Song 110 - Eleven songs for Terry Wogan

It seems that January 2016 is going to go down in history as the month where we were all shocked by the deaths of national treasures in Britain through cancer; first David Bowie, then Alan Rickman and now Terry Wogan. Having paid tribute to both David Bowie and Alan Rickman by putting songs in the jukebox, it seems only far for me to pay tribute to Terry Wogan in the same way. Although; not a singer in his own right; the influence he has had on music worldwide being a DJ for over 50 years makes it only fitting that the jukebox has music that reflect the world of Terry Wogan. Please note this is not an official list as you will probably tell if you read on.

I think it is only fair to start with Wogan's own single The Floral Dance, that was released in 1978 and reached number 21 in the UK Chart. The tune and words was originally written by Kate Emily Barkley Moss (1881-1947), who studied at the Royal Academy of Music and was a professional violinist, pianist and concert singer.  Written in 1911, the song tells the story of an incident that apparently actually happened to Moss herself on a visit to Helston during the springtime 'Furry Dance' celebrations and the song was reportedly written directly afterwards as she was going home on the train. The songbook cover states that the music was founded on an old Cornish air and I expect that she never imagined a man from Limerick to cover it 66 years later in only the way Wogan could.

Terry sings the floral Dance 

Unfortunately this didn't start a great career as a pop star but he would go on and record Christmas songs with Aled Jones in aid of Children in Need, the BBC charity for which Sir Terry was as much the image for as its logo the Pudsey the Bear. 

Since 1980, Wogan was the lead presenter of Children in Need and he hadn't missed a event until 2015. Since 1985, there have been charity singles to raise money for the charity and stars like Shane Ritchie, Girls Aloud, Spice and McFly have all recorded singles. Possible for me the most memorable single in aid of Children in Need was the versions of Perfect Day by Lou Reed they recorded in 1997. With a mixture of hit artists spanning both pop and classical, these covers are simple amazing and was definitely more commercially successful than the previous Children in Need single performed by Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer. To hear the  Perfect Day all three versions 

Perfect Day - various artist - Children in Need

Although I don't know what Terry Wogan's perfect day was; I know that for 16 years he was the choice of millions to wake up to on a week day morning before work. He started his 16 years on Radio 2 breakfast show in 1993 with Whitney Houston being number 1 in the chart with her cover of the Dolly Parton's hit I will always love you and ended it with Lady Gaga Bad Romance in the 2009. Due to the length of time Wogan was in control of the airwaves; he was credited with launching the career of Katie Melua and helping bring Eva Cassidy's music to the UK.  

Whitney Houston's I will always love you

Dolly Parton's I will always love you

Katie Melua's The closest thing to crazy

Eva Cassidy's Songbird

Lady Gaga's Bad Romance

Although it seems really strange to put Lady Gaga beside Eva Cassidy, perhaps it is a nod to another Wogan's successes in his professional career which was his presenting of the Eurovision Song Contest for over 40 years. In the 1970s, his presenting of the competition took place on radio; but from 1980 to 2008, he was the face and voice of the competition; and his quick wit and rather honest opinion of some of the acts meant he was the extra guest on all of our Eurovision parties throughout the years. In his time presenting; the UK only won the event twice; Buzz Fizz in 1981, with Making your mind up and Katrina and the Waves in 1997, with Love shines a light. 

Buck Fizz at Eurovision with Making your mind up

Katrina and the waves with Love shines a light

However, Ireland, Wogan's place of birth won the contest  six times in the time he was presenting it (seven times in total) and  won it three years in a row (1992,1993,1994). Ireland is the most successful country in Eurovision and is the only country who had the same artist win the contest twice with different songs:

Johnny Logan's Hold me now, winner of Eurovision in 1987

My last track today is a version of Danny Boy played on guitar by Eric Clapton. An irish classic going out in memory to an Irish Icon of TV and radio. RIP Terry Wogan. 

