Category: 1980s songs

A Big Week In The News, Being Traitorous and Dolly Turns 80

Well, what a week. I had intended to write another post that followed on from last time, but after two fairly routine vaccinations on Monday, I spent the rest of the week in bed with flu-like symptoms. It seems I was one of the unlucky ones who got quite bad side-effects, but on the upside, I should avoid Shingles, Pneumonia, Sepsis and Meningitis in the years to come. I was in two minds about having them as we’ve become human pin-cushions of late but then I thought of all the people of my generation who would still be around had they been offered the childhood vaccines now freely available. Also, a few days of feeling a bit shitty is still far better than getting the diseases listed above, so I went for it.

Not much to do when you have a duvet pulled up to your chin but I did manage to listen to the radio and scroll on my phone. In fact I did manage to do an awful lot of scrolling and it turned out to be quite a big week for news stories on social media. First of all the World Economic Forum took place in Davos where world leaders from government, business and academia met to discuss global issues and set priorities. Even David Beckham turned up to address issues with social media, which was quite ironic this week of all weeks.

The beautiful Davos in Switzerland


The not so beautiful Davros (impossible not to think of him when you hear the word Davos)


So what was discussed at Davos? I’m afraid the detail eluded me what with having a fever an’ all but it seems there was one very impressive speech from a world leader we know very well over here because of his time at the Bank of England. It will be remembered for a long time. There was another speech that will also be remembered for a long time, but perhaps for all the wrong reasons. Earlier in the week some of the posts on social media made me chuckle, but as the days have gone by I’m starting to think it’s all a bit sad. Having witnessed my own mum deteriorate mentally from the age of 80, I can see the signs. It was another three years until she was officially diagnosed by which time things had really got quite bad. I hope the administration in charge have the levers needed to address such a serious issue otherwise we really are in for a tough time.

A country whose name is apparently interchangeable!


A much-loved character from our childhood who was also obsessed by “windmills”, but he needed them to grind corn, not generate clean energy


Whatever happens, there now seems to have been a line crossed in the sand and for the male and female leaders of European countries, it’s time to…


In other news, there has been a very public falling out between the Beckhams and their eldest son. Most people will not be remotely interested in this but it even made it to the national news, so just shows the level of interest in their lives. Again, the first posts on social media made me chuckle, but for VB, former Spice Girl, this week has been excruciatingly embarrassing, and it’s sad that it’s come to this. A not very-talented singer and a good footballer have managed to amass a fortune through hard work and self-promotion, but, they didn’t ever consider that their children might not have wanted to be part of the copyrighted “brand”, especially as adults. Also, as the old saying goes, “A son is a son till he takes him a wife, but a daughter is a daughter all of her life”. I hope they can work things out behind the scenes but I fear worse is yet to come.

There was no actual footage from the wedding held for Beckham Jnr and his new bride, but the former Spice Girl has been accused of humiliating her son by doing a bit of this with him…


From all accounts it wasn’t that bad but VB would have been wise to remember that it was the bride’s day and only she should be centre stage. But what do I know? I do remember that not long after the film Dirty Dancing came out this song became a hit all over Europe and many of us tried doing the Lambada for the first time. Like most South American dances it’s a bit raunchy and not something we were used to in the Scottish Highlands, but maybe at weddings of the rich and famous it’s de rigueur.


Did you watch it? The latest series of The Traitors came to a conclusion on Friday and again, such was the furore, it featured on the national news. I for one just don’t get it but I seem to be in the minority so ended up watching the whole series (for research purposes). Personally I think of it as reality tv for middle-class people. It’s touted as “a game” where you have to be really clever to oust the traitors from the castle. To be fair, you do have to be a goodish actor if you’re chosen to be a traitor, but other than that it’s just a lot of people sitting around asking each other who they’re going to vote for, and lying a lot. Anyway, it got massive viewing figures, and the area it takes place in is just north of us so good publicity for The Highlands. The castle is at Ardross and I discovered this week it used to be owned by Mr Perrins of the famous Lea and Perrins brand. Look what a dash of Worcestershire Sauce could buy you in those days.

The beautiful Ardross Castle just north of the Cromarty Firth

This year’s finalists with the diminutive Claudia (who comes to our town for her spray tans!)

I didn’t mention who won the show in case anyone hasn’t watched it yet but no worries about spoilers with this next story, again on national news. It was Dolly Parton’s 80th birthday last week and she is still as busy as ever. I watched two programmes last night on BBC2 about her and it’s impossible not to smile when doing so. She is so upbeat and positive the whole time, exuding that wholesome Southern Charm. It seems she has been like that since childhood and it’s hard to believe she is not like that all the time but even Dolly must have her dark days, especially after her husband Carl died last year. She hides them well though and no-one ever sees her without her signature wigs, make-up and outfits. Even during filming, she never emerges from her dressing room or trailer without being fully Dollified. It’s just who she is.

Hello Dolly!


