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Life of a Song

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  • Monday, 23 May, 2022
    Music
    Never Gonna Give You Up — how Rick Astley’s 1987 hit became a global meme

    ‘The song has been good to me,’ says the singer of the track that gave rise to ‘Rickrolling’

  • Monday, 16 May, 2022
    Music
    I Don’t Know Why — where did Stevie Wonder’s howl of teenage angst come from?

    The singer’s 1969 track, at odds with his optimistic output, led to some remarkable cover versions

  • Monday, 9 May, 2022
    Music
    Blitzkrieg Bop — how the Ramones’ big, dumb chant went global

    One of the earliest punk tracks, the 1976 song has become a favourite in sporting arenas

  • Monday, 2 May, 2022
    Music
    Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) — how a drum machine helped create Eurythmics’ biggest hit

    The duo were experimenting with electronica when they came up with the 1983 track’s distinctive rhythm and synth riff

  • Monday, 25 April, 2022
    Music
    Ballad in Plain D — the song Bob Dylan wished he had never written

    The singer effectively disowned his 1964 account of a turbulent night in New York

  • Monday, 18 April, 2022
    Music
    San Francisco — Maxime le Forestier’s 1972 song became an anthem in France

    The singer set down his memories of the city in a track that has since been adapted for new audiences

  • Monday, 11 April, 2022
    Music
    Crossroads — Robert Johnson’s song lies at the heart of a darkly seductive myth

    The track that helped foster the ‘deal with the devil’ story was transformed by Cream in 1968

  • Monday, 4 April, 2022
    Music
    Beeswing — Richard Thompson’s song was inspired by two very free spirits

    The singer’s 1994 ballad — one of the highlights of his songbook — has sparked some fascinating cover versions

  • Monday, 28 March, 2022
    Music
    The Guns of Brixton — The Clash’s track was inspired by Jimmy Cliff in The Harder They Come

    The punk group’s bassist Paul Simonon wrote this sneer of defiance after seeing the classic Jamaican gangster movie

  • Monday, 21 March, 2022
    Music
    Barbie Girl — a novelty hit with a subversive twist

    Aqua’s 1997 bubblegum track sparked widespread loathing and a court case

  • Monday, 14 March, 2022
    Music
    Where Have All the Flowers Gone? — an anti-war song with roots in the Don valley

    Pete Seeger used an old Cossack lullaby to craft a powerful lament for dead soldiers and those they leave behind

  • Monday, 7 March, 2022
    Music
    Punk Prayer — Pussy Riot’s howl of outrage reverberates a decade on

    Members of the Russian collective continue to protest against Vladimir Putin’s regime

  • Monday, 28 February, 2022
    Music
    It’s My Life — Talk Talk’s 1984 song found success by stealth

    Derided by critics on its release, the track slowly achieved chart status and recognition

  • Monday, 21 February, 2022
    Music
    Carrickfergus — a plaintive Irish ballad with a mystery at its heart

    The song was popularised by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, but two hellraising actors were instrumental in its revival

  • Monday, 14 February, 2022
    Music
    Flowers — Sweet Female Attitude’s UK garage track became a perennial classic

    A dancefloor hit in 2000, the song has its roots in the work of a 19th-century composer

  • Monday, 7 February, 2022
    Music
    Trans-Europe Express — Kraftwerk’s train-inspired track travelled far and wide

    The group’s hugely influential 1977 song gained traction when it was picked up by DJs and clubbers in the US

  • Monday, 31 January, 2022
    Music
    Save the Last Dance for Me — a poignant story lies behind this 1960 hit

    The Drifters were the first to record a song written from the heart by Doc Pomus

  • Monday, 24 January, 2022
    Music
    You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me — Dusty Springfield’s 1966 hit is rich in drama and history

    From its origins in an Italian song contest, the track went on to be covered hundreds of times

  • Monday, 17 January, 2022
    Music
    Little Boxes — Malvina Reynolds’ 1962 song captured the mood of the times

    The activist and folk singer’s protest against consumerism and suburban malaise became a hit, but she remained obscure

  • Monday, 10 January, 2022
    Music
    Come Together — how The Beatles’ song became one of their most streamed tracks

    The opener from Abbey Road went on to penetrate the heartlands of American rock

  • Monday, 3 January, 2022
    Music
    At Last I Am Free — Chic’s track revealed the cracked soul of disco

    The 1978 song was a departure for the band, and spawned some intriguing covers

  • Monday, 27 December, 2021
    Music
    What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? — a widely misunderstood invitation

    Frank Loesser was irked by singers who didn’t ‘get’ his 1947 song

  • Monday, 20 December, 2021
    Music
    Coventry Carol — the darkest of all Christmas songs has deep roots

    This mothers’ lament originated in a medieval mystery play

  • Monday, 13 December, 2021
    Music
    Baby, It’s Cold Outside — the duet that fell out of favour

    Frank Loesser’s song seems uncomfortable in the age of #MeToo, though its defenders point to its origins and context

  • Monday, 6 December, 2021
    Music
    These Foolish Things — whose lipstick traces are on the cigarette?

    Mystery surrounds the identity of the woman at the heart of lyricist Eric Maschwitz’s wistful list

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