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Hello, what's that I hear? Songs about ...?
Teddys to Winnie The Pooh, Paddington to Rupert, grizzlies to polar bears, we've got the full range of soft, full and fierce for you as guest of the week Carpgate takes us from caves to woods and beyond, inspired by last week's topic
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Bear with us ...
We’re heading down into the woods today and beyond, hopefully in for a few surprises, and beyond naked necessity, with songs where bears feature prominently in title, lyric or theme, perhaps too in musical delivery capturing their qualities, and no doubt also in metaphor for all kinds of human contexts
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Siouxsie Sioux
Lipstick, eyeliner, powder and more, it's all going in these beautifully made-up lists by guest of the week Suzi capturing all the looks, identities and the emotions and dreams behind the creams, inspired by last week's nominations
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Just a little heavy on the foundation, fellas?
Lipstick to mascara, eyeshadow to foundation, music stars have always been putting on a performance persona mask. Cosmetics do strange things to us. In a narrative, they could leave traces of romantic encounters, make for a great vivid detail in lyrics, as well as an extended metaphor. So a rather different way this week, it's time to face the music …
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Howlin’ Wolf in his prime …
Tinted with the wrong associations and overshadowed by other colours, brown is heavily underrated. But it has a natural beauty and vast range, as shown by these perfect shade of playlists picked by guest Loud Atlas from last week's topic
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Time to build …
A topic fertile for the imagination, easy on the eye, and gently stimulating to the ear, with a whole world of brown objects, people and places where that colour is prominent in the titles and lyrics, not as a name, but as a definite shade that hits our visual and other senses when we hear the word and other associated shades
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Prime humming: Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes
It’s a sound that draws you into the melody and can sometimes say more than words. Inspired by last week’s topic, guest ParaMhor picks a hum-dinger of a collection spanning many genres and eras. Hum along if you don’t know the words
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An Anna’s hummingbird at work
A hum-dinger, or at least a hum-singer of a topic, one in which we're seeking songs that feature that sound, perhaps mostly by the vocalist when not singing lyrics, but perhaps other effect and forms of vibrating hum, from rock and pop, famous classical operatic passages, jazz, R&B, reggae and much more
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Beautiful Golden Sebright
Start from scratch? No, there's a lot more fun in the farmyard and beyond with a brilliantly entertaining fluffy bird songs chosen by guest of the week Nicko from last week's topic. Now for the pecking order ...
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The red junglefowl of southeast Asia are the grandaddy of poultry species, giving rise to today's many breeds of domesticated chicken
Playing chicken, strutting rooster, cock crowing, or cold turkey? In sound or style, metaphor or symbolism, this week it’s time for to play fair or fowl, with your songs about chicken, turkeys, and other poultry of the farmyard scene
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What’s been added to your cat-alogue this year?
It’s holiday time, so let’s take stock of music seen and heard this year, either here, but in fact anywhere, releases old or new. So please recommend and share in comments. These can be put into personal or collective playlists
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Serving now …
Seductive servings, unusual flavours, and mystery men and women. This week’s musical serving has got it all, packed with colours and innuendo, it’s a delicious combination put together by guest skilful scooper EnglishOutlaw from last week’s topic
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Like notes and chords, here are some essential flavours, but how will you mix them?
A flood of flavours, associations, colours and shapes may spring to mind, but in song, leisure and pleasure or perhaps ice-cold pain, metaphor or titular in song, contrasts with sourer realities, melting hearts, but what also of the ice-cream man, and van, and surrounding culture?
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Music in the air …
Take a world trip from standup straight to unusual traditionals, or distorted version radicals, alternative interpretations to parodies, as well as new lyrical angles, guest Severin creates a truly global selection from last week’s Olympic-inspired topic
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Allons enfants! It’s time for those anthems, but with a deeper look, as the Paris Olympics opens and celebrates its centenary
As the 2024 Paris Olympics opens, we examine the strange nature of the national anthem, for better or worse, not merely in versions thereof, but also songs and works which feature clips or renditions, or lyrically reference or talk about the concept itself even in more general terms
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Gil Scott-Heron: Detroit disaster just averted …
From the almost did to only just happened, close encounters of all kinds – from romantic situations, haircuts, or averting nuclear meltdown, inspired by last week’s nominations, guest playlister Loud Atlas just makes it happen in the best possible lyrical way
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Crosstown traffic: he’s luckier even than Donald Trump …
This week it’s the almosts, the nearly happenings, the white-knuckle moments, the narrow escapes, for better or worse, however, and whatever way you look at them, the tiny marginal could-have-gone-either-way events that make you think, gasp, feel relieved, grateful, sorry, or change your perspective
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Doubly happy: Stevie Wonder jokes around with a wax double of himself at London Piccadilly’s Rock Circus in 1989
It’s an emotional state that comes in many forms and has attracted waves of joyful nominations. Guest playlister of the week MussoliniHeadkick picks a selection that will give a spring to your step and a leap to your heart with a personal expression of love
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It’s a goal we can all aim for …
It’s elusive, often temporary, sometimes found in solitude, or in the company of others, and is open to wide spectrum and interpretation, from calm, inner, tranquility and bliss, to electric, excited collective ecstasy. But how is it captured in song?
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Live and Letta Mbulu
From politics to personal life, sexuality and personal liberation to broader social issues, on the back of recent elections and a topic covering freedom of speech, guest playlister Maki spans geography, genre and time to give the subject a full hearing
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