Sad Christmas songs

R.I.P. Gerry Goffin

When you look at the list of great lyrics Gerry Goffin was responsible for it's mind-blowing (especially as, by all accounts, his mind was blown for much of the time).  So it's difficult to pick out favourites. This is certainly one of the most enduring Goffin and King songs:



This is perhaps my favourite, a perfect match of music and lyrics and a very 'grown-up' song for its time. Though many people have done it justice, I still love Carole King's own version, with James Taylor and Joni Mitchell on backing vocals:



Although it seems very much a woman's song, it has been recorded by a number of male artists including Bruce Springsteen and Neil Diamond. And the one and only Smokey:

Jamie Scott - Just

Joe writes: Jamie Scott is currently one of the world's hottest songwriters, having co-written Story Of My Life by One Direction. Jamie's debut single Just came out in 2004, charting at no. 29 in the UK. It was all downhill from there until he started writing songs for other people, but Just still sounds good - Jamiroquai was so huge, yet there has been so little music of that ilk since. Also, Jamie is a big fan of Joni Mitchell's Blue so he's alright by me, although he may be the only person who can see a connection between Blue and Story Of My Life.

I think Arctic Monkeys will win the Mercury Music Prize and deservedly so

Joe writes: They are great and their album is great. But Laura Marling's music affects me in a way no other contemporary artist does - I'm in awe, I'm sad, I'm uplifted. I get the same feelings from listening to Blue or Blood On The Tracks (which I do a lot).

my new favourite Dylan cover - Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues by Nina Simone

Joe writes: Just Like Tom Thumb's Blue isn't one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs, or wasn't until I heard Nina's restrained version of it. It's my new favourite Dylan cover and one of my two favourite Nina Simone tracks.



Here's my other Nina favourite, Little Girl Blue, which borrows from Good King Wenceslas:



and while I'm on the subject of classic tracks that borrow from Christmas carols, here's Joni Mitchell's River with its debt to Jingle Bells:

Joni Mitchell - The Magdalene Laundries

Phil writes:  This is a memorable and moving song which I've been prompted to post by the current focus on the Magdalene Laundries following the publication of a detailed report into these dreadful institutions.  I always meant to find out more whenever I heard the song.

 

when the live version is the definitive version (No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley & The Wailers)

Joe writes: I used to be militantly opposed to live recordings being released or broadcast because generally, they sound awful. But recently in "researching" my other blog jonimitchellblue.blogspot.com, I learnt that the live version of Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi was a bigger hit in the US than the studio version. The live version isn't a patch on the studio version to be honest (it's overlong and doesn't have that delicious laugh at the end), but this got me thinking about songs where the live version is the definitive version. So far the only one I can come up with is No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley & The Wailers.

Many lovers of the song haven't even heard the rather flimsy studio version from the Natty Dread album:

Whereas this live performance has had an incredible number of plays on YouTube:

And this is of course is the definitive version, recorded live at the Lyceum, two miles away from where I'm writing this:

I've just started a new blog exclusively about the album Blue by Joni Mitchell

http://jonimitchellblue.blogspot.com/

Your Desert Island Discs

Joe writes: On Saturday morning, Radio 4 broadcast Your Desert Island Discs, featuring a rundown of the tracks that listeners would take to a desert island.

Skip forward to 38 minutes to hear an anecdote about Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, the South African national anthem. I was moved to tears. This song played a big part in my youth.



Then right after that on the Radio 4 show is some interesting background on Beethoven's Ninth, and how it was received when Beethoven conducted its first performance.

Joni Mitchell was listeners' no. 1 female artist and A Case Of You the no. 1 female song which is also true on my desert island.



There's a discussion of why this song is so great, plus some footage of Joni Mitchell performing live at 7.30 in this video:



The Desert Island Discs website now features details of every track chosen by guests on the show.

my favourite ever TV programme about music

Joe writes: How Pop Songs Work is presented by Charles Hazlewood, the classical conductor, Mercury Music Prize judge and Wyclef Jean fan.

It features Charles and an array of experts explaining not only how pop songs work but why they are so great. Too many goosebump moments to mention but I particularly loved the footage of Joni Mitchell performing A Case Of You live (oh to see that in the flesh), Dire Straits doing Romeo & Juliet, plus the deconstructions of Back To Black (Amy not AC/DC) and Salvador by Jamie T.