Blog Archives
FlinterFile: Herman Finkers & Brigitte Kaandorp- Duet
In 1990 the cabaret performers Herman Finkers and Brigitte Kaandorp recorded a duet. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Firefall- You Are The Woman
What if your debut single becomes your biggest hit? Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: The Four Tops- So Deep Within You
The Moody Blues released their single Never Comes the Day in 1969. Read the rest of this entry
Song of the day: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark- Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Joan Of Arc)
The band Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) didn’t really sing normal love songs. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Sonny & Cher- Little Man
In 1966, Sonny & Cher had their biggest hit in the UK after I Got You Babe (1965). Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: The Beautiful South- A Little Time
In 1990, the Beautiful South had their first number 1 hit in the UK. They were formed by several members of the Housemartins, together with several other people and their old roadie. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Tanita Tikaram- Good Tradition
In 1988, Tanita Tikaram released her debut album. There were two big hits on the album, Twist In My Sobriety and Good Tradition. Tanita was only 18 years old when writing and recording the songs. Its lyrics are about a family, which runs on two extremes: love and hate. Good Tradition was her debut single, but Twist In My Sobriety had the honour of charting first. The song was a number 10 hit in the UK. Enjoy
Tanita Tikaram- Good Tradition
FlinterFile: Icehouse- Crazy
In 1987, the Australian band Icehouse had a big hit in the US. The band once started as Flowers, playing covers of songs by for example David Bowie, T.Rex and Lou Reed. After hitting the charts in 1980, they signed up at Chrysalis, which meant they had to change their name. The song Crazy was written by Iva Davies and Andy Qunta for the album Man of Colours. The song is about a man who thinks it is crazy if a woman loves a man like himself. It was number 38 in the UK, and number 14 in the US. Enjoy
Icehouse- Crazy
Song of the day: The Knack- My Sharona
In 1979, the singer of the Knack, Doug Fieger, was madly in love with a girl called Sharona. There was an age difference, he had a relationship, she had a boyfriend, but Doug did not think about giving up: he broke with his girlfriend, and started dating Sharona. She did not break up, which gave a strange situation. Doug even started to write songs about her. The biggest hit of those songs, My Sharona, charted at number 1 in the US and number 6 in the UK. Enjoy
The Knack- My Sharona
Song of the day: Amy MacDonald- Mr Rock & Roll
In 2007, Amy MacDonald made her debute. The first song from the album This Is The Life, Mr. Rock & Roll, was the first full single from the album. The song is about being yourself, in the song presented by two people who fit together, but as a result of not being themselves, they pass each other. In the UK, the song made it to number 12.
Amy MacDonald- Mr Rock & Roll
Song of the day: John Mayer- Daughters
In 2003, John Mayer released one of his biggest successes. The song Daughters is about fathers, who have to raise their daughters with a lot of love, as this will make it easier for them to have a relationship with a man. John Mayer himself had a difficult relationship, hence the song. In the US it charted as number 19. Enjoy
John Mayer- Daughters
Song of the day: Bruce Springsteen- Born To Run
In 1975, Bruce Springsteen released his final attempt to have a hit. After two albums with little success, he took one more try. With Born To Run, he wrote a sort of love letter from a man with a passion for a girl, Wendy, but doesn’t have the patience to wait on her. Allan Clarke, a member of The Hollies, made the first recording of the song. However, the release was delayed, causing it to appear after the version of Bruce Springsteen. The song only hit the charts in the US, on place 23. Enjoy
Bruce Springsteen- Born To Run
Song of the day: Spandau Ballet- Through The Barricades
In 1986, Spandau Ballet released Through The Barricades. The title track and single of the album became a hit, charting in the UK at number 6. The song describes an almost impossible love story between a Catholic and a Protestant in Ireland, where it was written. The ending however is not clear, since it could refer to suicide or just the end of the relation (in the lines “Hearts go to their graves”). Enjoy
Spandau Ballet- Through The Barricades
Song of the day: Blue Oyster Cult- Don’t Fear The Reaper
The rock band Blue Öyster Cult is a rock band which is a little forgotten… they had a big hit in 1976, written and sung by the guitarist of the band. The music is built around the guitar riff and the text was about love and death (which is inevitable, that’s the idea). Main idea: don’t fear death, since we all will die in the end… These things combined in the song made it go to number 12 in the US and number 16 in the UK. Enjoy
