What's It All About?

Yet More Trips Away, Castle Country and A Big Dose Of Nostalgia

Last time I wrote about my trip to Inverclyde, but since then I’ve had trips to Fife and Aberdeen, met up with lots of old friends, watched a World Cup Final and a Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, witnessed the appointment of the seventh PM in 10 years and finally, I am watching in disbelief, as our local Cairngorms National Park has a fire burning out of control, and villages are being evacuated.

As for a topic to write about, the less said about that World Cup Final the better (a horrible, dirty match with a ridiculous “pop concert” in the middle) and as I’ve written about trips to Fife and Aberdeen before I won’t go there either. I’ve given up on writing about politics (how long will the latest incumbent last?) and I can only hope the wind dies down and the fires south of us can be extinguished soon.

Fortunately Spain won, but it wasn’t looking good for a while!

Something new we did do when away, was make full use of our National Trust for Scotland membership cards, a thoughtful Christmas present from DD that lasts for a whole year. This week we managed to take in three castles not far from Aberdeen, an area known as Castle Country, and last week we visited Falkland in Fife, a gorgeous little village with a whopping big 16th century “palace” at it’s centre. It was built by James V of Scotland as a hunting lodge but still has a chapel that is used every Sunday and boasts the oldest tennis court in the world. It is more like a squash court however with walls, from back in the days before lawn tennis became more popular.

But once you’ve been on one tour of a 16th century castle you’ve pretty much seen them all so at Crathes Castle we concentrated on the beautiful gardens and at Craigievar we just had a coffee in the grounds, and admired the castle’s Disneyesque pink render.

There are lots of songs with the word castle in the title but hardly any of them refer to actual castles and use the term as a metaphor for something else. A hauntingly beautiful song that I’ve not listened to for a long time is this one, Castles In The Air by Don McLean. Don actually wrote this song in 1970 for his first album but re-released it in 1981 as a single, this time a slower ballad version. I’m pretty sure my memory of the song is from first time around after which he went on to have many hit records such as American Pie and Vincent.

Castles In The Air by Don McLean:

In this instance the castles represent the high-rise living experienced by people in big cities. The narrator is weary of his urban lifestyle and is desperate to live a life in the country despite the fact he must say farewell to his love interest. He must realise his dream and look for a more like-minded country woman.

Castles In The Air Lyrics
Song by Don McLean

And if she asks you why, you can tell her that I told you
That I’m tired of castles in the air
I’ve got a dream I want the world to share
And castle walls just lead me to despair

Hills of forest green where the mountains touch the sky
A dream come true, I’ll live there ’til I die
I’m asking you to say my last goodbye
The love we knew ain’t worth another try

Save me from all the trouble and the pain
I know I’m weak, but I can’t face that girl again
Tell her the reasons why I can’t remain
Perhaps she’ll understand if you tell it to her plain

But how can words express the feel of sunlight in the morning?
In the hills, away from city strife
I need a country woman for my wife
I’m city born, but I love the country life

For I will not be part of her cocktail generation
Partners waltz, devoid of all romance
The music plays and everyone must dance
I’m bowing out, I need a second chance

Save me from all the trouble and the pain
I know I’m weak but I can’t face that girl again
Tell her the reasons why I can’t remain
Perhaps she’ll understand if you tell it to her plain

And if she asks you why, you can tell her that I told you
That I’m tired of castles in the air
I’ve got a dream I want the world to share
And castle walls just lead me to despair

Unusually for me I’m going to include the lyrics for two songs today as on the way home from our Aberdeen trip we had to go cross country and I passed through the village where I grew up. I got really nostalgic as we drove along streets I still know like the back of my hand despite the fact most of the shops are different and some new buildings have popped up. I had another trip planned for August when I was going to head down to the village and visit some old school friends. Sadly that is now on hold, as unbelievably, one of them has just lost her husband and another has a husband undergoing treatment for cancer. Both have parents who are still alive. I’m really starting to notice that unlike our parents generation we’re just not living as long, not a week going by without some old colleague or acquaintance passing away. Don’t know if it’s the food we’ve eaten or the lifestyles we’ve lived, but a sobering thought.

My childhood “castle”

But back to the village, we were lucky to have a castle on a hill overlooking us, so we always knew when we were nearly home. As teens it was not unusual for a group of us to climb to the summit of the hill and hangout amongst the ruins of the 13th century fortress that once stood there. Ed Sheerin wrote a song about a castle on a hill, an unlikely subject matter for a boy from Suffolk I thought, but it always reminded me of our castle and the times I spent there. Here is Castle On The Hill. The castle mentioned in Ed’s song is Framlingham Castle, and in 2017, he was invited to perform there. The song has been described as a love letter to Suffolk.

Until next time…

Castle On The Hill Lyrics
(Song by Ed Sheeren/Benny Blanco)

When I was six years old, I broke my leg
When I was running from my brother and his friends
And tasted the sweet perfume of the mountain grass I rolled down
Well, I was younger then, take me back to when

I found my heart and broke it here
Made friends and lost them through the years
And I’ve not seen the roaring fields in so long, I know I’ve grown
But I can’t wait to go home

I’m on my way
Driving at 90 down those country lanes
Singing to “Tiny Dancer”
And I miss the way you make me feel, and it’s real
And we watched the sunset over the castle on the hill

15 years old and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes
Running from the law through the backfields
And getting drunk with my friends
Had my first kiss on a Friday night
I don’t reckon that I did it right
But I was younger then, take me back to when

We found weekend jobs, when we got paid
We’d buy cheap spirits and drink them straight
Me and my friends have not thrown up in so long, oh, how we’ve grown
But I can’t wait to go home

I’m on my way (hoo-hoo)
Driving at 90 down those country lanes (hoo-hoo)
Singing to “Tiny Dancer”
And I miss the way you make me feel, and it’s real
And we watched the sunset (hoo-hoo), over the castle on the hill

Hoo-hoo, over the castle on the hill
Hoo-hoo, over the castle on the hill

One friend left to sell clothes, one works down by the coast
One had two kids but lives alone, one’s brother overdosed
One’s already on his second wife, one’s just barely getting by
But these people raised me and I can’t wait to go home

And I’m on my way
I still remember these old country lanes
When we did not know the answers
And I miss the way (hoo-hoo) you make me feel, it’s real
When we watched the sunset (hoo-hoo) over the castle on the hill

Hoo-hoo, over the castle on the hill
Hoo-hoo, over the castle on the hill

More Weekends Away, “Shipbuilding” On The Clyde and Robert Wyatt

Since celebrating this blog’s 10th birthday, I’ve done a pretty good job of posting something new every Saturday as that’s pretty much my only free day for blogging nowadays. I averaged 50 posts per year over the first 10 years so I thought it would be really easy to aim for that target going forward but I’ve now missed four Saturday sessions, one because we were puppy-sitting and three because we’ve been away for the weekend. I have a bit of catching up to do.

