From the divine to the ridiculous, they’ve accompanied others’ lives from birth to marriage and death, stand for moral guidance but sometimes go badly astray, but are fascinatingly charismatic, flawed and human. With inspiration here from real life to film and fiction, how are they captured in song?
Read moreIdeas brewing? Songs about tea
The routine, the ceremony, the warming up, the cooling down, the flavour, the comfort, the refreshment and everything that goes with it. This week we’re brewing up and leafing through our music collections …
Read moreWhere did it all go wrong? Songs about crisis …
… and how can it all go right? This week let’s see if we can make musical manoeuvres in the current climate, causes and cures for crises, whether they be political social, economic or personal
Read moreTune up for 2019: songs about fixing, repairing and solving
From cars to people, mind and body, clocks or guitars, the world at large or little local difficulties, let’s start 2019 by fixing up and looking sharp with skills and toolkits on this topic
Read morePleasure and pane: songs about windows
Clear or stained-glass, from or into rooms, trains, windscreens or more, literal or metaphorical, from the soul to an opportunity, it's time to shine light through and suggest titles or lyrics with this theme
Read moreShare: songs that inspire pathos
Hard-luck humour to human frailty, comedy compassion to sentimental sadness, suggest songs that inspire this complex mix of feelings stirred up in lyrics, setting or performance
Read more