Eric Clapton plays Danny Boy

Song 108 - X&Y by Coldplay

This album to me is the album I wrote my second novel to and although I know not everyone is a Coldplay fan, to me they are part of my life's soundtrack.  Interestingly enough this album, which was their third studio album ,was released the day before my 28th birthday on June 6 2005 and I used to walk around Edinburgh blaring it out on my iPod, lost in a world of the book I was writing.

The album cover is a combination of colours and blocks, which is a representation of the Baudot code, which was the predecessor to the International Telegraph Alphabet.


My love of Coldplay dates right back to their first album, Parachutes, and they are one of those bands where the name is enough for me to purchase their music. I think the jukebox already has a few Coldplay songs in and I think with this album, every  has means something to me and belong to the world of my book's characters. All of the characters spend much of my novel looking at their own demons and taking chances on trying to break away from their supposed portrait they give to the world.

The second verse in the second track of  the album, What If, contains the lyrics Every step that you take, could be your biggest mistake, It could bend or it could break, that's the risk you take." Those lyrics hit me  as life is about taking risks; especially as a writer, because you are letting others inside your head and it can be a very personal place to invite people into.  I don't know some may say that I am still hiding as a writer as I haven't as yet published my novel!

Anyway enough about me - here's the breakdown of tracks

1. Square One -  Not released as a hit, Square One for me is about looking to the future and taking the chance to be discovered. From a writing point of view it talks about the first to the last page, which makes sense; although I tend to write as I feel it and then decide the order.

Square One

2. What If - this just hits you for all the reason above - it is a beautiful melody with a very clear opening of Martin and his piano playing. Sometimes I think this is a love song and other times it could be anyone questioning their place in the world.

What if

3. White Shadows - Throughout this album, there is a computer generated sound that hadn't been present in early album. Coldplay cited being influences by 1970 pop and artist like Brian Uno and David Bowie. Uno played the synthesizers on this track; however it is reported that David Bowie turned down the opportunity to work with Coldplay as he wasn't happy with the material offered to him.

White Shadows

4. Fix You  - a song which is sad and uplifting at the same time. It is probably one of Coldplay's best known tracks because the lyrics express emotions everyone can understand and relate to when they watch people they love go through heartbreak.  A funny story for me was I went to see Coldplay in September 2009 at Hampton park and I recorded them singing this song as it is one of my favourite songs, but unfortunately all you can hear is me trying to sing along with the track too. It is very funny but very hidden from public consumption.

Fix You

5. Talk - Bringing the temp back up and using the main riff (with permission) from Kraftwek, a German electronic music band from its song  Computer Love, the track was meant to be first single from the album but when they were all a bit spooked at the thought of release so they scraped the idea and the song nearly got forgotten about. The song was eventually as a single in December 2015.

Talk

Again going back to my own writing; they talk about a missing jigsaw piece which again spoke to me as my first attempt at writing a book was named that. It was a piece of writing that really should stay unread as it is mainly my attempt to try and make sense of losing my mum at 16. However, the interesting thing is that there is a bit character in this story; which is my main character in the book I am busy working on.

6. Speed of Sound - the lead single off the album built around a piano riff and influenced by Kate Bush's Running up that hill, it reached number 2 in the British Chart and was named as Best Single at the 2006 Brit Awards.

Speed of Sound

7. A message - If you have never heard this song, please listen to it as it is a lovely track about being there for someone and the point that you don't have to be alone.

A Message

8. Low - not a lot to say about this one. Good tune though.

Low live @ Glastonbury

9. The Hardest Part - This is a piano-based ballad song, it begins with a piano melody, followed with electric guitar lines that accompanies slow-tempo. Released as the fourth single from the album, its lyrics appeal to my characters and me about letting go. Sometimes as a writer you need to let go of the prose that circles your head night after night. I am telling you writing a novel is like having a whole world inside of you that is as vivid and bright as the real world.

The Hardest Part

10. Swallowed in the sea - Another love song with clever lyrics. I like the idea of vastness of the sea and the idea of being moulded throughout the look. I think, when I look back on the initial writing phase - I was lost in my sea of worlds and I had friends who lucky kept me going and bringing me back into reality.