I’ve already written about the weekend I was down in Glasgow for the Take That Circus Tour, so what else have I been up? After not having been down in “Glasgowshire” since 2019, I ended up going again within the following three weeks. When you are used to driving in the Scottish Highlands you are not used to the fast paced motorway network that gets people around in the South of Scotland. It was therefore with some trepidation that we ventured by car down to Greenock on the River Clyde to visit my uncle and cousins. As it turned out it was very easy, as the same motorway took us right through the centre of the big city and continued onto Greenock with no slip roads having to be negotiated at any point – phew.

Of course I knew all about the history of shipbuilding on the River Clyde and how it turned Glasgow into the Second City of the British Empire for a time. For decades, over 20% of the world’s ships were constructed there. The earliest commercial steamship was built in 1812 and by the late 19th and early 20th centuries over 200 shipyards lined the river, made famous for producing legendary vessels, including luxury ocean liners and naval warships. Sadly those days have long gone but I still remember watching the likes of Shop Steward Jimmy Reid on the news in 1971, organising work-ins after the collapse of the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders consortium. Rather than striking, he wanted to ensure the workers completed orders and projected the best image they possibly could. Many of us will remember his address where he instructed them that there should be “no hooliganism, no vandalism and no bevvying”. First time a public figure probably used the word bevvying (drinking) in a widely broadcast address.

Greenock, Gourock and Port Glasgow all merge together nowadays and I visited all three places on my weekend away. You can still see signs of the now defunct shipbuilding industry and the wealth it brought to the towns, but the big warehouses have now been converted to luxury flats overlooking the Clyde and boats now leave the many piers taking people on pleasure cruises. I don’t know about you but when I think of shipbuilding on the Clyde nowadays, I can’t help but think of the comedian Billy Connolly. Like many boys his age in Glasgow he entered the shipyards after he left school and has often said that’s where he learnt his craft. The men he worked with had a great rapport with each other and he still thinks their humour was funnier than anything he came up with.

When visiting my uncle in his fine flat overlooking the Clyde, I was lucky enough to see The Waverley pass by. It was built in 1947 and is the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world. There used to be many such passenger steamers on the Clyde, running from Glasgow downstream to Rothesay and other towns, a journey known as going “doon the watter”. Many Glaswegians started their annual holiday on such vessels.

My poor photo of The Waverly (ignore my reflection in the window)

When watching The Waverly pass by I was reminded of another boat famous for travelling down the Clyde. I don’t know if it was screened in the rest of the country but the The Vital Spark was a television series based on the Para Handy books by Neil Munro. Para Handy was the captain of the puffer The Vital Spark and the series followed the crew’s adventures in the 1930s, around the coastal waters of the West of Scotland. I think I was too young for the original 1960s black and white series but I remember well the one aired in the 1970s in colour. Must-watch television in our house at the time. Think it still stands the test of time.

But here I am writing about comedy that was derived from the antics of workers in the shipyards and on the puffers. This is a music blog, so where is the song?

A bit of a no-brainer really – it’s going to be the song Shipbuilding by Elvis Costello, the most successful version recorded by Robert Wyatt. It was actually written during the Falklands War in 1982, with Elvis’s lyrics highlighting the irony of the war bringing back prosperity to traditional shipbuilding areas such as Clydeside, in building new ships to replace those being sunk in the war, whilst also sending their sons off to fight and potentially lose their lives in those same ships. Looking back I don’t think the war lasted long enough for that to happen, but 44 years later there is still anger in Argentina over that war, which sadly spilled onto the football pitch after this week’s grudge match between the two erstwhile foes.

Shipbuilding by Robert Wyatt:

I have seen Elvis Costello perform that song, but I very embarrassingly interrupted him in mid-flow at Aberdeen’s Capitol Theatre. I was Yoko in the early 1980s, always wanting to be with my boyfriend, but having to accept he always had a coterie of male friends around him as well. They didn’t want to watch the support act which turned out to be The Bluebells who went on to great things, but decided to leave the theatre bar just in time for the main event. After consuming a few half pints I had to go to the “ladies” first, which took a while, so I was last to my seat and after Elvis had started his set. We had good seats near the front so I was mortified at having to walk down the middle aisle to get to my spot, Elvis giving me dagger looks all the while. Maybe I imagined it but I still cringe about that long walk to this day. Sorry Elvis.

Until next time…

Shipbuilding Lyrics
(Song by Elvis Costello/Clive Langer)

Is it worth it
A new winter coat and shoes for the wife
And a bicycle on the boy’s birthday
It’s just a rumour that was spread around town
By the women and children
Soon we’ll be shipbuilding
Well I ask you
The boy said ‘DAD THEY’RE GOING TO TAKE ME TO TASK
BUT I’LL BE BACK BY CHRISTMAS‘
It’s just a rumour that was spread around town
Somebody said that someone got filled in
For saying that people get killed in
The result of this shipbuilding
With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls
It’s just a rumour that was spread around town
A telegram or a picture postcard
Within weeks they’ll be re-opening the shipyards
And notifying the next of kin
Once again
It’s all we’re skilled in
We will be shipbuilding
WITH ALL THE WILL IN THE WORLD
DIVING FOR DEAR LIFE
WHEN WE COULD BE DIVING FOR PEARLS

The Tartan Army On Tour, A Sad Loss For The Town and Who Is Going To Topple Sam & Olivia?

Well, I was wrong. A few weeks ago I predicted that few members of the famous Tartan Army of Scotland football supporters would be able to afford the extortionate prices being charged to head to the US for the 2026 World Cup. Instead they have first wowed the people of Boston, then the people of Miami, with their ability to party en masse whatever the result of the match they are there to watch. Bars have been drunk dry, bagpipes have been played, friendships have been forged and cones put on the heads of statues.

We Have A Dream by BA Robertson, John Gordon Sinclair and The Scotland World Cup Squad:

At no point has there been any trouble as the good reputation of The Tartan Army is paramount to all involved. They are in effect self-policing and I can only imagine the “talking to” anyone who stepped out of line would get. There is even a prediction that there will be a baby boom in Boston in nine months time – lots of ginger-haired babies being born and named Angus or Hamish.

As for the World Cup itself, I was excited as I’ve watched every one since Mexico in 1970 but this time, although great that Scotland were actually there, our matches have all landed at really unsocial hours due to the time difference, so not easy to stay awake and have friends over. I even have to admit that due to coinciding with our Take That Circus Tour weekend, we ended up sleeping through the match that took place during the night we got back, as we were so tired. Anyway, the party is nearly over as it seems there is now little chance that Scotland will progress beyond the group stage due to a pretty disastrous match against Brazil. Yes, The Tartan Army partied on despite the result, but it was a tad embarrassing to watch. England have already progressed beyond the group stage so the result of tonight’s match is academic, but I will stay up to watch it anyway. Let’s see how far they get this time under the tutelage of new manager Thomas Tuchel.

In other news it’s been a sad few days for our town. I was supposed to be at a fund-raising quiz last night and a whole weekend of events had been planned by a local businessman. On Wednesday we got a call from Mr WIAA’s sister saying the quiz was now off – we weren’t too surprised as it was going to be held outdoors and the forecast was for torrential rain, but then she told us the real reason why. The local businessman, a good friend of my brother-in-law, had died suddenly that day.

