Song 175 - Mad World by Gary Jules

There is not a lot to be said about this song choice but the words President Elect Donald Trump. 2016 has been a year of situations where we have said it will never happen only to watch our world change overnight.

Orginally written by the British Pop Band Tears for Fears, the song first charted in the UK in 1982, when it reached no. 3 in the UK Chart. Being 5 at the time, I don't really remember the original version but I fell in love with the song when it was covered by Gary Jules in the film Donnie Darko in 2001. This version reached number one and would earn Roland Orzabal his second Ivor Novella Award in 2003.

The lyrics and melody of this song are beautiful and I think describes our world perfectly today 

Mad World by Gary Jules

Song 109 - Another Love - Tom Odell

Sometimes when you you are battering down the treadmill; you find exercise motivation coming from an unlikely tune. Earlier this week, I found myself listening to Another Love by Tom Odell and actually speeding up. Not that I mind as this is a beautiful song and has been one of my most played over the last couple of years.

I think it is my good friend the piano that makes me drawn to this song and the building crescendo in the melody coupled with Odell's haunting beautiful voice makes it a modern classic (for me anyway). The sound was used by BBC programming in 2013 so it became very familiar, very quickly. But even with regular playing, there is nothing that can  dilute this song's beauty.

Odell was discovered by Lilly Allen, who is head of the record label In the name of, which is part of Columbia Records in 2012 and with his advance on his album deal, he bought an old green mini cooper. In October the same year, he released his debut extended play, Songs from Another Love which lead to a television debut on Later with Jools Holland. In 2013, he won the BRITs' Critics Choice Award, following artists like Adele and Florence and the Machine. The album would be released in June 2013 and would become a number 1 album in the UK. Although he missed out on being the BBC Sound of 2013, he would be named as Songwriter of the year by Ivor Novella by the end of 2013.

So much so soon, it makes me excited to think about the possible delights that might be  coming our way in the future.

To hear Another Love
Another Love by Tom Odell


Written by Tom Odell
Album: Long Way Down
Released: 2013

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