Swallowed in the sea

11. Twisted Logic  - again not a lot more to say than what I've said already. This just describes my method of writing.

Twisted Logic


12. Till Kingdom comes  - this was the hidden track on the CD and was originally meant to be a duet between Johnny Cash and Chris Martin, but unfortunately Cash died before this could happen. This is another great tune that is very upbeat.

Till Kingdom Comes

Some say that X&Y wasn't as critically pleasing as the first two album, however, this album had by 20131 sold over 13 million copies. Now if I can ever get my book published and sell over 13 million copies I won't be complaining. I had forgotten how linked this album is to my writing and perhaps I need to go back on the walks around Edinburgh listing to this so I can achieve my dream of being a published author.

Written by: Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, Will Champion
Album: X&Y
Released: 2005

Song 93 - Space Oddity David Bowie

With the first introduction of the character Major Tom, a fictional astronaut, Space Oddity was released in 1969, five days before the Apollo 11 mission launched and 10 days before they would walk in the moon. Putting the cultural reference of the space race against Bowie's music, it makes sense why Bowie's lyrics throughout his career played around with the themes of space. I mean who doesn't look up in the sky and wonder what lies between the stars.

When it was first release in 1969, it reached number 5 in the UK chart and went on to win the Ivor Novella award in the same year. In 1975, Space Oddity was re-released and reached number 1 in the UK chart, which was his first single to hit the top of the charts. The character Major Tom appears again in the singles Ashes to Ashes, Hello Spaceboy and Blackstar. 

Taken from the album David Bowie, it became the first pop-video transmitted from space when astronaut Chris Hadfield performed the song from the international space station in 2013.

To hear Major Tom's first outing
David Bowie - Space Oddity

Written by David Bowie
Album - David Bowie, 1969

Song 90 - Life on Mars? by David Bowie

Waking up today was like any other normal Monday morning until after the third snooze on the alarm, I caught the end of a news bulletin announcing the death of David Bowie. Bowie is an icon of world music and listening to the reports, you realised how much of his music has always been in the background. This week, the jukebox will be celebrating the life and works of David Bowie, along with the rest of the world.

I'm starting with Life on Mars? which was on Bowie's 1971 album Hunky Dory.   In 1968, Bowie wrote lyrics set to music of a 1967 French Song Comme d'habitude, called Even a Fool Learns to Love. Bowie never released this and the rights to the original French tune was bought by Paul Anka who together with Frank Sinatra turned it into his hit My Way. Bowie seeing the success of the Anka version was prompted to write Life on Mars? as a parody of Sinatra's recording. Bowie told the Daily Telegraph in 1988 how he had written the song; "Workspace was a big empty room with a chaise longue; a bargain-price art screen; a huge overflowing freestanding ashtray and a grand piano. Little else. I stated working it out on the piano and had the whole lyric and melody finished by late afternoon."

The song was released in 1973 reaching number 3 and remaining in the chart for 13 weeks.
When playing it on tour in 1989, Bowie describe Life on Mars? as a love song and due to its lyrics Life on Mars! is often described as Salvador Dali painting.

For me, the song makes me think of myself as a little girl looking up at the sky and thinking about space travel. I am still very much attracted to the idea of space and I would put my writing career down to one story about an alien discovering my village for the first time. My alien was from Pluto; not Mars but I don't think there has been a pop song about Pluto. Also, there are a number of Bowie songs that talk about space including Space Oddity.

I think what the world of music has lost today is an entrepreneur of music; who was able to keep inventing himself and his craft. He was also a pioneer of music.  His love for music and how he approached change is unlikely to be seen again. Whilst we will all be mourning his lost, my thoughts go out to his family and friends on this sad day.

To watch and enjoy Life on Mars?
Life on Mars? David Bowie

Written by: David Bowie
Album: Hunky Dory, 1971.
Released as a single: 1973