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Eyes wide shut?
What does it mean, and what form does it take? From formal religion to private conversation, hope and supplication to comfort and meditation, and even parody of well-known prayers, it’s time explore this mysterious human activity in song
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Freud’s famous paper was published exactly a century ago
It’s time to wrestle with the conflicts and complexities of the conscious and sub-conscious mind captured in song lyrics. From that famous paper published by Freud a century ago, there’s also inspiration here in film, literature, comedy, musicians and more …
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Voluminous …
It’s an essential part of life - defined as a cognitive, active process of decoding these symbols to arrive at meaning, perhaps for a purpose to direct or extract information, to focus a goal, to simply to discover and escape, but how does it come up in song?
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The fabulous Ezra Furman and a famous fan …
Who is singing? It’s a magical moment of uncertainty. In a highly subjective topic, not only with non-binary artists but with those whose gender is better known, guest of the week ParaMhor picks perfectly balanced playlists of excellent and ambiguous gender vocals from last week’s topic nominations
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It’s time to give those records a spin, but who will get round first?
It’s a competitive world out there, whether that’s in sports, business or looking for love. A stellar set of songs and nominators from last week’s topic, chosen by excellent referee Uncleben who waves the chequered flag, and they’re off …!
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Stevie Wonder has a strong connection with the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr …
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
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Honest legacy? Park (bench) your musical heritage here …
How will you leave it, or be left? It’s a profound idea to think of how we’ll be remembered, or forgotten, as material, ethereal and emotional remains, or what others might leave to us. So let’s widen our musical legacy with some more song ideas on this topic …
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Peoples Temple leader Reverend Jim Jones in his classic shades at an anti-eviction rally in San Francisco in 1977 with Rev. Cecil Williams
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?
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Late nights with a transcendent genius: Mark E Smith with Brix
Leading you down the garden path and beyond? Taking liberties with the facts? After a flurry of fabulous stories from last week’s topic, guest playlister ParaMhor narratives a host of colourful tale tales that can’t help but pull you in …
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Leaps of imagination …
Witty, mischievous absurdity, hairy hopelessness, irrelevant incidents, or audible anticlimax and a pointless punchline? It’s time to examine the art of tall storytelling in song. Enjoy some examples in comedy and literature here, but how will your suggestions end up?
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Children in poverty in Manchester, early 1900s
It comes in many forms, but is often most powerful when it’s a hidden, secret shame. Picking from many great nominations out of last week’s topic, guest of the week DiscoMonster posts a powerful, personal narrative alongside his playlist
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“Actually, I think you’ll find these are not stocks, it’s a pillory …”
Far bigger than embarrassment, shame can be private, deep-seated and complex, covering all sides of society, psychology, religious, private or public life, a many-sided identity that can be corrosive but also controlling, useful but also harmful. How does it show in song?
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Deep and meaty?
This week’s topic is sensual rather than cerebral, and extremely subjective. It’s less a lyrical lookup, more seeking out music that makes you, at least metaphorically, vibrate, and even salivate. Please suggest examples and describe the accompanying feeling
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Orange beauty …
It’s a magical and at times surreal period at the end of day. Inspired by all the nominations from last week’s topic, guest playlister Shiv Sidecar picks a set of beautiful lists capturing a full spectrum of light, sounds, moods and genres. What a beauty.
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Promising everything: Them featuring the young Van Morrison
Is everything awesome or is it awful, or the full works in between? There’s a whole spectrum of ideas and feelings about ‘everything’ expressed in song, and from last week’s topic guest playlister Noodsy very neatly picks great numbers to capture the big picture
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Hot-dog! Fingers ‘n’ everything …
This week, from a previous idea of nothing, we go to ‘everything’ not literally, but the idea of it, from big promises of love, all-encompassing importance, the the whole shebang, totality, the full caboodle, enchilada, the big ball of wax, all within the prism of song
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Got a gut feeling for what will come up in the latest lists?
Hungry to fill your musical belly with music? Need to digest, and relieve pain? After readers spilled their music guts in response to last week’s topic, guest song doctor Marco Den Ouden explores and prescribes a full menu of tasteful and entertaining ingredients
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Belly up? Billie Eilish contemplates some big ones in her video for Bad Guy
It’s our second ‘brain’ a part of the body that rules us more than we think. Whether in literal or metaphorical lyrics, it’s time to pull in or push out, in the form of song suggestions. Inspired by gut feelings, intestines, belly buttons and cultural and scientific inspiration here …
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Assimilation complete: Kraftwerk
You put in the data and ideas, but what came out? Choosing from many highly non-artificial acts of the intelligence and imagination, guest Loud Atlas used his sharp human instincts create excellent playlists and see what an AI chatbot thought of them.
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The Stooges: possibly under the influence …
Coke, speed, heroin, acid? It’s all in circulation, from trippy and frenzied highs to comedown chillouts and lows, here in colourful, mesmeric playlists picked by guest MussoliniHeadkick from last week’s many nominations, you’ll find it all extremely stimulating .…
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