Blue Öyster Cult- (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
Song of the day: The Fifth Dimension- Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In
Back in the sixties, there was a very popular musical: Hair. The Fifth Dimension took two songs from the musical and made a medley out of it. The musical was made in 1967, but this medley appeared two years later, in 1969. It would be a number one hit in the US, staying for six weeks at the highest position! Aquarius is actually the era of love and happiness, which we would enter in the sixties… now they think it will happen after 2062… enjoy
The 5th Dimension- Aquarius/ Let The Sunshine In
Song of the day: Dawn featuring Tony Orlando- Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree
A seventies hit today, and a big one! Both in the UK and the US it was number one for four weeks, and for ten weeks in New Zealand! The content is real love: a prisoner which wants to know if his love will still love him after his sentence, asks his love to tie a yellow ribbon around the oak tree in front of their house, comes home and sees a hundred of those ribbons… It certainly made a yellow ribbon have a meaning in the seventies. Enjoy
Dawn featuring Tony Orlando- Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree
Song of the day: The Stranglers- Golden Brown
A strange kind of eighties song today. The release was around the change of the year, so in the US it’s a 1981 single and in the UK it’s a 1982 single. In the UK, it went to number 2 in the chart, causing the single to be the Stranglers highest charted single. I won’t have a go on explaining where the song is about, since there has been a lot of discussion on this topic. Most accepted is that the song can be heard as a song about a girl, but also as a song about heroin. Enough song analysis, just listen to it. A wonderful song with a great intro. Enjoy
The Stranglers- Golden Brown
Song of the day: Melee- Built To Last
A very recent song today, from 2007. And just take a look at the artwork! Isn’t it beautiful? And the song is good, too, although it seemed to have stuck in several charts below the 30. Only in the Netherlands it came to a place 14, what’s too low for me. Just listen to the song, discover the beauty in it. Only the intro is enough to become a fan of this song, and the rest is as good, if not better, than that. The video is good, too (can you find all the movies?). Enjoy
Mêlée- Built To Last
Song of the day: Katie Melua- Nine Million Bicycles
This really is a song which sends shivers down your spine, just because the tone of the song is like that. And her voice is beautiful. Then you may ask yourself where this idea came from. Simple: whilst touring through China, a guide in Beijing told that there were 9 million bicycles in the city. Every verse starts with a fact, then doing something with it (either conforming or doubting), concluding that she loves her love. Just listen to it:
Katie Melua- Nine Million Bicycles
Song of the day: Gino Vannelli- Wild Horses
The same year as the song of yesterday, 1987. To me, this is his most known song, but he seems to have had other, bigger hits. I never heard them. This song I’ve heard, otherwise I couldn’t write about it. And it’s about love, mad love, I would call it. Strong, because it would take lots of wild horses to drag Gino away from a girl. But it’s a great song. Just listen to the music: you can hear the horses running, you can feel the arizona plain. And then the keyboard, adding a special touch to the song. Great! Enjoy
Gino Vannelli- Wild Horses
Song of the day: Belinda Carlisle- Heaven Is A Place On Earth
A real good song and hit from the eighties today! She seems to be a lead singer of some group, but I’ve never heard of that group before. However, I do know this song. It’s a beautiful song about the one thing all singers eventually make a song about… love. In this song, heaven is a metaphor for love, and they want to create a world of love on earth between the two. A great idea! Enjoy
Belinda Carlisle- Heaven Is A Place On Earth
Song of the day: John Paul Young- Love Is In The Air
A seventies hit which sounds very good in the spring time. And it is spring time, and he is right. Love is in the air, I can see it everywhere. On school, it seems as if Cupido has come and couples persons, because everyone seems to be in love these days. To everyone who is in love, but mostly for the ones who are not yet in love: Enjoy
John Paul Young- Love Is In The Air
Song of the day: Carly Simon- You’re So Vain
Today we will continue our journey through time in 1973! We have a very ironic song on this day of love, which absolutely is NOT about love! (Sort of anti-movement here). And believe me, I would have loved to tell you about who this song is. But I don’t know. No-one knows. Everyone speculates, but Carly keeps her mouth shut. We can guess, but we can’t be sure. So therefore, enjoy
Carly Simon- You’re So Vain
P.S. The song was released in 1972, but it became a big hit in 1973. And enjoy your Valentine’s Day!