We were so shocked and there has been an outpouring of grief in our town as just about everyone knew him. From the age of 20 he first ran the shop at our local park, then he added the boating pond, the crazy golf course and an outdoor coffee shop. Anyone with children, grandchildren or dogs (there was a pup menu) had interacted with him over the years as he was such a jovial, friendly and generous chap. The gates to his premises are now closed and many, many bouquets of flowers have been left on the railings. He was only 54 and had a young family. I am glad that my plan to pack as many bucket-list type things into a year has begun, as… you just never know. Going to the park will never be the same again. Cue Itchycoo Park by the Small Faces from 1967. The song’s name was apparently derived from the nickname for Little Ilford Park, near where the Small Faces’ singer and songwriter Steve Marriott grew up. The “itchycoo” nickname was attributed to the stinging nettles which grew there.

But back to the here and now. I deliberately haven’t updated my followers on what is topping the UK Singles Chart for a few weeks now as I was waiting for the Sam Fender/Olivia Dean collaboration Rein Me In to permanently drop from the No. 1 spot. As it turns out, that hasn’t happened and the new chart released yesterday at 6pm places it back at the top. That’s now 14 weeks at No. 1 and exactly a year since it entered the chart. What a success story for the pair.

In the three weeks Rein Me In dropped down the chart (by one place), two songs took up the mantle. First of all it was Ariana Grande’s, Hate That I Made You Love Me, from her latest album Petal. It feels a bit lacklustre to me but the video is certainly compelling and in the style of a 1950s horror movie.

Another pop princess made the top spot for two of those three weeks – Taylor Swift with I Knew It, I Knew You from the newly released Toy Story 5. This song I like much better. It’s an upbeat country pop ballad written by Taylor after seeing the film. Written from the perspective of Jessie, the lyrics are about the narrator’s unexpected reunion with a loved one. If you don’t know who Jessie is, or any of the Toy Story characters, why not? The first film came out a bit before DD was born but a friend loaned us a copy of the video (remember those?) when she was old enough to watch such fodder.

It was brilliant and the jealousy experienced by the old-fashioned cowboy doll named Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), for new space cadet action figure Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) leads to some hilarious exchanges. No-one wants to be replaced as a favourite toy but their owner Andy is torn. The character Jessie appears in the second film in the franchise. The best Pixar films of all time, in my humble opinion.

So, “What’s It All About?” – Once the group stage is past, the football matches in the World Cup are at the knock-out stage. If you can stand the stress of penalty shootouts there will no doubt be a few of those. I hope England do well as it extends the excitement.

I have no idea when the facilities at the local park will reopen but it’s certainly going to make for a very different summer for schoolchildren on their holidays. Not easy to do I know, but makes you realise you can’t keep putting things off.

Who knows what will top the UK Singles Chart next Friday but not many artists have ever had such a long run as Sam and Olivia. Well done them.

Until next time…

I Knew It, I Knew You Lyrics
(Song by Taylor Swift)

I knew you
Through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer
Parachutes for the free fall of being younger

I memorized the sound of your bare footsteps running wild
It’s been a long time
Life has ways of leaving those days behind
But seeing you tonight

I remembered I loved you
Came back when it mattered
I saw you, standing there in the light of the window
Wearing that same smile
Man, it’s been a while
But I knew it, I knew you
I knew it, I knew you

I knew you, all your blues like a mood ring changing colors
You did too, there were times we could fight like brothers

I watched you drive around the bend
For what I thought would be the last time I saw my friend
But love has ways of bringing things back to life
All you said was, “Hi”

And I remembered I loved you
Came back when it mattered
I saw you, standing there in the light of the window
Wearing that same smile
Man, it’s been a while
But I knew it, I knew you
I knew it, I knew you
I knew it, I knew you

Oh, the rivers I cried when we said goodbye
Wondering if I’d made it up in my mind
But now you look me in the eye

And you told me I loved you
Came back when it mattered
I saw you, standing there in the light of the window
Wearing that same smile
Yeah, it’s been a while
Oh
Wearing that same smile
Man, it’s been a while
Wearing that same smile
Man, it’s been a while
But I knew it, I knew you

I knew it, I knew you
Wearing that same smile
I knew it, I knew youI knew it, I knew you
I knew it

Postscript:

In case you don’t know the story of why fans have been placing traffic cones on statues out in the US, this is why. Back in the 1980s, late night revellers in Glasgow had been known for playfully placing a traffic cone atop the head of the Duke of Wellington’s large equestrian statue in Queen Street. This carried on for many years, costing the City Council a lot to continually remove it. Following a massive public petition in 2013, the council relented and the cone has been allowed to remain. The monument has become a beloved symbol of Glaswegian irreverence and humour with Banksy even calling it his favourite piece of artwork in the UK.

The Take That Circus Tour 2026 Comes To Glasgow and I Was There!

WIAA: Alyson…, I didn’t see you posting anything new around here last weekend. Not like you.

ALYSON: I know WIAA but I was having one of the best weekends of my life and it’s taken quite a few days to come down from the high.

WIAA: Ah, that would be because of the football I suppose?

ALYSON: Not at all, although that was great too, it was because we made the trip south to Hampden Park in Glasgow for the Take That Circus Tour 2026. I can safely say it was the most amazing show (it definitely wasn’t a gig) I’ve ever seen in my life and I will most likely never see anything like it again. Everyone sharing their thoughts on social media is saying the same, and not one newspaper review has given it anything less than 5 stars.

WIAA: Wow, praise indeed Alyson. What made it so good?

ALYSON: It truly was the Greatest Day, one we’ll Never Forget and It Only Takes A Minute to buy a ticket. We needed Patience for the queues and had to Pray the sun would Shine and we wouldn’t get The Flood that was predicted, but we were lucky, and we didn’t. Sorry WIAA, I couldn’t resist.

WIAA: Ok, very funny, but again, what made it so good?

ALYSON: It’s essentially the same tour as the one back in 2009, when we were all 17 years younger, and what a spectacle. As well as the songs we love, the staging was superlative, and of course the circus performers were breath-taking in what they could do. Trapeze artists, tightrope walkers, fire-eaters, clowns, showgirls and all the razzmatazz that goes with them, over two stages and a catwalk.

WIAA: Did you take any photos?

ALYSON: I got a few but we were only about six people back from the main stage in the front standing area so I really wanted to take it all in and not via a phone. The big screens are great for those in the seats but they only show a tiny snippet of what is going on at any one time. Standing that close we could see everything. Here are a few of my own photos.

WIAA: Any specific thoughts about the show?

ALYSON: A few.

First of all, last year Oasis toured primarily for middle-aged blokes in bucket hats. This year Take That are touring for all those middle-aged ladies who have stuck with them for 34 years, through all their ups and downs. When they parted company in 1996 they were still at their peak, so at no point did the fans fall out of love with them and they were more than ready to start following them again in 2006, when they reformed.

