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Someone's had a bad day … a rock star from 2010's Norwegian film triumph, Troll Hunter (director André Øvredal)
Dragons to fairies, griffins to Godzilla, ogres to orks, this week it's time to troll (in the old sense) for songs that mention non-human, or part-human fictitious animals from stories, poetry, art and other forms in many cultures
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Frank Zappa: Shut Up'n Play Your Guitar
The instrument as a friend, lover, a symbol of society, or something that sings? Beatles to BB King, Stillwater to Frank Zappa, this week's guest Marco den Ouden finds that they all hold narrative, inspired by last week's topic
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Prince. His guitar was a symbol of so many things …
Thrum! This week let's pluck out out songs that mention guitars in lyrics or title, whether electric, acoustic or bass, and what role or meaning they have – companion, inspiration, religion, weapon, language or more
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What songs have made the cut?
Baked bread to perfect pies and pastry, Bessie Smith's Sweet Jelly Roll to Jake Thackray's Roly Poly, this week's guest chef Maki pulls it all out of the oven into two tasty playlists, inspired a big dollop of song nominations
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Enjoy …
This week it's less about the reality TV competition, instead a much tastier treat into the world of lyrical bagels and brot, cupcakes and buns, breadlines and Bourbons. Take your pick and dig in …
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Beyoncé ... imagining herself as a boy, if that's not a stretch …
If only, maybe or perhaps it happened differently? From Beyoncé to Beach Boys and Belle & Sebastian, this week's guest playlister EnglishOutlaw skilfully treads alternative paths inspired by last week's song nominations
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Planet of the Apes. Already happened or may yet occur? Still a gobsmacking idea.
Songs of regret, in retrospect or about the 'if only'? This week we look at lyrics that imagine other pasts, presents or futures caused by different decisions, actions, circumstances and chains of events
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The Seekers … look no hands.
Talking Heads tothe Tams, the Seekers to Stevie Wonder, childhood to cherished days, this week's guest playlister megadom captures a perfect and purer state of mind, inspired by last week's nominations
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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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Flying saucer? Or just heavy metal?
Aliens to Bigfoot, ghouls to ghosts, sea monsters to hairy hominids, Blondie to Brownsville Station, inspired by last week's avalanche of nominations, guest playlister Sidecar Shiv takes us on a marvellous musical journey into the unknown
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Just a snap of me taking my morning walk.
Mysteries, monsters, miracles, strange sounds, sights and disappearances, UFOs to aliens, paranormal events, witches to ghosts. Who knows what’s going on this week? Maybe it’s in the music …
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James Boswell. The biographer and man of letters helps draft this week's list of canticles … Portrait: Sir Joshua Reynolds
It began with a letter. Schoolboys to murderers, fist-fighting ruffians to race horses, from last week's voluminous nominations, peruse these superbly compiled playlists by guest biographer Uncleben through the muse of James Boswell
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From the cover of The Slits' guitarist Viv Albertine's book Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys (2014)
Let me tell you a story … this week we're looking for songs that capture the narrative or arc of a person's life, about themselves or others, famous or unknown, whether that's in the first or third person
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Good call … the Undertones are requesting you to pick up the phone.
Undertones to Louis Armstrong, Lady Gaga to Bruce Springsteen, if you're asking for two excellent playlists, then this week's guest writer angryirishpunk, inspired by last week's topic, has all he answers
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James Brown. Pleasing.
Gentle query to formal demand, subtle hint to outright down-on-your-knees supplication, let's ask questions about songs that include the expression of wanting something or someone
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This week's playlists are whipping up a storm
Pompeii to pollution, plague, pestilence and pressure drop, volcanoes, falling rocks, Fiery Furnaces to forest fires, this week's playlists by guest writer ParaMhor, whipped up by last week's topic, will surely go down a storm
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Image of Hurricane Patricia (2015) which, off the Pacific coast of Mexico, reached speeds of 345 km/h (215 mph)
Hurricanes, tornados, tidal waves, floods, blizzards, earthquakes to volcanoes, whether about actual events or in metaphor, it's time to batten down the hatches, put out the sandbags and face the music
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You give me femur … Jack and Sally - The Nightmare Before Christmas
After a week of readers digging deep in their collections, this week's osteology expert takeitawayGuru pieces together a superb skeleton of songlists, threaded together by a story of the musically macabre
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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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'When you're chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble, give a whistle! And this'll help things turn out for the best ...' – Eric Idle, Monty Python's the Life of Brian.
Life may be short, it may be long, but as guest writer SweetHomeAlabama neatly shows, with two playlists inspired by last week's topic, however things go, take your lips and tongue, and, just blow …
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