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Bette Midler making a low-key appearance …
Song Bar 2nd Birthday Special: Suggest music that could emphasise or illuminate an individual's character in any setting, not merely in theatres, films or sports halls, but in a fantasy world of work, pub, home or street
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Sir Jake Thackray (honorary knight of the Song Bar, posthumously given)
King, Queen or Lord, Big Chief to Brigadier, Corporal and more, from a list of titles nominated as long as history itself, this week's playlist writer, Sir Severin, serves up superb lists that would honour any ears
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Arise Sir Rod? Mr Stewart gets the the nod, but here Prince William does the honours, not the Queen
Earls to Dukes, Your Honour to Your Excellency, Knights to Dames and Mr and Mrs, privilege or deserving, let's explore the meaning, use and tone of honorific titles in song lyrics and why society bestows them
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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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A famously eye-catching Small Faces album, but there are many tasty song titles are out there …
Tantalising, striking, quirky, perhaps violent or sexually strange, offbeat, bizarre combinations of words, numbers or symbols and more, awful, wonderful, suggest songs that cry out to be heard and live up to their title
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The violin bridges many a genre …
Bridging huge swathes of musical genre from folk to classical, reggae to hip hop, India to China, it's time for our guest writer amylee to take a 'bow' for superb playlists inspired by last week's huge and fiddly topic
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The Cipriani Potter Stradivarius. Other models are available (if you've got a few quid)
Classical, folk, pop, rock, traditional or contemporary, Irish to Romanian, Hungarian to American to the far east, suggest music about or featuring this beautiful stringed instrument in a prominent role
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Foucault? Swing low, sweet pendulum
North, south, east, west, left to right, Ayers to Zeppelin, this week's guest writer nosuchzone took charge of the musical swingometer, and inspired by nominations, created marvellous playlists that really move
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Hang out at the Bar. You'll enjoy it.
Folk to rock, pop to hip hop and more, from grisly executions to leisure time with friends, to ending phone calls, let's hang out at the Song Bar and explore songs using these many idioms
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Gone!
Sold! Paddle at the ready, and waiting for the gavel to drop, this week's excellent guest playlister EnglishOutlaw takes on a musical journey through the auction house, watching other punters and bidding for with some fabulous songs
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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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Blast off: many bright openings illuminate this week's playlists …
Is it best to set light slowly or start with a big bang? In what turned out to be topic of epic proportions and suggestions, this week's guest ParaMhor creates a superb selection of illuminating playlist openings
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It's a 2018 curtain raiser …
Songs or instrumentals, suggest music that sets a tone, a pace, a mood or is a statement of intent, and makes a great start to an album, at the top of a radio show or any other work or event
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Ray Charles and The Raelettes
Aretha and her sisters to Ray and the Raelettes, Louis and Keely to Gladys and the Pips, this week's brilliant backing vocals came from a chorus of nominations topic, led by a masterful guest playlister magicman
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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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Furr-aging for new music? What's been your favourite discovery?
How has your year been? Share your 2017 unearthed musical treasures, new or old, rediscovered or newly perceived, picked up here at the Bar or elsewhere, as well as favourite live music experiences
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Chill out and listen to this week's playlists …
Clearlake to Cocteau Twins, Tchaikovsky to Jethro Tull, last week's topic included an avalanche of nominations, from which this week's guest takeitawayGuru has sculptured two of fine flakes and frozen shapes
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What songs will be preserved in the ice and snow of this week's nominations?
Flakes that meander down to frozen formations, beautiful and deadly, used literally or metaphorically in emotions or landscapes, let's explore songs that preserving this water in lyrics and titles
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Which music got the readers buzzing and landed on this week's lists?
Bees buzzing to cement mixers churning, Bowie's garden to Mingus hogging to Cramps' chickens clucking, enjoy two noisily evocative playlists picked by guest Severin from last week's nominations
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Holy smoke, Batman, it's onomatopoeia time …
Boing! Bash! Splash! Whoosh! This week it's time to get noisy with songs containing words that mimic the sounds they describe, but also those with conventional instruments that copy other sounds
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