Secondly, Take That first found fame in 1992, the year I got married to Mr WIAA and I actually bought their first album on honeymoon. I don’t think I represented their fanbase back then but I’ve always enjoyed a good pop song and I could tell they were going to be big. For the next 34 years we’ve always kept up with their careers from the big breakup in 1996 when I was on maternity leave after having DD, to watching Mark winning Celebrity Big Brother, to the documentary in 2005 that kickstarted their man-band status, to them getting back together with Robbie, to the present day and their “middle-aged man-band” status. Their songs have documented our time together as a couple and then as a family.

Third, however old we get, our younger selves are still inside us. The boys may now look a bit grey and craggy when in resting face mode, but the minute they smile, their younger selves come out (especially the gorgeous Mark Owen) – same as for the audience who were grinning with joy throughout. Also, if you keep yourself fit and healthy it’s amazing what you can do even in middle-age. Howard still managed to ride a unicycle the length of the catwalk.

There isn’t any quality footage of the 2026 tour yet available online, but here is the promo video using 2009 footage that will give you an idea of what it was like (although the 2026 elephant was far superior and advances in technology mean the set for Relight My Fire was even more amazing).

WIAA: You certainly seem to have had a fantastic time Alyson but what did Mr WIAA think of it all?

ALYSON: I knew he was primarily coming because I’d never seen them live before and it was on my bucket list to do so, but he really enjoyed it all as much as I did. On the bus on the way down and arriving at the hotel he was surrounded by a sea of menopausal women, but once in the stadium there were a fair few chaps of his age as well. Since we got back, I keep catching him in the office listening to Take That songs and watching video clips of the show.

WIAA: But this is a music blog Alyson, so where is the song.

ALYSON: Indeed, I’ve shared links above but need to pick out an actual song don’t I. I’ll come to that but first I’m going to drop some more photos of the show that I’ve collected over the last few days. I know it’s not mathematically possible but in a review I would have given it 6/5 stars, and the boys gave 110% throughout. Also, nearly forgot, we had Belinda Carlisle and The Script as guest artists to warm us up for the big event. Both were exceptionally good. I’d forgotten how many hits Belinda had and Danny from The Script was great with the audience.

Hold Up A Light was the last song in the full setlist and although there were a lot fewer iPhones back in 2009 as can be seen in this clip, in 2026 we all had one (with a torch), and we held them up in the air ahead of the fireworks that ended the show. Emotional stuff.

Hold Up A Light by Take That:

And finally, the song that inspired the album that in turn inspired the whole shebang. The Circus – an absolute beauty.

Happy memories of a wonderful night full of nostalgia, fun and jaw-dropping performances. Thank you boys.

Until next time…

The Circus Lyrics
(Song by Gary Barlow/Howard Donald/Mark Owen/Jason Orange)

Silence please ’cause I’ve got something to say
And I’m going round in circles every day
The more I shout, the more I hesitate
Now that you’re gone
Now that you’re gone

Stand up please ’til I’m done losing my mind
And I’ve thanked you all just one too many times
The more we fall, the harder we must climb
Now that you’re gone
Now that you’re gone

‘Cause everybody loves a circus show
But I’m the only clown you’ll ever know
And now you can applaud my best mistake
I love you was too many words to say, to say

Silence please ’cause I’ve got something to say
And before the music takes you all away
I never thought I’d leave it all so late
Now that you’re gone, oh you’re gone

Yeah, everybody loves a circus show
But I’m the only clown you’ll ever know
And now you can applaud my best mistake
I love you was too many words to say
I love you was too many words to say, to say

I never thought I’d leave it all so late
Now that you’re gone, oh you’re gone

A Busy Week: Trips To Leeds, Birthday Celebrations and “No Scotland No Party”

It’s been a busy week so I think it’s going to have to be a web diary type post from me today as lots to download from my overloaded brain.

First of all, I spent three days in the city of Leeds this last week, as it was time for BlogCon26 where six like-minded bloggers and their partners have a get-together in the “real world” as opposed to in the comments boxes of our online offerings. I mentioned it last time and despite my fears that rain would spoil proceedings we were very lucky in the end with only one downpour causing us a bit of bother.

As for Leeds, I had never been to the city before and my idea of the place must have been clouded by watching too many period dramas about cotton mills, and factory owners called Cartwright. Leeds has really reinvented itself in the 21st century and is now the largest financial centre outside London. The glass towers in the city centre make it look like Canary Wharf. Alongside all this development, the old Victorian buildings have been lovingly restored and the civic buildings and shopping arcades look beautiful. As for the bars and restaurants there were plenty to choose from and all bustling, even on a weekday night. Definitely a city on the up and one I plan to visit again.

Luckily for a bunch of music bloggers, an exhibition was taking place in the city’s museum when we were there called: Music Leeds Us: Celebrating 60 Years of Music in Leeds. It was really interesting and I discovered a lot about bands/artists I had hitherto not realised came from Leeds. I knew about the Kaiser Chiefs and Mel B of course, but didn’t know about Christie, Scritti Politti, The Wedding Present, The Sisters Of Mercy or Corrine Bailey Rae. Also, Marc Almond and Dave Ball from Soft Cell went to art school in Leeds. Here is Scritti with probably their most memorable song, from 1984, Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin).

But also this week I had a birthday, which is always a cause for celebration in our house. DD had been round when we were away and pinned up a personal birthday banner she had made herself – most impressive. As for the number this year, it should have been a significant one but in their wisdom the government decided a few years ago that the state pension age should increase, again, so it will be another few months until I get my remuneration. The weird thing is that you can’t believe you’ve got to that age, as in your head you’re still a young thing of 20-something (albeit with a lot more life experience under your belt).

Anyway I had a lovely day of opening cards and presents (a lot of them gardening related this year – an OAP activity?), and receiving messages from friends and family. We had birthday cake with DD and Mr DD, also known as The Grass Whisperer. In three weeks he has turned our patch at the front from this (left photo), to this (right photo) so well done him.

When I met up with my old schoolfriend last summer I reminded her that for my birthday in 1975 she gave me the single, Whispering Grass, by Windsor Davies and Don Estelle from the popular sitcom It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. That show hasn’t aged very well but in its heyday it attracted up to seventeen million viewers – different times. My friend denied giving me this very uncool record but I know the truth and I still have it in my collection. The song was written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher. The notion of “whispering grass”, which reveals a person’s secrets, apparently extends back to Greek mythology, notably the myth of Midas. Many people recorded it, notably The Ink Spots in 1940 but Windsor and Don’s version was the only one that made it to the No. 1 spot on the UK Singles Chart.

In other news, it’s only four days now until the start of the 2026 World Cup and things are really ramping up. Scotland qualified for the tournament for the first time in 28 years so there is much excitement in the country. We seem to have a fairly decent team this time around and we watched their friendly against Bolivia last night, which they won decisively (in the first half really). There are high hopes that they will be the first Scotland team to progress from the Group Stage.

*Local Scotland player Ryan Christie in a shop window*

As for the famous Tartan Army of Scottish Football Supporters, I fear there will be no repeat of the show they put on in Germany two years ago for the Euros. The cost of going to a tournament, in the United States especially, is beyond the realms of possibility for most supporters, and this will be the most expensive one to attend yet, by far. Money has really taken over the beautiful game, so the keenest supporters are left out of the party. The bulk of the supporters there will have to be well-heeled indeed and I’m not confident that they’ll be bringing their kilts, bagpipes, drums and “See You Jimmy” hats stateside.

