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The Life of a Song

  • Sunday, 6 October, 2024
    Music
    Low Rider — War’s 1975 track celebrated a thriving subculture

    The insistently catchy song was inspired by Mexican Americans and their souped-up cars

    A group of men wearing 1970s clothes stand in a room playing musical instruments
  • Sunday, 29 September, 2024
    Music
    Lara’s Theme — melody from Dr Zhivago travelled far and wide

    Named after Julie Christie’s character in the 1965 film, Maurice Jarre’s tune became a global hit with added lyrics

    A woman stands in a snowy landscape, wearing a fur hat and coat; the neck of a stringed instrument, such as a balalaika, is visible in the foreground
  • Sunday, 22 September, 2024
    Music
    Sunny — Bobby Hebb’s 1963 song brought cheer to the world

    Two tragedies inspired Hebb to write an uplifting track that travelled from jazz to soul and beyond

    A man sings into a microphone with stairs rising behind him, behind which is an orange curtain
  • Sunday, 15 September, 2024
    Music
    Walk On By — Dionne Warwick put her stamp on a story of heartbreak

    Bacharach and David’s 1964 song was widely covered — including an extraordinary version by Isaac Hayes

    A female singer sings smilingly into a microphone
  • Saturday, 7 September, 2024
    Nineteen floor-filling funk and disco classics and their stories, starring James Brown, the Bee Gees and more
    Soul Makossa — Manu Dibango’s track has been called the first disco song

    The Cameroon-born saxophonist’s 1972 tune took off in a New York club and became the most sampled African record ever

    A man with a saxophone hanging from his neck sings into a microphone
  • Sunday, 1 September, 2024
    Music
    Tiptoe Thru the Tulips (With Me) — Tiny Tim turned an old showtune into a huge hit

    The singer was a struggling musician until his eccentric 1968 cover hit the charts

    A long-haired man man wearing a suit and tie stands in a park playing a ukulele, smiling with his head tilted back
  • Sunday, 25 August, 2024
    Music
    Nothing Compares 2 U — Sinéad O’Connor added new layers to Prince’s love song

    The singer said her 1990 performance was triggered by memories of her mother

    A woman with close-cropped hair wearing dark glasses sings into a microphone
  • Sunday, 18 August, 2024
    Fascinating tales behind country and folk classics by Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and more
    Crazy — Patsy Cline had to be persuaded to record Willie Nelson’s song

    The country singer reluctantly tackled a track that went on to become a standard

    A woman reclines to one side, leaning on a pile of cushions
  • Sunday, 11 August, 2024
    From Judy Garland to Adele, the stories behind 21 songs from musicals and films
    Que Sera, Sera — song from a Hitchcock movie belongs to Doris Day

    In ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’, she put her stamp on a ballad sung in mangled Spanglish

    A smartly dressed woman sits at a grand piano and sings
  • Sunday, 4 August, 2024
    Music
    Leaving Here — 1963 track that journeyed from Motown to Motörhead

    Holland-Dozier-Holland song followed a fascinating trajectory

    A stylishly dressed man with a goatee beard sits in a room reading a magazine
  • Sunday, 28 July, 2024
    Music
    Making Plans for Nigel — XTC’s hit mapped out a young man’s life

    The 1979 track by a band who sang about ‘small things in small towns’ featured a thunderous new drum sound

    Four young men pose in front of a background featuring a large white triangle; one of the men is sitting on a white sphere
  • Sunday, 21 July, 2024
    Music
    Stormy Monday — T-Bone Walker’s 1947 track became a blues standard

    Countless artist have covered it, and the song inspired legions of burgeoning guitarists

    A man plays an electric guitar behind his back while performing the splits
  • Sunday, 14 July, 2024
    Music
    Lilac Wine — Nina Simone put her stamp on an intoxicating ballad

    The singer was one of a handful who successfully navigated the song’s wayward emotions

    A woman wearing a colourful headscarf sits at a piano and sings into a microphone with a soulful expression
  • Sunday, 7 July, 2024
    Music
    The Whole of the Moon — The Waterboys’ 1985 track has a visionary streak

    Songwriter Mike Scott says he was inspired by a sense of ‘wonderment’ — and by a collage of influences, including Prince

    A man with long hair and an intense expression sings into a microphone
  • Sunday, 30 June, 2024
    Music
    O-o-h Child — The Five Stairsteps’ 1970 track is a comfort blanket of sound

    Others have tried to capture the song’s aura of warm reassurance, though few have carried it off

    A group of six youngsters and children sit and stand close together, smiling
  • Sunday, 23 June, 2024
    Music
    In My Time of Dying — Led Zeppelin’s 1975 juggernaut had humble origins

    The band’s storming classic was based on an old gospel blues number first recorded in 1927

    A rock band perform on stage
  • Friday, 14 June, 2024
    Nineteen floor-filling funk and disco classics and their stories, starring James Brown, the Bee Gees and more
    Yes Sir, I Can Boogie — cheesy Eurodisco hit adopted by Scottish football fans

    Baccara’s 1977 track was covered by dance-pop acts such as Goldfrapp — and will be belted out during this summer’s Euro 2024 tournament

    Two women in glamorous dresses recline seductively on a couch draped in red velvet
  • Sunday, 9 June, 2024
    Music
    One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) — how a broken heart sparked a sozzled classic

    Written by Johnny Mercer after his affair with Judy Garland ended, the first of many renditions was sung by Fred Astaire

    A man in a suit dances with his arms out-stretched
  • Saturday, 8 June, 2024
    Music
    The stories behind 10 classic reggae tracks
    A singer stands on stage holding a microphone and swirling his long dreadlocks
  • Sunday, 2 June, 2024
    Music
    Why Can’t We Live Together — Timmy Thomas’s 1972 song is more relevant than ever

    The singer’s heartfelt plea has resonated and been reimagined since its release

    A man wearing a leather coat stands at the side of a lake, smiling
  • Sunday, 26 May, 2024
    Nineteen floor-filling funk and disco classics and their stories, starring James Brown, the Bee Gees and more
    Stayin’ Alive — the Bee Gees’ song set the pulse for Saturday Night Fever

    The track reflected the sense of excitement and desperation portrayed in the 1977 movie

    Three men stand close together singing into a microphone
  • Sunday, 19 May, 2024
    Music
    When the Saints Go Marching In — Louis Armstrong put his stamp on a tune with a rich history

    The great trumpeter channelled the song’s New Orleans roots, though some claim it goes back a thousand years

    A man plays trumpet with other brass musicians alongside him
  • Saturday, 11 May, 2024
    The stories behind 14 synth-pop classics, from New Order to Kraftwerk
    Doctor Who — theme to the BBC’s time-travel show has been through multiple regenerations

    Re-recorded and sampled by musicians such as Pink Floyd and Hank Marvin, the piece returns in the latest series

    In an image from 1965, a woman operates a large tape recorder in a room full of electronic equipment
  • Sunday, 5 May, 2024
    The stories behind 10 classic reggae tracks
    A Message to You Rudy — how The Specials breathed new life into a 1967 track

    A minor hit for Dandy, the song was given punky attitude by the 2-Tone band — and featured a trombonist’s reprise performance

    A pop group perform on stage with an electric guitarist in the foreground
  • Sunday, 28 April, 2024
    Music
    Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet — how a homeless man’s singing became a contemporary classic

    Composer Gavin Bryars looped and layered a recording of a rough sleeper to create something hypnotic

    A man works with a screwdriver on an assortment of toy pianos
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