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Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci
‘The heart’s a muscle. I pull it constantly’. Stretching not only the body, but also the mind and musical boundaries, these week’s playlists, expertly exercised by guest TatankaYotanka, help find parts we didn’t even know we had
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Stretch out in the spirit of the 80s
This could be a fine body of work. Everything from stiffness to full fluidity of exercise – bending, flexing, twisting, stretching, it’s time limber up and pick up on songs that capture corporeal movement in any context
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We’re normal … The Bonzos
Regular? Standard? Stereotype? Average? Typical? Natural? What does normal mean, and how might it be explored in song lyrics? From people to behaviour, families to jobs to towns, and any other context, it’s all a matter of perspective
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To the cosmos and beyond …
Has it ever occurred to you that …. life, the universe and everything could be captured in playlists? This question is answered perfectly by guest ajostu, who picks some profound revelations inspired by last week’s nominations
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Right place at the right time come into focus …
Moments of realisation? From scientific to practical, physical, emotional, philosophical or spiritual, expressed in one lyrical line, one musical rush, or building slowly, and then suddenly and unexpectedly coming into focus in song
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Special siblings: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell
Jazz to hip hop, classical, pop, folk and a whole spectrum of other music from around the world, this week guest playlister Nilpferd picks out some of the finest pairings in music where two individuals are greater together than apart
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The Go-Betweens
There’s no denying it - this is a subject that is attached to every part of our lives, private and public, and from many nominations, guest playlister AmyLee picks amazing all-encompassing selections to uncover the musical truth
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Monkey business: once wise, now denies …
Politics, climate change, racism, health or personal relationships, all this and more can can come under the umbrella of denial, and in song lyrics it’s a potent area for nuance, irony, emotion, and things that bite back
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Hold on to your headdresses – it’s Heilung
The Halloween runes and the rituals rise up with plenty of antlers and feminine power as guest guru DJ Bear aka PopOff! throws many potent ingredients into the musical cauldron and comes out with playlists that are really cooking
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Correspondence captures time, place, culture and emotions …
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 …
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Class reflections: Mighty Mo Rodgers
It’s a life of ups and downs, hopes and dreams. From financial ambition to border immigration, breaking the rules to criticising status quo fools, this week’s playlists, picked from a big crowd of nominations by guest Suzi, are truly classy
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Class act: John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett in 1966
On the move or stuck in one place? Class snobbery to pride, social control to aspiration, it’s a hugely potent part of human life, something that never seems to disappear in stories, situations, and above all the feelings it generates
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Kate and Anna McGarrigle sing about baby Rufus …
Planned, unplanned, loved or otherwise, they bring intense emotions and also in songs and stories about them. From conception parenting, guest playlister George Boyland delivers the full package from a vast number of nominations
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Float your ideas, and nevermind the cost. From the Nirvana album …
For crying out loud. This week’s topic is all about those beautiful and cute bundles of joy that we all once were, miracles of wide-eyed wonder as well as guzzling, selfish, exhausting, sleep-sapping, puking bags of expensive energy extraction
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Malcolm Tucker, insulter in chief, from The Thick Of It
Look sharp! This week we’re adjusting our tone with lyrics that really sharpen the spear, but capture the full spectrum from light, friendly jibe, gentle put-down, discourtesy, invective to scornful verbal attack in killer lines to whole songs
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This week’s lists will leave you beaming
As the days grow shorter, and especially for those who live in the further northern hemisphere and Nordic countries, guest DiscoMonster chooses lists from last week’s topic to more than brighten your day, brain, and mood
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Frank Sidebottom, aka Chris Sievey
From Ancient Greeks to pop personas, they are a fascinating indication of what it is to be human – wearing them, looking at them, putting on or removing, and what they do to the self - projecting, hiding or expressing. Here’s some inspiration …
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Go towards the light. Inside James Turrell’s Roden Crater
This week is all about transition, contrast, and comparison. Less what’s always bright, such as stars or shiny objects, more the changeable things perceived through the prism of song – from places to people, seasons, atmosphere, moods and emotions
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Leading actors, but is the evening leading them? Thompson and Hopkins in The Remains of The Day (1993)
As dusk falls, and the day changes clothing, there’s something about the light fade and mood. This week we are all about the evening, after work, and songs that mark that time in emotions, activities, sights and sounds
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Soweto Gospel Choir
If ever a music genre brought people together, this is it. Sublime selections in a heartfelt tribute by guest playlister magicman from mass nominations spanning South Africa to Russia, America to India, France, Wales and well beyond
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