And here's another: from my non-blogging friend Christine, who can rest assured that her list is just as worthy of inclusion as any others and whose list is so beautifully representative of her... well, there's a reason she's a great adoptive 'sis' to me.
1) Witchcraft - Frank Sinatra.Worthwhile? I can't see anything wrong with this list! It's meant to be quirky and personal and without regard to showing off (well, not too much anyway!). Scanning the lists we have acquired or prompted so far, its clear that - to say the least - our tastes are eclectic and our reasoning very personal.
I have two reasons for loving this fabulous standard. The first is that my Dad, who was in his young days, a pub singer (he and his lovely pianist Peggy would travel all over the country and do their musical stuff…it was his much loved leisure time activity) would sing to me to get me off to sleep when I was a child…and this was one I used to adore. Wonderful orchestration on this Frank version and the lyrics: Wow! Oh…that other reason is that a certain very special woman - a stripey kinda gal, who may be known to some of you, makes me giggle very gleefully with her very singular habit of being able to …well let's just say...suss me out at every turn! Hmm…witchy! I always think of her when I put it on the CD player.
2) 3rd movement. Moderato... - Prokofiev Violin concerto No.1
This is so haunting yet uplifting. Just beautiful. I discovered it in 1978 when my son, Joe, was about three months old and I was drifting off to sleep after his late night feed and its gorgeousness came wafting from the radio which I always left on low volume, although not ALL night, as in those far off days, stations shut down at around midnight I think, anyway .....It quietly and completely, blew me away. I've loved it ever since and listen to it at least once a week while working about the house.
3) Tell me why - The Beatles
From "A Hard Day's Night" Fell in love with this aged thirteen when I saw John Lennon's smile as he belted out "Well I gave you everything I had, but you left me sitting on my own..." Adored him forever after!
4) In France they kiss on Main Street - Joni Mitchell from Hissing of Summer Lawns
Mmmm....this is a tremendous song, first track on the album: comes in like a stiletto in a velvet glove, with that gorgeous guitar simply stabbing you in the sternum as it plunges in at the beginning (and reappears throughout the song) Then the opening line: "Downtown my darling dime store thief....." Phew ...so many memories of ...well so many things. It's superb.
5) You're a big Girl Now - Dylan ...from Blood on the Tracks
Beautiful little, but enormous love song. Reminds me of a friend who is a big Bob fan right from way back and has seen him live, countless times now. "Our conversation was short and sweet..." sigh.
6) Down to Zero - Joan Armatrading
Another opening track...this young girl from Jamaica with her debut album, and this powerful song to kick off. I think of a rainy day in Skegness, wind blowing but not caring, sitting eating a picnic on a damp sea front bench...on a working day...back to the car and this blasting from the (then) cassette player. Great and good.
7) Righteously - Lucinda Williams (from World Without Tears)
I heard this for the first time one warm summer evening whilst cooking dinner on a portable hot plate in the midst of demolished bricks and plaster, whilst my lovely old house was being renovated. I just danced round the ruins of my kitchen and felt so lifted by her voice and the lyrics that I'll never forget it.
8) See Emily Play - Pink Floyd
I was temping at a job in London in 1970 when a young guy taken on to do filing started talking to me about Floyd...and had I heard them...well er no...so he played SEP to me in the basement of the building on a "Dansette" portable record player...titter... and I fell under the spell of PF forever. “WHAT was that I just heard?” was the question which came immediately to mind!
And isn't that kinda the point?
1 comment:
Eclectic? Now you've lured me in with my favourite word. How about these, in no particular order?
1) "Are 'Friends' Electric?", Tubeway Army - The first song I can ever remember liking. You've got to appreciate the work of a man who writes a science-fiction short story about androids and then thinks, "You know what? That would make a great song?" So many private jokes, I can't go into all of them here, though.
2) "Club Foot", Kasabian - Because frankly, stuck on that desert island, I'd need a "kicking down palm trees for the coconuts" anthem. Makes me want to go "Grr. I'll take you all on."
3) "Plainsong", The Cure - Good for conducting to, plus there's nothing quite like overblown operatic goth rock, as far as I'm concerned. Plus The Cure put on the last proper concert I went to.
4) "March of the Sinister Ducks", The Sinister Ducks - a singing nom de plume of comics writer Alan Moore. The funniest, most paranoid song you could ever hope to listen to. My uni mate Dave McNally introduced it to me when I was guesting on his radio show, just before he went on a drugs tour of South America. Hopefully the song will cheer you up and drain off the paranoia that a polar bear is about to attack you.
5) "These Words", Natasha Bedingfield - Our song. I'll say no more.
6) "Iris", The Goo Goo Dolls - Feels like it should have been on the soundtrack of every romantic movie ever - disappointingly, it was only on "City of Angels". I might not take it if I ever found out before the desert island trip that it had ever been used during an episode of Charmed.
7) "Anarchy in the UK", The Sex Pistols - For a post-Kasabian calm down in a hammock. Plus it's one of the only songs I'm willing to sing along to.
8) "99 Luftballons", Nena - Ah, so many German classes at school, just to be able to appreciate the original, rather than the Red Balloons version. Didn't pay off, but I'm still glad of the German.
"Venus in Furs" by the Velvet Underground nearly made it in. But didn't. I might have included Johnny Cash's "Hurt" if videos had been allowed.
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