Podcast Episodes

We Are Family

We Are Family written by Nile Rodgers and performed by the Sledge Sisters Kathy, Kim, Debbie and Joni was released in 1978 at the height of disco's p…

6 years, 8 months ago

The Boxer - Simon & Garfunkel

'The Boxer' is Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel's 1969 masterpiece.

People who have a deep personal connection with the song and its lyrics, discuss what …

6 years, 9 months ago

Farewell to Stromness

Personal stories about Farewell to Stromness, by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.

Written in 1980 as a protest against uranium mining in Orkney, the music …

7 years, 1 month ago

Wind of Change

“I follow the Moskva, down to Gorky Park… listening to the wind of change.”

The German rock band Scorpions’ lead singer Klaus Meine was inspired to wr…

7 years, 1 month ago

Streets of London by Ralph McTell

Ralph McTell and others discuss a song that was written for a heroin addict, became an anthem against homelessness, and transcended the folk genre to…

7 years, 1 month ago

Back to Black

Amy Winehouse died in July 2011 aged just 27.

'Back to Black' - the title track of her second and final album - is a torch song to tragic love, addic…

7 years, 2 months ago

Let the River Run

The story of how a song from a classic 1980’s movie became an inspirational anthem for a 21st Century generation.

Carly Simon’s ‘Let the River Run’ wa…

7 years, 7 months ago

Smile

Charlie Chaplin wrote the music for 'Smile' in 1935 for the film 'Modern Times', but the lyrics were only added nearly 30 years later.

Chris Philips …

7 years, 7 months ago

Schubert’s B-Flat Piano Sonata D960

The B-Flat Piano Sonata D960, which Schubert completed two months before his death, in 1828, is a vast and complex work.

It’s the last of a triptych …

7 years, 8 months ago

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Shine On You Crazy Diamond discussed by voices, including David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.

Understood to have been written about Syd Barrett, their former…

7 years, 8 months ago