To finish off this longish post (sorry), here is a clip from 12 years ago when she appeared in the Legends slot at Glastonbury. I don’t know what Dolly’s undergarments are like, or if it’s all cosmetically enhanced, but she certainly has a perky bottom for someone of her years. This song, Jolene, was unbelievably the only one that remotely bothered the UK Singles Chart, reaching the No. 7 spot in 1976. Dolly has written over 3000 songs during her lifetime and apparently wrote both Jolene and I Will Always Love You during the same song writing session in 1973. Not a bad return on the time spent.

Jolene by Dolly Parton:


I think I’ve told this story before, but even to this day Mr WIAA winces when he hears the song Jolene. It came out at just the wrong time for him, before he’d had work done to remedy his slightly discoloured teeth, which had come about because of the tablets his mum had taken for morning sickness ahead of his birth. Oh yes, kids can be cruel, and because his teeth had a “greenish” hue, his classmates’ playground taunt was Joe Green, Joe Green, Joe Green, Joe Green… , sung along to the melody of Dolly’s famous hit. Needless to say, his schooldays weren’t the best years of his life but it just goes to show, sometimes a little bit of “work” is needed to make life as a teen just that little bit more tolerable.

Until next time…

Jolene Lyrics
(Song by Dolly Parton)

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I’m begging of you please don’t take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don’t take him just because you can

Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green

Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene

He talks about you in his sleep
There’s nothing I can do to keep
From crying when he calls your name, Jolene

And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
But you don’t know what he means to me, Jolene

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I’m begging of you please don’t take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don’t take him just because you can

You could have your choice of men
But I could never love again
He’s the only one for me, Jolene

I had to have this talk with you
My happiness depends on you
And whatever you decide to do, Jolene

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I’m begging of you please don’t take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don’t take him even though you can

Jolene, Jolene

Postscript

For those followers who are happy for me to update them on any change at the top of the UK Singles Chart, I found out at 6pm on Friday that this song is the new No. 1 – Raindance by Dave (ft. Tems)

Stranger Things, Heroes Of A Different Kind and A Return To The 1980s

Well, last time I celebrated publishing my 500th post and also this blog’s 10th birthday, but enough of all that back patting and time to crack on with post 501 and my 11th year of blogging. Thanks to everyone who dropped by to congratulate me though.

In the early days of the blog I was often surprised by how one post led onto another, as a connection I hadn’t hitherto noticed became apparent by the time I got to the end. This happened last time. In my very first post I had shared the song Life On Mars? with the video clip of David Bowie in his pale blue suit, as he had passed away the day before on the 10th of January 2016. For the blog’s 10th birthday and anniversary of his death I decided to share it again, with another Bowie song at the end of the post, Heroes, chosen mainly because again he was wearing a pale blue suit. He was after all voted The Best-Dressed Briton in History.

So, what’s this amazing connection I hear you ask? I had also compared pouring over the new UK Singles Chart back in the ’70s, when David Bowie was at his prime, with the UK Singles Chart of today which I have just started to follow again. Because we consume our music so differently nowadays with downloads and streaming rather than purely physical copies counting towards “sales”, it can look very different. Last year the UK Top 10 was awash with hits from the smash Netflix animated film Kpop Demon Hunters, and for the last two weeks the actor/singer/songwriter Joe Keery/Djo (the handsome Steve Harrington from Netflix’s Stranger Things) has secured the top spot in the Singles Chart with his song End of Beginning.


Last week I was more fixated on my blog’s anniversary to dive deeper into the effect Stranger Things has had on music charts, but now I have, and I will share it with you. For anyone who hasn’t watched Stranger things yet, why not? It’s a drama set in the 1980s, centred on a group of young people from the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana. A nearby secretive government research facility experiments on children, and after a young girl called Eleven with psychokinetic powers inadvertently creates a wormhole known as the Upside Down, it connects Earth to a hostile realm. It blends investigative drama with supernatural horror, and references the popular culture of the ’80s. The final episode, of the final season, aired on New Year’s Day here in the UK and after an emotional ending where this little gang of misfits saved the world, the song used for the end credits was David Bowie’s Heroes, suggested by Joe Keery himself.


Because of it’s inclusion in this top rated show, Heroes is now back in the UK Singles Chart along with other relevant songs like Diana Ross’s Upside Down. The soundtrack contains some of the biggest hits of the 1980s and they have been propelled back to fame, the biggest success story being the Kate Bush song Running Up That Hill used to great effect in Season 4 (written about here). After 37 years she finally reached the No. 1 spot in 2022. In Season 5, one of the characters is given a cassette tape with Tiffany’s I Think We’re Alone Now and yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s back in the UK Singles Chart.

I think We’re Alone Now by Tiffany:


Other songs used on the S5 soundtrack are as follows:

  • When Doves Cry by Prince
  • Purple Rain by Prince
  • Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
  • Here Comes Your Man by Pixies
  • The Trooper by Iron Maiden
  • Sweet Jane by Cowboy Junkies
  • Rockin’ Robin by Michael Jackson (The Jackson 5 version also featured)
  • Fernando by ABBA
  • Pretty in Pink by The Psychedelic Furs

I have just checked and eight songs are now back in the current Singles Chart because of Stranger Things, but although I said such lists look very different nowadays because of these popular Netflix shows, maybe it’s selective memory coming into play. I seem to remember in the summer of 1978 most of the songs in the charts were either from the film Saturday Night Fever or Grease (it was a John Travolta summer). Likewise, our Saturday evening cop shows often threw up a hit or two from the stars involved – I’m looking at you David Soul and also you Telly Savalas. Even our own home grown shows could generate successful top-selling artists once Mr Cowell got his hands on them – Robson & Jerome anyone? Maybe things haven’t changed all that much after all.

