This week, Jim has set us the task of featuring a song from a band you wished were still together. You ought not to be at all surprised that my choice was the Grateful Dead. If only…. I’ve featured quite a few Grateful Dead songs over the years that I’ve been contributing to Song Lyric…
This week, Jim wants a song from an artiste who made the ultimate career move of dying at the age of 27. There are many more than I thought. Coincidence of course, but a little eerie all the same. I was aware of the usual triptych of my generation – Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and…
Jim’s given us a free hand for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday and that gives me an opportunity to exorcise my current earworm – although fortunately it’s one I don’t mind having at all. It’s many years since I last heard this, but it cropped up (on Twitter, I think) recently. This song, recorded in…
Apart from the Bee Gees and Kylie Minogue, AC/DC is perhaps Australia’s most famous modern musical export – although of course there are many more equally worthwhile candidates. AC/DC rather remind me of John Wayne’s explanation of why he liked John Ford films (other than the obvious reason that he was in them): ‘he keeps…
This week’s theme for Song Lyric Sunday is novelty songs. Well. we could all use a little bit of levity at the moment, so here goes. I have a distinct memory of Sunday afternoons in our house when I was around eight years old in the late fifties or very early sixties. We always used…
One of the themes for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday is memories, which – appropriately enough – reminded me of this poignant ode to the all too brief innocence of childhood. From Pink Floyd’s 1968 ‘Saucerful Of Secrets’ album and written by keyboard player Richard Wright. Remember a day before todayA day when you were…
This week’s task for Song Lyric Sunday is simple, at least on the face of it: a song that reached #1 in the charts. Well, hereby hangs a tale. A little over fifty years ago, I went on a first date with the most stunning girl I had (have) ever seen. Reader, I married her.…
This week we’re being asked for a one hit wonder. Now, the thing with these one-offs is that they are – almost by definition – very catchy. If it happens to be what is politely referred to as a ‘novelty record’, this can be massively irritating. Who would really want ‘Ernie The Fastest Milkman In…
This week’s Song Lyric Sunday is all about positive emotions, and pleasure is certainly right up there in that canon. It won’t surprise you to learn that the eighties’ club scene completely passed me by – which isn’t to say that I’m not up for a bit of hedonistic excess when the offer presents itself.…
‘Regret’, ‘shame’ and suchlike are the keywords for Song Lyric Sunday this week, and this might just be one of the finest songs abour remorse ever written. You’ll already have heard it. (Attributed to Lennon and McCartney, but this is 100% Paul) Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away.Now it looks as though they’re…
the only deadhead in the hameau 