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Dark or bright? What’s another year? 2024 …
To start the new year and an uncertain future, it’s time to set up our musical theme with conditional songs - those that usual contain the word ‘if’ and sometimes follow with or an implied or actual, ‘then’. But how will it turn out?
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Fresh frozen? Give peas a chance …
Awash with ads for travel, clothing, leisure, painkillers, marijuana, vegetables, and even items to boost sex life? Well, it’s time to be entertained by a string of non-existent ones, framed in snappy marketing musical form, with playlists picked by guest magicman from last week’s topic
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Selling out? Who’s up for it?
‘Tis the season to be funny or serious, satirical, cerebral or sensual, simple or complex, abstract or expressive, imaginative and ingenious in suggesting songs for existing or fictional products that could appear in ads that don’t exist
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Game on: all kinds of music are on board …
Not video or cards, this week it’s the turn of games played on a tabletop with moveable pieces, anything from chess to Monopoly, playing out the patterns of human life and behaviour in microcosm. But how are they expressed in song lyrics?
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Original material: Sun Ra
Join this potentially long thread of a subject through time to capture the wonderful weft and warp of songs about all kinds of fabrics natural or otherwise – wool, cotton, hemp, linen, nylon, muslin, silk, and much more, clothing to curtains, their manufacture and industry, metaphor, colourful, darker, or lighter associations
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The classic poisoner’s choice …
Natural or handmade, animal or chemical, fast or slow, murderous or accidental, we inhabit a world of toxins and venoms, but how are they expressed in song? With inspiration here, the more specific and colourful the better but there’s also the mental and metaphorical …
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Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Classical to classic pop, rock, folk, African, jazz and beyond, the instrument provides an unmistakably rich, powerful, emotional voice. Inspired by a beautiful, broad scope of nominations from last week’s topic, guest Loud Atlas presents out some equally wonderful playlists
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Jacqueline du Pré with Daniel Barenboim
With its beautiful, versatile vocal sound, this baroque instrument features not classical pieces but genres of all kinds. But where does it play a strong, influential and essential part? And perhaps alongside the sound, where it might also feature in lyrics?
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Single-minded pursuits: Roxy Music
It might mean concentration, determination, persistence, relentlessness, and even obsessive behaviour, but while that perhaps thinking of one thing, or one person, but this is a topic has gathered a broad range of music and ideas. Guest Sidecar Shiv reveals more in fabulous playlists picked from last week’s topic
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Moving moment? Anatoly Karpov …
Concentration, drive, relentless purpose and pursuit are needed for certain levels of achievement, but how is it expressed in song lyrics? In finding love or 'the one", to work, to gain acclaim, achieve fame, or a particular goal? For inspiration here are examples in music, film, sport and more …
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One giant leap, Felix Baumgartner returns to Earth from 24 miles up, 2012
Recurring dreams, space, tides and the Moon, or perhaps a very weighty animal? Gravity t’s a major force that controls us all, but channelled into playlists by guest of the week George Boyland from last week’s topic, it’s sure to go down very well …
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Falling yet floating? Frozen gravity …
Mass attraction? Or falling in love? This week it’s a fusion of science and art topic, with lyrical fact or metaphor, as we examine one of the most vital and biggest physical interactive forces in our lives (but oddly the weakest of the science big four). But how will this float up or fall in the world of song?
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Open wide: the great Dinah Washington makes a trip to the dentist, but might she receive more than a filling?
Draculas to dentists and dentures, smiling to biting, gnashing, chattering, grinding and chomping, there’s no shortage of wonderful music to chew over with these tasty, pearly-white playlists picked by guest Nicko from last week’s topic
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Elvis Costello. But which side?
What music pumps up, or becalms your pulse? From fast pace, to a fierce vocal, searing lyrics, to minimalism, silence and space? Inspired by nominations from last week’s topic, guest playlister MussoliniHeadkick picks two highly effective and contrasting A-lists …
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Some of the groundbreaking cast of The Real Ambassadors, including Dave Brubeck and Louis Armstrong
Traversing not just wildernesses, this week’s topic celebrates those who found forms of new territory, land, sea, or space, to those who broke new ground in their specialist field. For these, guest of the week Marco den Ouden creates landmark playlists inspired by last week’s topic
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Red Cormorant Woman, Olive Oatman and Biddy Mason from the history – Brave Hearted: The Women of the American West, by Katie Hickman (2022)
It’s a word that summons up a rich history of tough trails across the American west, but also of key figures in many other fields, from science and medicine to space, politics and civil rights to music and art. To it’s time to capture all sides of breaking new ground …
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What letters might form into songs?
From catchy hooks to deeper meanings revealed, a combination of letters can be a clever way to compose lyrics or a song title. Guest playlister ajostu unscrambles hundreds of suggestions from last week’s topic to superbly spell it all out
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Cat scan?
They’re a very common part of our language, but in lyrics or titles where are they consciously and creatively used? With meaning instantly recognisable or more cryptically unpacked, their sound might perhaps be used musically or to help create memorable lines or rhymes
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Ladysmith Black Mambazo
From Africa to Jamaica, punk, to soul to jazz and church choirs, the act of prayer in song covers many styles and gods, and sometimes isn’t even about religion. Guest playlister Severin picks a heavenly selection from last week’s theme
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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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