In honour of it being Good Friday I am pausing the current series to bring you an ancient hymn which I have always found to be very moving at this time of year, although I must say it seems to have fallen out of favour these days and I have found it less frequently sung […]
Rome
Moving on again, this time from the Austrian capital Vienna to the Italian capital Rome. Rome’s history spans 28 centuries. While Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it a major human settlement for almost three millennia and one of the oldest […]
Vienna
Moving on from Berlin in Germany we find ourselves in Vienna the capital of Austria. It is known as the ‘City of Music’due to its musical legacy, as many famous classical musicians such as Beethoven and Mozart called Vienna home. Vienna is also said to be the “City of Dreams” because it was home to […]
Amsterdam
Today we begin a new series – ‘Songs About Places’. Songwriters have frequently been inspired by their hometown or places that they have visited to capture them in words and music. So, we will follow in their footsteps on a journey that will no doubt take us around the world to discover the best songs […]
April 2
A second trawl through the songs inspired by the month of April. “Pieces of April” is a ballad written by Dave Loggins which became a Top 20 hit for Three Dog Night in January 1973. First recorded by Loggins himself for his 1972 debut album Personal Belongings, “Pieces of April” was recorded for the 1972 […]
April Songs 1
April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. April is commonly associated with the season of spring in the Northern […]
Berlin
Today we turn our attention from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to Berlin the capital of its neighbour Germany. “Berlin” is the opening track from the third solo studio album of the same name by American musician Lou Reed, released in October 1973 by RCA. A concept album, Berlin tells the story of a couple’s struggle […]
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group formed in Detroit in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown. An act founded by friends Annette Beard, Rosalind Ashford and Gloria Williams, the group eventually included Martha Reeves, who moved […]
Magda Andersson
Magda Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter and singer with Ye Banished Privateers makes her international solo debut with her new alter ego Magda Novels. ‘Prologue’ was released on 29 March and will be followed by a release concert, with its very first live show in P60 Amstelveen on Thursday 6 April 2023. ‘Prologue’ is an EP with […]
Emilie Autumn
Emilie Autumn Liddell is an American singer-songwriter, poet, author and violinist. Autumn’s musical style is described by her as “Fairy Pop”, “Fantasy Rock” or “Victoriandustrial”. It is influenced by glam rock and from plays, novels, and history, particularly the Victorian era. Performing with her all-female backup dancers The Bloody Crumpets, Autumn incorporates elements of classical […]