season, from the from the Latin crapula, in turn from the Greek kraipálē meaning "drunkenness" or "headache" pertains to sickness symptoms caused by excess in eating or drinking, or general intemperance and overindulgence

Dec 4, 2025
Running shoes and barefoot.jpeg
Nov 20, 2025
Word of the week: discalceate
Nov 20, 2025

Word of the week: A rarely used, but often practised verb, especially when arriving home, it means to take off your shoes, but is also a slightly more common adjective meaning barefoot or unshod, particularly for certain religious orders that wear sandals instead of shoes. But in what context does this come up in song?

Nov 20, 2025
autumn-red-leaves.jpeg
Nov 6, 2025
Word of the week: erythrophyll
Nov 6, 2025

Word of the week: A seasonally topical word relating to the the red pigment of tree leaves, fruits and flowers, that appears particularly when changing in autumn, as opposed to the green effect of chlorophyll, from the Greek erythros for red, and phyll for leaves. But what of songs about this?

Nov 6, 2025
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Oct 22, 2025
Word of the week: fennec
Oct 22, 2025

Word of the week: It’s a small pale-fawn nocturnal fox with unusually large, highly sensitive ears, that inhabits from African and Arab deserts areas from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula. But has it ever been seen in a song?

Oct 22, 2025
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Oct 9, 2025
Word of the week: gongoozler
Oct 9, 2025

Word of the week: A fabulous old English slang term for someone who tends to stand or sit for long periods staring at the passing of boats on canals, sometimes with a derogatory or at least ironic use for someone who is useless or lazy. But what of songs about this activity and culture?

Oct 9, 2025
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