On the plus side, Nick Morgan, who penned a fantastic song for the Euros has updated it for the World Cup. The lyrics don’t scan quite as well as he has had to substitute Boston for Berlin amongst other changes, but it’s a lot more palatable than the song brought out by the Irn Bru people starring Susan Boyle and John McGinn amongst others (link here).

Before I finish up, a bit of an antidote to what I was writing about last time – the ugly emergence of The Manosphere. I don’t know if you watched it, but one of our favourite programmes on telly is Race Across The World. Yes, it’s a reality show, but it’s also a travel show where you learn so much about the countries the teams pass through. The latest series took them from Palermo in Sicily to Hatgal in Mongolia. The route covered the old Silk Road, a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BC until the mid-15th century, so we got to see countries like Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. It was fascinating and of course places not easy to travel to unless planned out in advance by the BBC.

One of the pairs taking part this time was made up of a couple of teenage lads from Liverpool. At first I didn’t hold out much hope for them as they had little travel experience under their belts, and of course, I’ve been brainwashed by the media’s portrayal of modern day young men. Like most of us who watched the show, by the end of it I was a little in love with Jo and Kush (in a motherly way).

*Jo and Kush winners of Race Across The World*

I don’t think I’ll be giving out many spoilers by saying they won the race as it aired a few weeks ago now, but since then there has been an outpouring of admiration and respect for the lads, who are being seen as role models for young people. Their head teacher said he felt a gush of pride at seeing them triumph and his school assemblies are now all about the notion that these boys had courage, ambition and took risks. He described the former students as “magnificent, young gentlemen”, adding that “for both boys, behind the scenes there’s a mum who has sweated blood and given tears to make sure that they get everything they and other children in their families need. I think those mums deserve an enormous amount of credit and there’s a lot for us all to learn from that kind of family unit.”

The pair have been widely praised for their openness, including by politicians promoting healthy masculinity, with former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips telling the Guardian, “There are nasty influencers we need to worry about, but men and boys need to see this. Being kind and looking after each other – that’s real masculinity.” Amen to that.

Until next time…

No Scotland No Party Lyrics
(Song by Nick Morgan)

In the land where thistles sway, and the sound of bagpipes play in every social club and bar
From Hampden Park to towns afar
Tales of football have been told, of triumph and dismay
They talk of tournaments we’ve played and all the memories that were made, we never seem to do too well
I guess that time will tell if we will finally gonna make it through the group stage

Nobody’s saying we’re gonna win it
We know we ain’t no Argentina

But we’ve got John McGinn (John McGinn, John McGinn)
And Robbo out on the wing (On the wing, on the wing)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army
And even if we don’t win (We will win, we will win)
We’ll boogie on in Boston (In Boston, in Boston)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army

They talk of France in ’98 and all the years we’ve had to wait
To make another World Cup, things are finally looking up
It’s always been a dream a generation’s never seen
That’s how long it has been
But now we’ve made it and we’re here, there should be nobody that we fear
Beating the Danes along the way, it doesn’t matter who we play
‘Cause nobody else has got themselves a Dykes or McTominay

Nobody’s saying we’re gonna win it
We know we ain’t no Argentina

But we’ve got John McGinn (John McGinn, John McGinn)
And Robbo out on the wing (On the wing, on the wing)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army
And even if we don’t win (We will win, we will win)
We’ll boogie on in Boston (In Boston, in Boston)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army

We’re on our way to USA
Here we go, here we go
We’re on our way to USA
Here we go, we go
We’re on our way to USA (Our way to USA)
Here we go, here we go (To watch the Scotland play)
We’re on our way to USA (We’re off to USA)
Here we go, we go

And we’ve got John McGinn (John McGinn, John McGinn)
And Robbo out on the wing (On the wing, on the wing)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army
And even if we don’t win (We will win, we will win)
We’ll boogie on in Boston (In Boston, in Boston)
No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army

No Scotland, no party
Steve Clarkes Tartan Army

An “Alfie” Anniversary, Blog Names and Cher Turns 80!

Well, despite you all having experienced a heatwave down south this week, we in the far north have had much more manageable temperatures to deal with for which I’m grateful. I did however look out a summer dress for one of our sunny days, which was nice, but it seems rain is now forecast for the foreseeable, which is a bit disappointing as I’m getting myself ready for another meet up with some blogging buddies, this time in Leeds. I will no doubt share some photos next weekend.

But before I do that I want to share with you a snippet of info I stumbled upon recently. It was apparently 60 years ago this week, that the film Alfie had its general release in the UK. Over ten years later, I’m not entirely sure why I chose the opening line from the song Alfie for the title of this blog – I have always liked the work of Burt Bacharach, especially the songs he created with lyricist Hal David, but there must have been more to it than that.

We all have little family phrases that come out in certain situations and if we are pondering something quite difficult in our house, we invariably say, “What’s it all about?” quickly followed by the word, “Alfie”. Our phrases are usually music led, so if the fridge has a few leftovers we say, “We better use it up,” followed by, “and wear it out.” (From the Odyssey song.) If any of us say, “Well, well…,” it’s immediately followed by, “said the rocking chair.” (A Dean Friedman album.) You get the jist. So, I started off calling this blog, “What’s It All About, Alfie?” but then dropped the Alfie after rewatching the film, as Michael Caine’s character hasn’t aged well and I didn’t want this blog associated with him. To be fair, the character Alfie was thoroughly unlikeable back in 1966, but I didn’t really pick up on that so much when I first watched the film, I was more interested in seeing what London was like back in the Swinging 60s.

But anyway, I have written about the song a few times around here, and found out a lot about it. Burt wasn’t all that keen on making the theme song after watching the film, but he thought it should be lyric led, so sent a copy of the film to his writing partner Hal David over on the East Coast. Hal came up with a beautiful set of lyrics that summed up the behaviour of the self-centred character Alfie, and how without true love we merely exist (spoiler alert – he finds that out for himself in the end).

Cilla Black originally took on the song, to be released to promote the film. Burt flew over to London and after a gruelling session where he made her record the song around 30 times, he eventually picked the third take as being the best version. It became a hit in the UK, Australia and New Zealand but it wasn’t until Cher was persuaded to record the song for the actual film soundtrack that it did well in the US. Here are both versions for a compare and contrast.

Alfie by Cilla Black:

Talking of Cher, did you watch the interview on the BBC with her last Saturday night? I stayed up to do just that and was really glad I did. She has just celebrated her 80th birthday but of course age literally is just a number with Cher as she could easily pass for 40. The interviewer was the ubiquitous Rylan, who was just the right person for such an interview. He was starstruck you could tell, but not much wonder. Having read Part 1 of her biography last year, you could fit 10 lifetimes into what she has been through and as she said herself, a biopic would be impossible as the film would last about 24 hours. If you want to watch the interview it’s on the iPlayer for another 23 days.

So, “What’s It All About?” – I think this blog has been going too long now to change the name, so I’m stuck with it. Still refers to the song but also, in a chummy, cockney way, it explains what I’m doing here – delving into the backstory of a song and of how it fits into my life.