I Think We’re Alone Now was written and composed by Ritchie Cordell and first recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells. The song was originally written as a romantic ballad, but when James and Cordell recorded a quick demo, they made the song faster. Tommy James later wrote: “Ritchie originally wrote the song as a mid-tempo ballad. I said no way and started speeding it up. I put on a nasally, almost juvenile-sounding lead vocal, and without realizing it, we invented “bubblegum” music.” 


Until next time…

I Think We’re Alone Now Lyrics
(Song by Ritchie Cordell)

Children behave
That’s what they say when we’re together
And watch how you play
They don’t understand

And so we’re running just as fast as we can
Holdin’ on to one another’s hand
Tryin’ to get away into the night
And then you put your arms around me
And we tumble to the ground
And then you say

I think we’re alone now
There doesn’t seem to be anyone around
I think we’re alone now
The beating of our hearts is the only sound

Look at the way
We gotta hide what we’re doin’
‘Cause what would they say
If they ever knew?

And so we’re running just as fast as we can
Holdin’ on to one another’s hand
Tryin’ to get away into the night
And then you put your arms around me
And we tumble to the ground
And then you say

I think we’re alone now (alone now)
There doesn’t seem to be anyone around
I think we’re alone now (alone now)
The beating of our hearts is the only sound

I think we’re alone now (alone now)
There doesn’t seem to be anyone around
I think we’re alone now
The beating of our hearts is the only sound

Summer Romances, “On The Beach” and RIP Chris Rea

I was saddened to hear of the death Chris Rea just before Christmas. He was just 74 but once you read about the various ailments he had suffered over the years it seems he did well to live that long. In 1995 he got peritonitis and nearly died. Pancreatic cancer came along in 2001 which led to diabetes, and then he had a stroke in 2016. Some people are very unlucky when it comes to health issues whereas others, against all the odds, seem to live a very long and charmed life (I’m looking at some octogenarian band members here).


Most of us know that Chris was a Middlesbrough lad, and his accent confirmed that, but I have just found out that his father was an Italian who had come over to Britain and set up an ice-cream factory. The unusual surname, ending in a vowel, should have given a clue but in the world of music you don’t question such things. Chris apparently started dating his wife Joan when he was just 17 so they were together a very long time – she will be bereft.

Chris Rea blended blues, pop, soul and soft rock and made 25 studio albums, featuring chart hits which included The Road to Hell, Driving Home for Christmas, and tracks such as On the Beach and Josephine that earned popularity in the Balearic dance scene.

The one I’m going to share however is On The Beach from 1986. I had a particularly nice summer that year as I went with the flatmates of the time to Zakynthos in Greece for my first ever all-girls holiday. Two of those flatmates I am going to have a Zoom call with tonight as we have a weekend away to plan. Since the kids have grown up and people have started to retire there is much more time for such adventures, and other than my biological family and the family I created with Mr WIAA, it’s the only other family I’ve ever been part of, the urban family we had for nine years in the Aberdeen of the ’70s and ’80s. Not sure if we’ll be planning a weekend in Zakynthos however.

On The Beach by Chris Rea:


But my beach holiday is not necessarily why I chose to feature this lovely song. I’m going to bore regular readers with a story that I know I’ve mentioned before, but worth retelling I think. One of the flatmates I went on that holiday with ended up moving south in 1987, the same year I moved north to the Highlands (yes, our little urban family had broken up). After moving around a bit over the years she ended up in a lovely house in Berkshire, which had been a gardener’s cottage, but not like any gardener’s cottage I’ve seen. She was too late but it was next door to the house Chris Rea used to own and from which he had recorded the song about the “road to hell” (driving home to Berkshire from London). His recording studio in the garden had shared a party wall with the home office my friend set up there and I often wondered when we went to visit whether On The Beach had actually been made there.

One more story before I go, Chris Rea also had himself a nice summer in 1986 as On the Beach was inspired by a trip to the Spanish island of Formentera off the coast of Ibiza. Chris is quoted as saying, ‘That’s where me and my wife, became me and my wife. That’s what it’s about. Yeah, I was ‘between the eyes of love.’ It’s a lovely island’. In the summer of 1986 I had just come out of a very long relationship which obviously wasn’t going anywhere and is why I was having my first “girls holiday”. We all had a little holiday romance which was exciting indeed but upon my return, looking all tanned and dressed in summery clothes, I met a chap in a local nightspot and instantly fell in love! He worked for a local oil company which was the norm back in the Aberdeen of the 1980s but we spent the next six weeks practically joined at the hip and one of the first things he did was give me the On The Beach album, which I still have. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was, as we just seemed to click so perfectly.


