It runs within us all, but how is it expressed in song? From major moments and figures in history to personal stories, and even the legacy in our genes, guest Marco den Ouden covers a brought range in fine detail with playlists picked from last week’s topic
Read moreLetters of note: songs about written correspondence
Love letters to rejection replies, friendship, work or leisure, written correspondence are the preserved leaves of history, revealing human nature in all its states and culture, but how does it come up in songwriting? Reply here …
Read moreI'll do it my way: songs about being stubborn and ignoring advice
Stupid or inspired? Annoying obstinacy, obduracy, inflexibility and bullheadedness, or admirable persistence, pertinacity, tenacity and indomitability? It can go both ways, but how might it shape up in song lyrics?
Read moreJoint effort? Let's weed the stoned grass: songs about marijuana / cannabis
Mary Jane to hash, pot to pipes, it's time to take a toke on songs that hit on this long-established recreational drug and painkiller, from its many names to the effect it has on mind, society and music
Read moreWho can't handle the truth? Songs about propaganda, liars and lying
Mass campaigns to crowd manipulation, political U-turns to personal deception, suggest songs about the art and artifice of changing facts for dubious or other purposes, but here to make truthful playlists
Read moreHow ironic? Songs about misunderstanding
Don't take this the wrong way. Historic shambles to the pitfalls of predictive text, friends falling out to argumentative relationships, this week it's all about songs where language and more is a barrier
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