29 November 2012 Let's start with the happy ending and the most important thing here. Lily-Mae Morrison, the four-year-old beneficiary of this charity single, made a full recovery from the aggressive neuroblastoma cancer that required her to travel to America for the expensive trial treatment that necessitated this fundraising drive. Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' had … Continue reading Various Artists – ‘Tiny Dancer – A Song For Lily-Mae’
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Labrinth ft. Emeli Sandé – ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’
25 October 2012 We're Backing Brave! Let's Make Possible! Just like your favourite 'inspirational' marketing slogans that used random adjectives as nouns, here's the title of Labrinth and Emeli's chart-topping 2012 collab. The minor-key strings and piano stir plenty of maudlin heartache in with the personal development stuff - plus we get a big ol' … Continue reading Labrinth ft. Emeli Sandé – ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’
Don Partridge – ‘Blue Eyes’
13 July 1968 Okay, I get the whole '60s Dylan-acoustic-folk scene. And despite his '50s teddy-boy look, English folkie Don Partridge on the sleeve of 'Blue Eyes' (above) cuts a suave figure. But this is rubbish. 'King of the Buskers' - that was Don, and you can also see on the cover that he's got … Continue reading Don Partridge – ‘Blue Eyes’
Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – ‘Sweet Nothing’
18 October 2012 Aside from words like 'austerity' and 'bailout', is there anything that could sound more early-'10s than Calvin Harris and Florence Welch on the same track? 'Sweet Nothing' combines their signature styles: his electro-pop production; her soaring choruses. If you know, you know. Alas, the Calvin Harris sound and the Florence sound that … Continue reading Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – ‘Sweet Nothing’
Bobby Goldsboro – ‘Honey’
15 June 1968 For years I thought 'Honey' was meant to be a comedy song. This was because I first heard it as performed by a theatrical troupe who, for reasons not clear to us, played at our secondary school one random midweek morning. The singer threw to us with gurning reaction faces at certain … Continue reading Bobby Goldsboro – ‘Honey’
Adele – ‘Skyfall’
11 October 2012 The archetypal James Bond title song has Shirley Bassey, or her most available equivalent, bellowing along to the strains of a buttoned-up orchestra. However, sometimes the franchise dips its toe into the bubble-bath of contemporary chart sounds - with mixed results. Duran Duran's hi-octane 'A View To A Kill' and Lulu's brassy … Continue reading Adele – ‘Skyfall’
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap – ‘Young Girl’
1 June 1968 Well now. I know this song because it was still being played regularly on the radio when I was as young as the title subject. Today it has over 41 million plays on Spotify, so it clearly still has a user group. Maybe it's being listened to by older folk who bopped … Continue reading Gary Puckett & The Union Gap – ‘Young Girl’
One Direction – ‘Live While We’re Young’
4 October 2012 One Direction's 'Live While We're Young' is the track that kept 'Gangnam Style' off the Irish number one spot. Justice dispensed or justice denied? While K-pop would have been a welcome addition to our story of Ireland's chart-toppers, I must admit my slight relief at not needing to engage with the global … Continue reading One Direction – ‘Live While We’re Young’
The Script ft. Will.i.am – ‘Hall Of Fame’
6 September 2012 What motivational memes and inspirational quotes drove The Script and Will.i.am while making 'Hall Of Fame', do you reckon? An Insta post that says "Keep It Stupid, Simple"? A coffee mug with "Same Shit, Different Day" on it? That '70s poster of a tennis player scratching their arse, with the slogan "Yerra, … Continue reading The Script ft. Will.i.am – ‘Hall Of Fame’
Engelbert Humperdinck – ‘A Man Without Love’
18 May 1968 Continuing the turbulent social upheaval of May 1968: here's Engelbert with tear gas for the ears. Originally an Italian song called 'Quando m'innamoro' from that year's Sanremo festival, it ended up being recorded in at least ten other European languages; 'A Man Without Love' is repping the language of Shakespeare and Shakin' … Continue reading Engelbert Humperdinck – ‘A Man Without Love’