But these chaps who worked for oil companies were slippery characters and as the weeks went by I started to question him about his past and like me he’d had a long-term relationship, but unlike me, he was still in it! I was devastated and felt such a fool. I was out of practice with the rules of dating and had only ever gone out with people whose past I was fully aware of. I had given my ex an ultimatum and accepted that the relationship had to end. My new chap had also been given an ultimatum but was weak, and had a new job lined up in our Scottish capital so they could finally get married (against his will so he said?!). I still believe we had something special that On The Beach summer, and we did speak on the phone a few times after he moved away, but who knows, maybe I was just a massive Fool who was tricked into thinking that. I’ll never know the answer, but I do know he didn’t stay married for long, which is not surprising.


One more song before I go. The version of On The Beach I shared above was the one released as a single, however the original version from the  album was a much slower, more contemplative affair. It seems most people now prefer the original, but in case you want to compare and contrast for yourself, here is a clip.


Until next time, RIP Chris Rea, and remember to watch out for slippery characters who work for oil companies.

On The Beach Lyrics
(Song by Chris Rea)

Between the eyes of love I call your name
Behind the guarded walls I used to go
Upon a summer wind there’s a certain melody
Takes me back to the place that I know
Down on the beach

The secrets of the summer I will keep
The sands of time will blow a mystery
No-one but you and I
Underneath that moonlit sky
Take me back to the place that I know
On the beach

Forever in my dreams my heart will be
Hanging on to this sweet memory
A day of strange desire
And a night that burned like fire
Take me back to the place that I know
On the beach

Other Fine Blogs, Two Puzzles and Debbie Harry

I’m going to blame Rol from My Top Ten for my lack of posting something new for a while. I’ve been busy as I am now part of the Cancel Culture Club over at his place, where we debate whether songs from the past should be seen in a rather different light in these modern, progressive times. Should they be “cancelled” or do they still have merit despite their old-fashioned attitudes?


It’s been a really interesting series to be a part of, so I would recommend you hop over and spend some time reading the responses. So far we’ve been broadly in agreement about the songs in question: Young Girl, Turning Japanese and Girls, but I think with the next song on his list, it could be a lot harder to find consensus. Watch his space.

Rol’s other popular feature is Saturday Snapshots, where we have to work out from the photo and clue who each artist is and then find a link between one of each of their songs. We are now up to #420, so as you can imagine it’s been going for many years and a great reason to get up early on a Saturday morning and give the old grey matter a workout.


Those of us who join in however do feel guilty about poor Rol having to do all the legwork on Snapshots (although he has had some help of late in the form of guest posts). I have racked my brain over the years to think of a puzzle I could host but my ideas always seem lame and unworkable. I do however like saving things I like the look of on social media that relate to music, and at a push they could make for a bit of a puzzle.

As regular visitors to this place know I am fond of a spreadsheet and can’t imagine my life without them. I spotted something recently relating to songs that was in the form of a spreadsheet, but I then lost it again before I could save the picture. No matter I thought, I could remember how it went so I would create my own. The cells do end up quite small, so you’re going to have to blow up the image, but can you work out what all five songs are and who they are by? Each line represents a different one and you should be able to work out what it is by noting what the singer did on each day of the week. It’s very easy so don’t look at the comments boxes until you’ve got them all.


What I would most like from you guys however are more entries for my spreadsheet – there must be many out there that have lyrics relating to days of the week. If you have any, let me know via the Contact Me link. I can then add them to my sheet and share it again. Thanks in advance for your help.

The other picture I saw recently was this one of New Wave stars of the 1980s. I recognised most of them but not all so let’s see how you get on. At the moment I’m stuck with the chap at the far right of the top row and the two girls at the extreme left and right of the bottom row – can anyone help? I’m sure between us we can identify them all. Once we do have them all (if I’m lucky enough to get enough visitors to help) I’ll do a row by row spreadsheet with their names. Of course you will I hear you say!


As I’ve shared Rol’s photo of Debbie Harry, I’ll end with a song from Blondie, hopefully a politically correct one (although I’m starting to notice that I often missed the metaphors and euphemisms in songs when I was young – so naïve). Here is The Tide Is High from 1980, a song not written by the band but originally recorded by a Jamaican vocal group called The Paragons. But is Debbie in the picture above – I think she is but I don’t think it’s a very good likeness. What do you think?

The Tide Is High by Blondie:


Until next time…

The Tide Is High Lyrics
(Song by John Holt)

The tide is high but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
I’m not the kind of girl
Who gives up just like that
Oh, no

It’s not the things you do
That tease and hurt me bad
But it’s the way you do
The things you do to me
I’m not the kind of girl
Who gives up just like that
Oh, no

The tide is high but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
the tide is high but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
Number one,
my number one
number one

Every girl wants you to be her man
But I’ll wait right here ’till it’s my turn
I’m not the kind of girl
Who gives up just like that
Oh, no

The tide is high but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
The tide is high but im holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
Number one,
my number one
number one

Every time that I get the feeling
you give me something to believe in
every time that I got you near me
I know the way that I want it to be
but you know I’m gonna take chance now
I’m gonna make it happen somehow
and you know I can take the pressure
a moment to pay for a lifetime pleasure

Every girl wants you to be her man
But I’ll wait right here ’til it’s my turn
I’m not the kind of girl
Who gives up just like that
Oh, no

The tide is high but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
The tide is high, but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one

Postscript:

As my puzzles have been up for a week now, I think it’s time to offer up the solutions.