I find it more than ironic that 60 years on from the release of a film about a self-centred, womanising, misogynistic male, we seem to be in the eye of a storm where many young men similarly want to treat women really badly. They call the network of websites, blogs, and online forums promoting masculinity, misogyny, and opposition to feminism The Manosphere. We seem to have come full circle. I am no expert on what is going on, but after watching the excellent, award-winning drama Adolescence and the Louis Theroux documentary, Inside the Manosphere (both on Netflix), I’m beginning to understand it all a bit more.

But enough of all that nastiness, I’m off to get ready for my trip to Leeds, a city I’ve never visited before. All being well, I’ll report back next Saturday and let you all know how it went (and how much rain did actually fall!).

Until next time…

Alfie Lyrics
(Song By Burt Bacharach/Hal David)

What’s it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What’s it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give?
Or are we meant to be kind?

And if only fools are kind, Alfie
Then I guess it is wise to be cruel
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie
What will you lend on an old golden rule?

As sure as I believe there’s a heaven above, Alfie
I know there’s something much more
Something even non-believers can believe in

I believe in love, Alfie
Without true love we just exist, Alfie
Until you find the love you’ve missed you’re nothing, Alfie
When you walk, let your heart lead the way
And you’ll find love any day, Alfie
Alfie

That Long Hot Summer, “Sylvia’s Mother” and RIP Dennis Locorriere

I was saddened to hear that the primary vocalist from the band Dr Hook, Dennis Locorriere, passed away last weekend at the age of 76. Although he was an American, born in New Jersey, he had been living in East Sussex with his third wife for some time.

If like me you turned 16 during that long hot summer of 1976, you will no doubt remember the song Love You A Little Bit More by Dr Hook. It got stuck at the No. 2 spot on the UK Singles Chart throughout the whole school holidays, being kept off the top spot by Elton and Kiki’s song, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart. I was cross, as I thought the Dr Hook song was the better one and impossibly romantic to the teenage me. And, Dennis’ husky voice, just so… mmm.

A Little Bit More by Dr Hook:

The joke is of course that this is obviously a song about makin’ love, but at 16 I knew little about all that malarkey let alone staying up to greet the sun. In fact until I was a teenager I had thought “making love” was finding someone really special and then launching into a dance with them. I blame this couple, Fred and Ginger, who ruined me for the real life teenage fumbles that came along down the line. They were forever “making love” to each other, but both were always fully clad (impeccably so) and the prelude to running off to get married was a beautiful song, a dance and a peck on the cheek. All down to the Hays Code of course, a rigid set of industry guidelines applied to most films released by major studios from 1934. The code spelled out unacceptable content such as drugs, profanity, and sex. Thus my confusion.

Fred and Ginger “Making Love”

But the next song is one we all probably remember, Sylvia’s Mother, from 1972. At this point the band were still known as Dr Hook & the Medicine Show, the name originally inspired by Ray Sawyer’s eyepatch, a reference to Captain Hook of Peter Pan fame. The multi-talented Shel Silverstein wrote all the songs for the band’s self-titled debut album, released in May 1972, where Dennis performed lead vocals, guitar, bass and harmonica. The album was awarded a gold disc. The single from the album, Sylvia’s Mother, based on a real life conversation the songwriter had with the mother of an ex-girlfriend, became the band’s first million-seller and reached the No. 2 spot on the UK Singles Chart. Dennis said he loved story songs as when you’re singing you have to be a bit of an actor, and “be that guy in the phone booth”. He even met up with the real life Sylvia many years later who had become a museum curator in Mexico City!

Sylvia’s Mother by Dr Hook:

Dr Hook (they shortened their name in 1975) continued to have great success throughout the rest of the 1970s with soft-rock hits such as Sharing The Night Together, When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman and Better Luck Next Time, all featuring Dennis’ sexy vocals. In 1983, Ray Sawyer left the band and after a Farewell Tour in 1985, the remaining line-up split up. Dennis retained ownership of the band’s name after the split and continued to tour, despite having health issues, until 2025. At the end of last year he released a statement saying that although he was as healthy as a guy his age had the audacity to be, he was growing weary of touring and sought to enjoy retirement. Sadly he only got six months.

Until next time, RIP Dennis.

Sylvia’s Mother Lyrics
(Song by Shel Silverstein)

Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s busy
Too busy to come to the phone’
Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s tryin’
To start a new life of her own’
Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s happy
So why don’t you leave her alone?’

And the operator says, ’40 cents more for the next 3 minutes’
Please Mrs. Avery, I just gotta talk to her
I’ll only keep her a while
Please Mrs. Avery, I just wanna tell ‘er goodbye

Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s packin’
She’s gonna be leavin’ today’
Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s marryin’
A fella down Galveston way’
Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Please don’t say nothin’
To make her start cryin’ and stay’

And the operator says, ’40 cents more for the next 3 minutes’
Please Mrs. Avery, I just gotta talk to her
I’ll only keep her a while
Please Mrs. Avery, I just wanna tell ‘er goodbye

Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Sylvia’s hurryin’
She’s catchin’ the nine o’clock train’
Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Take your umbrella
Cause Sylvie, it’s startin’ to rain’
And Sylvia’s mother says, ‘Thank you for callin’
And, sir, won’t you call back again?’

And the operator says, ’40 cents more for the next 3 minutes’
Please Mrs. Avery, I just gotta talk to her
I’ll only keep her a while
Please Mrs. Avery, I just wanna tell ‘er goodbye

Tell her goodbye

Please
Tell her goodbye

Postscript:

I didn’t even know it existed but this week I was presented with one of these by the WordPress people.

It’s apparently a Perfectionist Badge which means I return to my posts often to edit, edit, edit after I’ve published them. Sounds fair but not something that’s held me in good stead throughout my life. I come from a long line of perfectionists but it’s become obvious that the people who do best in life are those who commit to being, just good enough. There is no time in the world of work nowadays for perfectionism and it frustrated my dad, my mum and myself. Oh well, at least I can be a perfectionist around here.

Eurovision, Cocktails and A Beach Boys Anniversary: 60 Years Of “Pet Sounds”

Well, it’s a busy old Saturday for me as a lot of things are going on at the same time. This afternoon I am meeting up with DD and the friend I went to Eurovision with for cocktails, an early birthday celebration for me and a belated celebration for her. Ironically tonight is also Eurovision night which we didn’t know when we set the date. As I am a lightweight nowadays, I may fall asleep before the actual show begins which for many of my followers would be a blessing, but for me it would be a great shame. It’s back in Vienna again where we were 11 years ago for the contest, so of course I’ve had to get my trusty mug out of storage this week. Happy memories of a great few days but can it really be 11 years ago – how the years are flying by.

But back to the busy Saturday. I’ve already dived into Rol’s Snapshots challenge along with the rest of the gang, but didn’t get the link this week. No matter, there’s always next week unless Rol calls time on this bit of weekend fun as he has been hosting it for many, many years so must be running out of steam by now. Note to self – put together a guest Snapshots soon, to give Rol a week off.

