A little bit of personal history here. In the second half of the eighties, I spent a considerable proportion of my life on aeroplanes.

Why so? Because, as I used to sum it up, I lived in Scotland and worked in London for an American investment bank as an analyst, covering companies (more specifically, banks) in the UK, Europe and Australia. One year, I took a total of 168 separate flights.

During this period I was very often back and forth between London and New York. For a time I seriously considered giving my home address as seat 57J on a transatlantic BA flight (upstairs, extra legroom: if you knew, you knew).

To pass the time on these flights, I’d listen to the in-flight entertainment, usually the ‘recent hits’ playlist, and, as tends to happen, I’d doze off. For some reason, I always seemed to wake up to one of two songs – either Culture Club’s ‘Black Money’ or this, by The Thompson Twins.

I saw you there
Just standing there
And I thought I was only dreaming, yeah

I kissed you then
Then once again
You said you would come and dance with me

Dance with me
Across the sea
And we can feel the motion of a thousand dreams

Doctor! Doctor!
Can’t you see I’m burning, burning
Oh Doctor! Doctor!
Is this love I’m feeling?

Ships at night
Give such delight
But we all leave before the morning light

Please don’t go
No, please don’t go
Cause I don’t want to stay here on my own

Doctor! Doctor!
Can’t you see I’m burning, burning
Oh Doctor! Doctor!
Is this love I’m feeling?

Fever breathe your love on me
Take away my name
Fever lay your hands on me
Never be the same

Doctor! Doctor!
Can’t you see I’m burning, burning
Oh Doctor! Doctor!
Is this love I’m feeling?

Come with me
And make believe
We can travel to eternity

Written by Tom Berry, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway

Song Lyric Sunday 28 January 2024