Spreadsheet of Songs Answers
Row 1 – Friday I’m In Love by The Cure
Row 2 – 7 Days by Craig David
Row 3 – Everyday Is Like Sunday by Morrissey
Row 4 – Eight Days A Week by the Beatles
Row 5 – Manic Monday by the Bangles

Solution to the New Wave Faces Print

New Wave Faces SolutionDownload


My Live Aid Day Remembered – Freddie, George and ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’

I wish this anniversary had fallen on a Saturday as it would have felt more in keeping somehow, but no, the 40th anniversary of Live Aid day has fallen on a Sunday and like back then, the weather on the 13th of July in the North of Scotland is sweltering. Yes, the heatwave that had so far passed us by has finally arrived.

I finally got round to writing down my memories of that day five years ago on the 35th anniversary, and pretty much all of it still holds true, so a bit of lazy blogging from me today that I hope some new followers of the blog will enjoy (just substitute the number 35 for 40). I noticed that I made no mention of how we donated to the cause back then and to be honest I can’t remember – I used only cash and cheques in 1985, not plastic, so no phone-in for me – but everywhere we went there were buckets being passed around collecting money so we must have done it that way.


In the run up to the anniversary a BBC doc has been aired called Live Aid at 40: When Rock ’n’ Roll Took on the World and last night I watched the sequel which is the concert itself, shown in two parts. There was much about the politics of it all that really didn’t register with me at age 25, but back then it just felt good that through our favourite pop and rock stars we were able to do our bit to help the famine in Africa. 40 years on there is still famine around the world and again mainly down to politics – when will it ever end? A takeaway from rewatching the concert again last night was that compared to how it would be today, it was very male, very white and there were an awful lot of too tight pale blue jeans. Anyway, here is my post from five years ago, and yes, my flatmate of the day is still one of my best friends despite having lived at the opposite end of the country for most of the intervening years. Some things change a lot, but others thankfully never do.

First posted 13th July 2020:

‘It’s twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it’s time for Live Aid’

live-aid


Those were the words that kicked off probably the most memorable fund-raising event in rock and pop history, and this week was its 35th anniversary. On Monday morning, after being reminded of the date, I decided to revisit my DVD boxset of the event and over the course of the week I’ve watched it all, and taken notes. Sadly these notes fill 12 pages of my shorthand notebook, so I have absolutely no chance of condensing my thoughts into a format suitable for a blog post. I do however remember how I spent the day, so before my aging memory lets me down, I think I’ll approach it that way.

You have to be of a certain age to remember Live Aid at all, mid 40s or older I suspect, but if you do, you’ll probably remember it was held on a glorious, hot summer’s day, the like of which doesn’t often fall on a Saturday in Scotland. I was a big music fan, but the concert would go on all day, so what did my flatmate and I do just before 12 noon on Saturday, the 13th July, 1985? We went to the local park of course!

Duthie-Park-1-915px
Aberdeen’s Duthie Park

I was prepared however and had brought a small transistor radio with me, so although we weren’t watching the action live on telly we did hear the opening act, Status Quo, Rockin’ All Over The World. Had I been watching on telly, I would have known that Paul Weller, who was next up with his Style Council, was looking very summery and dare I say healthy that day in his white trousers, but we only had this crackly radio. By 1 pm it was obvious we should head back to our cool, granite, second floor flat. The day had become just too hot and we were missing out on all the action.

Over the next few hours we watched the following artists perform on stage at Wembley in front of an audience of 72,000. Everyone that day was hot and bothered, there is no doubt, but also having the time of their lives.

The Boomtown Rats, Adam Ant, Ultravox, Spandau Ballet, Elvis Costello, Nick Kershaw, Sade, Sting, Phil Collins, Howard Jones, Brian Ferry and Paul Young. 

Watching this segment of the concert now, 35 years on, it was a veritable Who’s Who of mid ’80s chart toppers (with organiser Bob Geldof included of course). The dress code of the day seemed to be either black leather or baggy white clothing depending on your musical leanings, but those who opted for white definitely suffered less in the baking heat. There were mullets of all persuasions too, even amongst those who were thinning on top (Phil Collins). The quality of the singing was less than perfect, but hey, there had been little time to rehearse or prepare for this massive event so hats off to them for committing, as some did not and later regretted it. Final observation – so many saxophones! The instrument of choice for the mid ’80s it seems.

And here is where the day was punctuated with another break from the telly, as the oil company I worked for at the time was hosting a barbeque for its staff that very evening. The flatmate and I duly got ready to head along Queen’s Road to the spot overlooking Rubislaw Quarry (from which Aberdeen was built) where many of these corporate HQs were based. Before we left however we caught the performance by U2 which is often cited as having elevated them to superstardom. Bono was tiptoeing around in his tight black leather trousers and long boots, but after spotting a girl in the crowd, jumped down into the mud at the front of the stage and helped save her from being crushed. They missed out on playing their third song but it was a sign of things to come from him, for sure.