As for the cocktails, this is the Capital of the Highlands, not the Island of Kokomo or Margaritaville so not quite as sun-drenched and exotic but I’m sure we’ll be ok if we don our padded coats (it’s a bit parky out there today). Cue Jimmy Buffet with his song from 1977.

Ok, so not many of my followers are fans of Eurovision and I’m pretty sure not many of them are followers of football, but this afternoon is a big date in the season’s calendar as in Scotland we have the match to decide who will win the Scottish Premier League title. It’s gone down to the wire as only one point separates the two teams who will play each other today. The team who has been at the top of the table all season (Hearts) hasn’t won the title since 1960, so anyone who isn’t a fan of the other team (Celtic) will be rooting for them. A stressful watch which I will miss but I’ll keep tabs on things on my phone as the afternoon progresses. For the record, here is their football song, Heart of Midlothian Anthem.

The last team to win the SPL title other than Celtic or Rangers was Aberdeen in 1985 under the auspices of their legendary manager Alex Ferguson. I lived in Aberdeen during the glory years and thought it was normal that our local team won titles and cups regularly. Turns out it was mainly due to the manager and as the players have admitted since, it wasn’t so much that they had an impressive will to win, it was more that they were terrified of what would happen to them if they lost! Yes, we’ve all heard the stories of Sir Alex’s locker room rants and it’s safe to say he wouldn’t be able to operate like that nowadays, but none of the players ever held it against him as they just wanted to win cups and trophies.

I’m going to have to head off and get ready for my afternoon out soon, but before I do I heard on the radio this morning that today is the 60th anniversary of the release of the Beach Boys album Pet Sounds. I have written about it many times around here as it’s up there as being one of the finest albums ever made. It has a rubbish, very literal cover but of course the pet sounds Brian Wilson included on this album were just that, Brian’s favourite, or pet sounds. The famous Wrecking Crew that worked with him on the album acknowledged his genius above all others they collaborated with. At this point in 1966, Brian was still aged only 24.

It wasn’t until I watched the film Love & Mercy about the life of Brian Wilson, that I understood what he went through as the Beach Boys became a phenomenon. He eventually had to step down from touring, and concentrated on songwriting and producing which is how Pet Sounds came about. When the rest of the band heard what he had come up with they were sceptical, but Brian proved them wrong (in the long-term anyway). Here is a song from the album that I haven’t shared around here before. Sloop John B was a traditional Bahamian folk song suggested by Al Jardine. Brian wasn’t very keen for a start but after changing some of the lyrics and giving it the distinctive Beach Boys sound it went on the Pet Sounds album and became one of their best-loved songs.

Sloop John B by the Beach Boys

So, “What’s It All About?” – It’s annoying when too many things come along at the same time but I’m sure my jam-packed Saturday will pan out ok. I won’t be able to host a Eurovision party tonight as I won’t be around to get the food, drinks and scoresheets prepared. I will watch the show however and cross fingers for our entry by Look Mum No Computer, Eins, Zwei, Drei. Sam Battle is an electronics enthusiast who builds unusual musical equipment and has a museum where he shares it. A bit of a different pick for the UK and Sam doesn’t seem to have got the memo about everyone dressing in black or red this year. His song definitely stands out though and got good audience feedback in the semi-finals, but who knows what will happen tonight. I wish him luck.

Good luck also to Hearts in their match against Celtic. I just hope you can hold on to that one point lead in this, the last game of the season.

Congratulations to the remaining Beach Boys who celebrate the 60th anniversary of the release of Pet Sounds. Sadly Brian didn’t live long enough to see it, but he did have a long life considering the mental health issues he experienced throughout his life. An album that will go down in history.

Until next time…

Sloop John B Lyrics
(Song by Traditional/Brian Wilson)

We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B’s sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home
Let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

The first mate, he got drunk
And broke in the captain’s trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don’t you leave me alone? Yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B’s sail (Hoist up the John B’s sail)
See how the mainsail sets (See how the mainsail sets)
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home
Let me go home, I wanna go home
Let me go home (Hoist up the John B’s sail)
Hoist up the John B (Hoist up the John B)
I feel so broke up
I wanna go home, let me go home

The poor cook, he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don’t they let me go home?
This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on

Postscript:

As it turned out, Hearts didn’t win their match against Celtic, so on the last day of the season they lost their point lead in the SPL and thus the title. Devastating for all their fans.

As for Eurovision, our UK entry came last out of 25 songs with only 1 point. We’ve been there before so not unexpected but still a bit embarrassing. We really don’t take it as seriously as the rest of Europe. The winner was this song representing Bulgaria performed by a very perky teenager called Dara. I give you Bangaranga. Sofia here we come!

Maisie Peters Visits Aberdeen, Olivia Rodrigo Gets Her “Driver’s Licence” and A Sad Farewell To Máire Brennan

DD was on holiday from work this week, and one of the things she did was head through to Aberdeen to watch Maisie Peters perform in a small intimate venue. I’ve noticed her Maisie album on the shelves but can’t say I knew anything about her, until now. Turns out Maisie is a 25-year-old British singer-songwriter who has been around since 2017, and in 2021 she signed to Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man Records. Her two albums have done really well but so far her singles have only reached the lower reaches of the charts which is why I probably didn’t know about her. On the way home from the concert DD sent us a clip showing Maisie on stage singing her song, My Regards, which I did recognise because of this line: “He took me off the market and I took him to the moon”. I’ve definitely heard that line on the radio as I thought it was quite funny.

Maisie felt she had not ventured into her tongue-in-cheek style of writing prior to this song and was inspired by country music classics about standing by your partner. The music video for the song, starring Maisie and Benito Skinner as love interests, modernised the narrative, and rather than portraying herself as a “simpering love interest” she showed it from the perspective of a fierce woman protecting her romantic partner. She even references the 1992 Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston film The Bodyguard within the lyrics. It seems the song was released as a single in February this year but only reached the No. 98 spot for one week. Don’t understand that at all but I wish her well for the future.

For those of you following my updates on what is currently at the top of the UK Singles Chart, I am going to sound like a broken record. Yes, for the 10th non-consecutive week, the Sam Fender/Olivia Dean song Rein Me In is at the top spot. Back in the day lengthy stays at the top of the charts just didn’t happen often, but because of the way we now consume music it is becoming more common.

Anyway, the reason Sam’s song dropped to the No. 2 spot twice in the last 12 weeks was first because of a Harry Styles release, and secondly because Olivia Rodrigo’s new song Drop Dead got to No. 1. Unlike with Maisie, I am fully aware of Olivia Rodrigo and fell in love with her song drivers licence (all lower case) after she performed it at the Brit Awards a few years ago. It is a pop power-ballad containing poignant lyrics detailing heartache. It has also been described as coming from the bedroom pop camp, which is a new one on me but a term I totally get. The narrator is young, probably still school age, and as we all know first loves at that stage in life can be terribly intense. You hold nothing back as you really do think it will last forever, only to find yourself broken-hearted down the line (not that I know of anyone who has had that happen to them of course). It was one of 2021’s most successful songs, and launched Olivia’s career. I would urge you to listen to the lyrics – pretty heart-breaking, whatever your age.

drivers licence by Olivia Rodrigo:

Drivers license broke a string of records, including the record for the most first-week streams for a song on Spotify and Amazon Music. It also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and made Olivia the youngest artist ever to debut atop the chart. It spent eight consecutive weeks at number one.