Song of the day: Ten Sharp- You
If there’s an intro which is certainly good, it must be this intro. Just a simple piano playing, which goes on, and it’s very intimate. You hear the drum coming through, and then the whole song bursts out in the refrain! Lovely! And I can’t think of a better song which celebrates someone. You may have noticed I’m a big fan of the song, so enjoy:
Ten Sharp- You
Song of the day: Katrina & the Waves- Walking On Sunshine
This is probably my favourite summer hit all time. It always was since I know it, and it still is. And it’s also such a nice story: someone waiting for mail from the lover, because he’s coming! Love is beautiful, isn’t it? It was a big summer hit, and as far as I know they had one other hit, with a song they played during the Eurovision Song Contest: Love Shine A Light.
However, this was one of the biggest hits they had, and it’s not strange it was. Enjoy the real summer with
Katrina & The Waves- Walking On Sunshine
Song of the day: Juanes- La Camisa Negra
There’s a very nice game which I sometimes play: search for a songtext, put it in Google-translate and then translate it (in my case to Dutch) and then play it. Of course it sometimes sounds stupid, but it is difficult to find out which song it is! This one was very difficult to guess, and I didn’t succeed… but it gave another view on the song. It sounds so happy, but it isn’t…
It is a song about someone who was in love with someone else, but this other person was never really interested. It was all a lie, and that’s why he’s wearing a black shirt.
I hope that I understood it correctly, because Google-translate is not always reliable…
It sounds happy, but it isn’t:
Juanes- La Camisa Negra
(If you speak Spanish, maybe you can react if I understood it correctly???)
Song of the day: Eros Ramazotti- Ma Che Bello Questo Amore
The album Eros by Eros Ramazotti. Some big hits on there, like Cose Della Vita (together with Tina Turner), Musica É (with Andrea Bocelli), but the song of the day is another big hit.
Of course it’s Italian, and mostly Italian = sun! Hot temperatures! Summer! Happy! etc.
This song sounds sunny, happy, and summerlike: it’s Ma Che Bello Questo Amore. I’ve no idea what it means (something like I question love?), but it sounds good.
And vote for the Summer Song of the Day Top 20! You can vote by clicking on the sun >>>>
Song of the day: Level 42- Lessons In Love
Hello there,
Today some lessons. And not in the usual subjects like maths and grammar, but in something else…
Maybe one of the most important things in life…
Love.
It’s Level 42 with Lessons In Love.
I think it’s a very good song!
Don’t forget to vote for the Song of the day Top 50!
Song of the day: Roger Glover & Guests- Love Is All
Hello everyone,
Here’s another song of the day. It’s not a Christmas song, with which I start tomorrow!
Firstly, a clip with a frog who is singing the song.
No, I have not gone mad, I’m talking about Roger Glover and Guests, with Love is all.
It was one of the first drawn clips, and later Paul McCartney did it, too, with his song We all stand together.
That was it for today, and tomorrow a new song!
The FlinterFiles 