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My workplace at top left

So, we arrived at my workplace in the early evening, but bowing down to pressure from their staff, it had been decided to install a big screen in the underground carpark so we could watch the concert whilst eating the fine barbequed food only an American company could serve up. My workmate was there with her new boyfriend, so was on a bit of a high. As was often the case however with these office romances in Aberdeen, it later transpired he had a wife who lived elsewhere whom he’d conveniently omitted to tell her about. They were slippery characters some of these chaps we worked with who often broke our hearts.

But back to the concert, we were now lined up on chairs watching scenes coming live from Wembley on the big screen. I’m not going to describe the Philadelphia concert here as would get far too bogged down, and anyway, it just wasn’t a patch on our set-up. Wembley, with its enclosed stadium, twin towers and greenery all around, looked beautiful on that hot summer’s day whereas the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia looked like a makeshift set of scaffolding surrounded by carparks and interstate highways.

As the day wore on the stakes were raised and artists of more legendary status started to appear on stage. First up we had Dire Straits but then we had the band who is generally thought to have stolen the show that day, Queen.  I have written about their Live Aid performance around here before and it’s my second most visited post ever (link here) so won’t repeat myself, but Freddie was on especially fine form that day and owned the stage, encouraging the crowd to sing along in unison. His sustained “Aaaaaay-o” during the a cappella section came to be known as the note heard round the world. The last time I wrote about their set on Live Aid day I shared Radio Gaga, but having watched them again this week, the song they finished with was We Are The Champions which was almost as perfect. They certainly were champions that day.

We Are The Champions by Queen


It’s obvious watching this footage that Queen’s set took place just as the sun had gone down, but it wasn’t yet dark. This is my favourite time of the day for any outdoor event as there’s a certain magic about it. No harsh sunlight but not a total absence of light either. In Scotland it’s called The Gloaming and a very special time of the day. Up in Aberdeen it wouldn’t be gloaming for a while yet, so we sat tight and carried on watching the big screen.

Next up was David Bowie, looking very dapper in a powder blue suit and pointy black patent shoes. Another great performance and quoted as being “his last triumph of the 1980s”. He was followed by The Who who hadn’t played together for three years. No powder blue suit for Roger Daltrey, oh no indeed. As ever he had his shirt open showing off his hairless, suntanned torso. Roger must be doing something right in terms of looking after himself, as at the grand old age of 76 he still looks pretty good today, and I imagine the bare-chested look is something he still favours.

But this was Saturday night in the big city and one by one people were drifting off. The hostelry of choice for 20-somethings in 1985 was the Dutch Mill on Queen’s Road, so leaving the concert behind for a while, my flatmate and I headed in that direction. In those pre-mobile phone days, it was highly likely you would bump into most of your friends on a weekend evening, but when we got there on the evening of the 13th July, it was dead, as everyone was at home watching Live Aid. We had a quick drink then walked the short distance back to our flat in the city centre.

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The Dutch Mill, Aberdeen

Once home we settled back into our large beige and brown sofa (it was the ’80s) and turned on our Radio Rentals telly. I can’t be sure, and I would be lying if I said I was, but the artist following on from The Who was Elton John so if we did get back in time for his set that’s who we would have watched next. Having viewed the boxset this week, Elton performed a couple of duets, first with his old mucker Kiki Dee, and then joy of joys, with the person I have written about most around here, George Michael.

I have mentioned the making of the Band Aid single before, and how the Wham! boys George and Andrew weren’t treated with much respect that day by the other artists, being proponents at the time of feel-good pop tunes. But here we were just six months on and Elton John saw fit to ask George to sing Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me with him. He said he was “a great admirer of his musical talent” when introducing him, and I have to say he gives an impeccable performance here. Also, unlike many others that day, he was dressed simply in jeans, white T-shirt and black leather jacket which is kind of timeless (we’ll ignore the fact it was dark and he’s wearing shades). His Live Aid appearance has stood the test of time and he went on to great things whereas those who had laughed at him are perhaps long forgotten.

Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me by George Michael and Elton John:


The Wembley concert finished off with a set by Paul McCartney who had been persuaded out of retirement for the event. Sadly he was the only artist on the night to experience microphone failure, so the audience missed out totally on one of his songs. It was fixed quite quickly but typical it had to happen to him. Once finished, he and Bowie raised Bob Geldof up on their shoulders, and then, along with the rest of the performers from the day (and a few others it seems) they launched into a version of Do They Know It’s Christmas?, the charity single that started the whole thing off. The first two lines were a bit ropey, sung by Bowie and Bob, but then they wisely handed the mic over to a safe pair of hands in the form of George Michael, who very confidently took over.

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I think we spent a good few hours in front of the telly that night as we then watched the rest of the Philadelphia Live Aid concert, which would go on for a fair while yet due to time differences. The programmers also revisited ‘the best bits’ of the day, so by the time I went to bed in the early hours, I’d pretty much seen everything.

