Jump to content

Musical Chairs


Redneck girl 01

Recommended Posts

So many "lonely" songs to choose from - anyone fancy a lonely theme?

When this song came out in 1980, many people in the UK misheard the lyrics and thought it was about the well-known BBC news/current affairs presenter Sue Lawley! It's still what I sing along :). It reminded me of the Family Guy/Sting parody. Incidentally, there's an Irish Police tribute band call 'The Gardai' (Irish for police).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a song that was 30 years old earlier this year. It made #12 in the UK charts back in 1982, and was a hit in Europe and Australia, but never released as a single in the US:

Wikipedia says this was the first "world music" hit, and that the singer, Sheila Chandra, was "the first Asian singer to appear on the BBC TV’s longstanding chart show Top Of The Pops". It's certainly an unusual, though very good, blend of Asian and Western music. Maybe the fact that few have tried to copy the style has left it still feeling fresh. A

(called 'So Lonely'), and still with Sheila's vocals, made #8 in the UK charts in 2000 (there are loads of remixes, but I went for the Afterlife Remix because that's the one I have on CD).
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not only is this song 28 years old; it's even 25 years since I bought the "best of" album. The song is from the soundtrack of 'Give My Regards to Broad Street'; a movie that I don't think I've ever seen. It's an arty video, so skip on to about 1:09 for the start of the song!

The guitar solo is played by Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, who apparently asked for his session fee to be donated to a charity of Paul McCartney's choosing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This track is slightly older at 29 years. Sorry for the boring video: I tried for the original video, but they were all terrible quality, as was the audio (even on the ones claiming HQ audio!).

The reason I like this thread is that not only do I get to hear songs I'm unfamiliar with (like that last track - thanks Capt.), but it also gives me an excuse to find out more about the songs that I'm posting. I knew this album, '90125', was the first to feature a new band line-up (which I know isn't popular with some Yes fans), and that the album's name comes from its catalogue number, not a zip code. What I didn't know was that new member Trevor Rabin recorded a demo version of the song back in 1980. The album's producer, Trevor Horn, heard the demo and had to convince the band to record it (after he'd rearranged and re-written it). The demo was eventually released by Rabin in 2003 on his cheekily titled album '90124'. It's quite different in places - check it out

.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's alright, I was down to my last few "lonely" songs. Thanks for reminding me of that Akon song, MaryAnne - it was all I could hear in my head as I listened to Bobby Vinton. At least I've managed to avoid accidentally acquiring it on a compilation!

There's a lot of "Mr" songs too. Here's a very funky instrumental from 1970.

Originally a B-side for a US group called Wind, this proved to be the only hit for UK band Mr. Bloe, despite a follow-up single containing two instrumentals written by Elton John (on which he also played piano). One of the first singles I bought was 'Our House' by Madness. I always liked the B-side,

, but only recently found out it was a slowed down parody of 'Groovin With Mr. Bloe'.

606px-Mr_bloe.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.