The last lady I want to feature today is Irish singer Máire Brennan (latterly Moya Brennan), best known as the lead singer of Grammy and Bafta-winning group Clannad. She sadly passed away recently at the relatively young age (from my perspective anyway) of 73.

The Celtic folk singer, songwriter and harpist from the Irish-speaking Donegal area of the Republic, recorded 25 albums and sold millions of records worldwide, coming to prominence as part of her family’s band which formed in 1970, and later included Máire’s younger sister, Enya. The group became one of the world’s most popular traditional Irish acts after finding mainstream success with the theme tunes for the TV series, Harry’s Game, as well as Robin of Sherwood. I recently wrote about our own Scottish Celtic band Runrig, who were the first to perform on Top Of The Pops in Gaelic. Clannad became the first band to sing in Irish when they performed the Theme from Harry’s Game in 1982.

The late 1980s and the 1990s were a fertile period for Celtic music with many Scottish and Irish bands finding success. It was also the period when Ireland always seem to win the Eurovision Song Contest, and we were all hopping across The Irish Sea to Dublin for city breaks. Then there was the phenomenon that was Riverdance which started out as a seven-minute bit of interval entertainment at Eurovision, but wowed the audience more than the actual songs. Wonder if all that had anything to do with Clannad?

Until next time, RIP Máire/Moya Brennan

drivers license Lyrics
(Song by Olivia Rodrigo/Dan Nigro)

I got my driver’s license last week
Just like we always talked about
‘Cause you were so excited for me
To finally drive up to your house
But today I drove through the suburbs
Crying ’cause you weren’t around

And you’re probably with that blonde girl
Who always made me doubt
She’s so much older than me
She’s everything I’m insecure about
Yeah, today I drove through the suburbs
‘Cause how could I ever love someone else?

And I know we weren’t perfect but I’ve never felt this way for no one
And I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay now that I’m gone
Guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me
‘Cause you said forever now I drive alone past your street

And all my friends are tired
Of hearing how much I miss you but
I kinda feel sorry for them
‘Cause they’ll never know you the way that I do
Yeah, today I drove through the suburbs
And pictured I was driving home to you

And I know we weren’t perfect but I’ve never felt this way for no one
Oh, and I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay now that I’m gone
I guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me
‘Cause you said forever now I drive alone past your street

Red lights
Stop signs
I still see your face
In the white cars
Front yards
Can’t drive past the places
We used to
Go to
‘Cause I still fucking love you, babe

Sidewalks
We crossed
I still hear your voice
In the traffic
We’re laughing
Over all the noise
God, I’m so blue
Know we’re through
But I still fucking love you, babe

I know we weren’t perfect but I’ve never felt this way for no one
And I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay now that I’m gone
Guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me
‘Cause you said forever now I drive alone past your street
Yeah, you said forever now I drive alone past your street

Not So Clandestine Affairs, David Cassidy and “The Puppy Song”

WIAA: Alyson…, oh Alyson.

ALYSON: Hi WIAA, I’m sorry I missed adding to your pages last weekend but I was away from home, having a wonderful couple of days with another man.

WIAA: Oh. Didn’t expect that to be the reason! What did your other half say about that or did you not tell him?

ALYSON: No, he knew and was ok with it. In fact he joined us during the day for long walks and trips to coffee shops but went home at night to leave us to it.

WIAA: This is getting weirder and weirder Alyson, and I thought I knew you.

ALYSON: It was magical WIAA. We snuggled up in bed at night and I stroked his gorgeous brown curls. In the morning his head was lying next to me on the pillow and his paw was on my shoulder.

WIAA: Paw, paw – what kind of half-man/half-beast is he?!?

ALYSON: Oh sorry, did I not make it clear? I was spending the weekend with Alfie the puppy whilst his mum and dad were away.

WIAA: Grrr… I think you were messing with me there Alyson.

ALYSON: Maybe I was, a bit, but I fooled you didn’t I? Anyway that’s why I wasn’t able to write a new blog post last weekend but now that I’m a regular blogger again I’m sure I’ll make up for it down the line.

WIAA: Ok, you’re excused. Any appropriate songs for me?

ALYSON: Well I have been looking for songs about dogs but they’re either overly sentimental, novelty songs or just plain bad. I did find this one though written by Harry Nilsson called The Puppy Song. I didn’t even realise it was his song as the only version I knew was the one by David Cassidy from 1973, when it was released as a double A-side along with the song Daydreamer.

The Puppy Song by David Cassidy:

I remember being gifted a flexi disc with Jackie magazine in 1973. It had a few words from David Cassidy in conversational style then he shared snippets of both the songs on the upcoming double A-side. It got to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart so that little bit of promotion obviously did the trick, although at that time he was selling out stadiums all over the world, so he perhaps didn’t need any help in achieving sales.

We first got to know about David Cassidy from his role playing Keith Partridge in the kid’s television show The Partridge Family. It first aired in the UK in 1971 when I was still in Primary School and it’s fair to say most of us girls developed a huge crush on David and he started to fill the pages of our magazines. By the time I got to Secondary School he was a bona fide teen idol, outselling every other artist in the world. As the teenage hormones started to kick in I found myself bursting into tears as I listened to his songs, and I didn’t even understand why.

Poor David died young at the age of 67 in 2017 and I wrote a tribute for him (link here). I also made him the main character in a bit of fairy-tale fan fiction the following year (link here). It centred around his rivalry with fellow teen idol Donny Osmond and although it was fun to write, it perhaps didn’t do my music blogging credibility much good!

Anyway the last word should go to the real life puppy, my lovely weekend companion, Alfie. He was genuinely upset when I packed my bag to go home and apparently sulked with his mum and dad all Sunday evening, giving them the side-eye as if to say, “I had much more fun with granny”. There will be many other weekends and holidays I’m sure.

Until next time…

The Puppy Song Lyrics
(Song by Harry Nilsson)

Dreams are nothing more than wishes
And a wish is just a dream
You wish to come true, woo woo

If only I could have a puppy
I’d call myself so very lucky
Just to have some company
To share a cup of tea with me

I’d take my puppy everywhere
La, la, la-la I wouldn’t care
And we would stay away from crowds
And signs that said no dogs allowed
Oh we, I know he’d never bite me
Whoa de lo…….
We, I know he’d never bite me

If only I could have a friend
To stick with me until the end
And walk along beside the sea
Share a bit of moon with me

I’d take my friend most everywhere
La, la, la-la I wouldn’t care
We would stay away from crowds
With signs that said no friends allowed
Oh we, we’d be so happy to be
Whoa de lo………….
We, we’d be so happy to be together

But dreams are nothing more than wishes
And a wish is just a dream
You wish to come true
Whoa whoa……….

Dreams are nothing more than wishes
And a wish is just a dream
You wish to come true
Whoa whoa woo……..

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