So, ‘What’s It All About?’ – I’m not going to get into the whole criticisms and controversy aspect of Live Aid. All the money may not have got to the right places, at the right time, but around 1.9 billion people watched the concerts that day and over £150 million was raised. There is no denying, the publicity generated meant that western governments could no longer ignore humanitarian crises. Through rock ‘n’ roll, the common language of the planet, an issue that was not hitherto on the political agenda, became so.

As for this post, it was for my own benefit really, as I have never documented My Live Aid Day and always wanted to. The flatmate I spent it with FaceTimed me the other day and is coming up to visit next month (as long as that pesky virus is kept under control) and the workmate with the broken heart soon got over it, and we still keep in touch via Christmas cards. The boyfriend of the time chose to spend that summer travelling round France with a work colleague, so missed out on Live Aid totally. Needless to say he soon became the ex-boyfriend upon his return, and we are definitely no longer in touch.

How did you spend your Live Aid day? I have met a few people over the years who were actually at Wembley for the concert and I love hearing their stories. If you have any, I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time…

Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me Lyrics
(Song by Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

I can’t light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I’m growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life

It’s much too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when i met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light

Don’t let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it’s always someone else I see
I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me

I can’t find the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way feel
Don’t discard me just because you think I mean you harm
But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal

Oh, don’t let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it’s always someone else I see
I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
Cause’ losing everything is like the sun going down on me

Don’t let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it’s always someone else I that see, yeah
I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free baby, oh
Cause’ losing everything is like the sun going down on me

2025: The Best So Far – Better Man, SAS Rogue Heroes and Sir Alex

Last time I wrote about my favourite things of 2024, concentrating mainly on what I’d heard, read and seen. Unbelievably, a week into the new year, I think I’ve already seen my favourite things of 2025. If I’m wrong, I’m going to be in for a treat this year. If I’m right, how weird that the year has peaked in week one.

Cinema

The day after New Year’s Day, I went out with a friend for lunch and a film. We thought we’d give the new Robbie Williams biopic a go and boy was I glad I did. I’m not generally a fan of biopics as we usually know the star’s life story already and why watch an actor sing and dance their way through the film when we can still watch plenty of footage of them via other means. Also, it’s often a highly edited version of the star’s life and only from the age of adulthood. All that was turned on its head in Better Man as Robbie was played by a CGI chimp. It sounds ridiculous but you get used to it incredibly quickly and the 8-year-old Robbie/chimp is very, very cute. The story takes us up to Robbie’s concert at the Royal Albert Hall around the time of his Swing While Your Winning album and despite the fact he has had to face his many demons along the way (the messy side of addition is not shied away from), at this point in his career he has made peace with himself and those closest to him.


My friend and I both loved the film and it seems the reviews have been very kind too. What comes across loud and clear is that Robbie was a born showman and from a very young age wanted to entertain people. He was stifled during his Take That years as their manager very much saw the band as being Gary Barlow plus friends, friends who did a bit of backing singing and a lot of dancing. Understandably this was not enough for Robbie and once he met up with his songwriting partner Guy Chambers he was on his way to a very successful solo career. The video clip for this song is a bit manic but the sentiment very appropriate. Let Me Entertain You was the fifth and final single from his debut solo album Life Thru a Lens. In March 1998, the track peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

Television Drama

The next thing I’ve been blown away by (no pun intended) in this first week of the new year is SAS Rogue Heroes, again about real people. I’m not usually a fan of action films and dramas but this one is quite exceptional. We watched the first season a couple of years ago and the second season started on the BBC on New Year’s Day. It had to be binge-watched. I am no fan of war, but 80 years ago one was being waged across the continent of Europe, and it can’t be underestimated how big an influence the small newly formed regiment called the Special Air Service played in bringing that war to an end. The main character in this season was Major Paddy Mayne, a poetry-loving, slightly mad (you had to be) solicitor from Northern Ireland. His regiment didn’t play by the normal rules of engagement and having read up about the real-life man, he was only in his mid-20s at the time. Paddy was played by the actor Jack O’Connell and although it looks as if he overacts much of the time, I have a feeling the real man was probably just as eccentric.


The drama was created by Steven Knight who also created Peaky Blinders. If you enjoyed it you will probably enjoy SAS Rogue Heroes. There is black and white footage of the time interspersed between scenes, and throughout it all, the soundtrack uses urgent punk rock music which perfectly suits the drama taking place. I’ve researched the tracks used and they are listed below with a link to a clip. I’ve also added a video clip of the Cult’s 1985 single She Sells Sanctuary which appeared in one of the episodes.

Television Documentary

This one could be peculiar to me amongst my blogging circle but I really, really enjoyed the BBC documentary Sir Alex this week. Most people probably know of Sir Alex Ferguson from his time as manager of Manchester United where he achieved everything there is to achieve in football, but he cut his teeth at Aberdeen FC, and it coincided with my happiest time living in that city. Every time there is a documentary about Aberdeen’s amazing win against Real Madrid in the European Cup Winner’s Cup final, I have to watch it, as all the memories of that time come flooding back and I remember exactly what I was doing and who with. Some of those I’m still in touch with but others I’m not, which is sad, but what a time for the city.


