Roberta Flack: The first time ever I heard your voice
It sounds radically different from Flack’s majestic later interpretation which Peggy would always admit dwarfs her effort in every sense
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Thanks for stumbling upon my retirement project and labour of love, Here Comes The Song. Here you'll find the latest blogs from music fanatics about their favourite songs and the artists who wrote them. It really is about the music that moves us...
Sidsel Endresen and Rachelle Ferrell: A tale of two versatile voices
There is more fluidity about Ferrell's singing but there is still a regular dip into her repertoire of long-held notes or octave cascades
Sufjan Stevens: Beauty and the beastliness of Illinois
Musically, John Wayne Gacy, Jr. is one of his simplest pieces. But it is expressed with an exceedingly rare degree of grace and empathy
Iko Iko: Sugar Boy Crawford and the Black Indians of New Orleans
Originally titled Jock-A-Mo, the song perhaps pre-dates its first recording and is considered emblematic of New Orleans
Sly Stone: Thank You For Talkin’ To Me, Africa
To comprehend the nasty buzz of that song the listener must appreciate the jubilant inclusivity of Sly And The Family Stone’s earlier music
Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band: Tout Suite!
The authenticity of the sentiments, framed within a pretty, waltz-like tempo, give Tout Suite! an uplifting feel
Pet Shop Boys: The muted brilliance of King's Cross
King's Cross has a muted brilliance – the perfect mix of lyrical interest, a great tune and a generous dollop of melancholy
Neil Young: The strange attraction of A Man Needs A Maid
A Man Needs A Maid is strange but it is wonderful. Like all great art it makes you look at the world differently
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions: Perfect Skin, perfect song
Cole carried on excavating (the heart, that is) into his seventh decade with a steady stream of moving recordings
Tracy Chapman: Fast Car, a song that spans the ages
Neil Morton The beaming smile and twinkling eyes said it all as the audience roared their approval when it dawned on them who was on...
Dionne Warwick: Walk On By, the original that couldn't be surpassed
Rob Steen If you see me walking down the street And I start to cry, each time we meet Walk on by Walk on by The larynx that introduced...
Van Morrison: Fifty years a fan – and it's too late to stop now
Rob Steen It’s far too bloody late to stop now. For yours truly, never mind Van the Man. Sorry, Sir Van the Man. At 78, George Ivan...
Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl: Tragic tale of what might have been
The tale is a tragic one but Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl left behind some high-quality songs on their album Children Of Fortune
Another Sleepless Night: My songs with Breakdown and About Time
Neil Morton After six years of writing about songwriters I admire for Here Comes The Song, I nervously introduce you to a collection of...
Leonard Cohen: Famous Blue Raincoat and a Hydra odyssey
Ian Malin In the harbour of Hydra Town find a narrow passage by the Pirate Bar and follow the winding stone steps upwards. It’s hard work...
Bob Dylan: Joey, the story-songs and the enduring appeal of Desire
Ian Malin The darker side of human nature has always attracted artists. From Hamlet and Paradise Lost to The Sopranos and Breaking Bad we...
Gordon Lightfoot: The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Ian Malin Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau struck the right note when he said of the death of Gordon Lightfoot: ‘He captured our...
Taylor Swift: The Last Great American Dynasty
Ian Malin Remember the early days of Covid lockdown in 2020. All that walking, all that staring out of the window? We all had our pet...
I Saw The Light: Todd Rundgren still a force half a century later
Rob Steen At a guess, 99 per cent of music zealots couldn’t possibly cite their favourite album, if only because the choice is usually so...
Cat Stevens: Catch Bull At Four 50 years on and why Sitting stands out
Rob Steen Oh I’m on my way, I know I am Somewhere not so far from here All I know is all I feel right now I feel the power growing in my...
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