Blowin’ in the Wind
, , , , 0

Blowin’ in the Wind

Today’s song is Bob Dylan’s 1962 song Blowin’ In The Wind. It can be considered a protest song, but basically asks a series of rhetorical questions about war, peace and freedom, and stating that the answer to these questions is “blowin’ in the wind”. The random fact about today’s song is that in 1975 it was included as poetry in a Sri Lankan high school English textbook, but this caused controversy as the song replaced Shakespeare texts in a previous edition of the textbook!

If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my May songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/blowin-in-the-wind

Fragile
, , , , , , 0

Fragile

Today I’m playing a beautiful song by Sting which dates from 1987. Fragile appeared on the …Nothing Like The Sun album, and I actually first heard the Portuguese version of the song which was included on Sting’s EP Nada Come El Sol. The song is a tribute to an American civil engineer, Ben Linder, who was killed by Nicaraguan Contras in 1987 while working on a hydroelectric project.

If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my May songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/fragile

Nothing Ever Happens
, , , , , 0

Nothing Ever Happens

Today’s song is the 1989 song Nothing Ever Happens by Scottish band Del Amitri. It’s an anthem to the banality of everyday life and about how we’re mostly oblivious to the world around us: “the Martians could land in the car park and no-one would care”. This is my antidote to the cheesiness of the past few days’ Eurovision numbers!

If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my May songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/nothing-ever-happens

Rise Like A Phoenix
, , , , 0

Rise Like A Phoenix

Here’s the last of my Eurovision songs to celebrate the contest tonight in Vienna. The reason it’s taking place in Vienna is because last year, Conchita Wurst sang Rise Like A Phoenix as the Austrian entry and ended up winning the contest. I hope you’ve enjoyed my Eurovision-themed week. Normal service will resume tomorrow… 😉

If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my May songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/rise-like-a-phoenix

Makin’ Your Mind Up
, , , , , , 0

Makin’ Your Mind Up

It had to happen… Here’s the 1981 Eurovision winner from UK group Bucks Fizz. The contest was held in Dublin that year and Bucks Fizz beat Germany’s entry by only four points, but Making Your Mind Up has entered Eurovision history as a result. Random fact of the day: the famous “skirt rip” routine of this song was repeated by Mick Jagger and Tina Turner in the 1985 Live Aid concert.

If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my May songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/makin-your-mind-up/s-3uc1u

Save Your Kisses For Me
, , , , 0

Save Your Kisses For Me

Staying with our Eurovision theme, and staying in the 70s, today I’m playing Brotherhood of Man’s 1973 winning entry for the UK, Save Your Kisses For Me. The song became a number 1 hit across Europe, and eventually sold more than six million copies and still remains one of the best-selling singles ever in the UK. I hope you enjoy my version!

If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my May songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/save-your-kisses-for-me/s-Q7635

Tu Te Reconnaîtras
, , , , , 0

Tu Te Reconnaîtras

We’re going back a few years with this Eurovision classic: it’s Anne-Marie David’s winning song for Luxembourg in 1973. She recently performed this song at the 50 Years of Eurovision celebration concert and demonstrated that she’s still got it! Tu te reconnaîtras (meaning “You will recognise yourself”) was closely followed by Mocedades’ Eres Tú which also became a worldwide hit in 1973. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past.

If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my May songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/tu-te-reconna-tras/s-aA3D2

Haegt og Hljótt
, , , , , 0

Haegt og Hljótt

Another Nordic Eurovision tune today, but I think this must rank as possibly the most obscure song I’ve played in my 365 Songs collections! Haegt og Hljótt (translated as “Slowly and quietly”) was performed by Halla Margrét Árnadóttir as the Icelandic entry in the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest. I think this has a lovely melody and nice chord progression, so I’ve added it to my collection! And in case you were wondering, it finished 16th on the night that Johnny Logan won for the second time with Hold Me Now (which I played back in 2010 around this time!)

If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my May songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/haegt-og-hlj-tt/s-LHU1K

Only Teardrops
, , , , , , 0

Only Teardrops

Staying in Scandinavia for our second Eurovision-themed piano tune, and today I’m playing Emmelie de Forest’s Only Teardrops which won the contest for Denmark in 2013. The song went on to reach number 1 in Denmark, Finland, Greece and Sweden, and reached #15 in the UK charts. It apparently is the 7th most downloaded Eurovision song to date according to the Official Charts Company.

If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my May songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/only-teardrops/s-b0YBA

Nocturne / Fairytale
, , , , , 0

Nocturne / Fairytale

And Eurovision week has begun here on my 365 Songs! It’s only right that we begin with a Norwegian ‘mashup’ today as it’s the 17th May, Norwegian National Day and I’d like to send my beste hilsen til alle mine norske venner. Gratulerer med dagen, kjære venner, og jeg håper solen skinner for dere i dag! Very best wishes to my Norwegian friends today!

Back to today’s song. I’ve put together two of the most well-known Norwegian Eurovision entries for the first day of my Eurovision special: Nocturne by Secret Garden (which sounds arguably more Irish than Norwegian) which won in 1995, and Alexander Rybak’s Fairytale which won for Norway in 2009, just after midnight local time on the 17th May.

I hope you enjoy today’s song. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my May songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/nocturne-fairytale/s-EKZVH

«< 26 27 28 29 30 >»