I thought the doc was very clever in that it bounced back and forth throughout the years of Fergie’s career and I did learn quite a lot I didn’t already know. What I do know was that my Aberdeen flatmate taught his sons during his 8-year tenure there and we often had their homework strewn across our kitchen table. I also remember that the oil company I worked for had a Christmas night out in 1985 in one of the city’s nicer restaurants. As was my wont I recited a festive poem for all my colleagues and then we exchanged the joke presents we had bought for each other. We were being a bit bawdy to be sure and poor Fergie and his wife were sitting next to us trying to have a quiet dinner together. I don’t think our party poppers landed in his soup, but they came close.

Willie Miller holding the European Cup Winners Cup in 1983

A lot of the Aberdeen players were interviewed for the documentary (as he ended up taking a lot of them with him when he moved to Manchester – grrr) and right at the end of part 2, the final word came from “King” Kenny Dalgleish – he said that despite all his success with Manchester United, Fergie’s biggest achievement was winning a European Cup with a provincial Scottish club. Whatever the final judgement, I know it contributed to making Aberdeen a wonderful place to live in the early ’80s. It’s probably going to be my favourite documentary of the year.

Until next time…

Let Me Entertain You Lyrics
(Song by Robbie Williams/Guy Chambers)

Hell is gone and heaven’s here
There’s nothing left for you to fear
Shake your ass, come over here, now scream
I’m a burning effigy of everything I used to be
You’re my rock of empathy, my dear

So come on, let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

Life’s too short for you to die
So grab yourself an alibi
Heaven knows your mother lied, mon cher
Separate your right from wrongs
Come and sing a different song
The kettle’s on, so don’t be long, mon cher

So come on, let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

Look me up in the yellow pages
And I will be your rock of ages
You see through fads and your crazy phrases, yeah
Little Bo Peep has lost his sheep
He popped a pill and fell asleep
The dew is wet, but the grass is sweet, my dear

Your mind gets burned with the habits you’ve learned
But we’re the generation that’s got to be heard
You’re tired of your teachers and your school’s a drag
You’re not going to end up like your mum and dad

So come on, let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

He may be good, he may be out of sight
But he can’t be here, so come around tonight
Here is the place where the feeling grows
You gotta get high before you taste the lows
Come on

Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you (let me entertain you)
So come on, let me entertain you (let me entertain you)
Let me entertain you (let me entertain you)

Come on, come on, come on, come on
Come on, come on, come on, come on

Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

Happy Hogmanay and My End Of The Year Review

Music

I’ve not done a post like this before but I have kept a diary of what I’ve read, watched on the telly, and seen at the cinema/theatre this year. This being a music blog, you would think I would also have kept a log of what I’d listened to, but that has pretty much already been documented here, and as my followers know I’m not great at keeping up with “new” music (anything made since the turn of the millennium). I do, however, always watch the Brit Awards, and back in March I wrote about the band Jungle who performed on the night. They are by no means a new band, but they were to me, and I really liked what they gave us so they will be my favourite musical discovery of the year. The dancers who joined them on stage are an integral part of the band and all their videos feature them, not the actual musicians. Here they are with Back On 74.

Back On 74 by Jungle

Books

A few weeks ago I shared a list of the books I’d read this year since we initiated “reading hour”, between 5pm and 6pm. Since then I’ve only added another one to my list but it gets the prize for being my favourite read of 2024, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (if you know you know). The runners-up are listed below:


The First Casualty – Ben Elton (a new angle on the events of WW1)
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver (David Copperfield for the modern age)
French Braid – Anne Tyler (a family saga – beautiful writing as ever)

Concerts

Onto concerts now, and again, my exposure to live music is usually restricted to what comes up at our local theatre. Back in January I bought tickets for one of those live streams from elsewhere. It was the Pet Shop Boys latest tour and this was their Copenhagen date. Sitting in a theatre watching them on the big screen is obviously not as good as being there, but it comes a close second. I was bowled over by how many costume changes they made – different coat, boot and funny (peculiar) hat combos. Here they are at the Isle of Wight festival performing the same set list as I saw at the theatre – my favourite concert of the year.

The Pet Shop Boys Tour 2024

Television Drama

Mr WIAA and I spend an awful lot of time watching telly of an evening and we have racked up a fair few seasons of all manner of things this year. The drama that has retained its position as my favourite of the year is Responder with Martin Freeman in the lead role. It showed a side to policing that we don’t often see from the perspective of the bobby in the patrol car, stuck with night shifts that affect his personal life, and how he does his job. It was season 2 that aired earlier on this year, but we rewatched season 1 first, both still on the BBC iPlayer.


As for runners-up in this category, there are almost too many to mention but I’ll pare it down to nine:

The Tourist – BBC
Mr Bates Versus The Post Office – ITV
One Day – Netflix
Bridgerton – Netflix
Douglas Is Cancelled – ITV
Shetland – BBC
Wolf Hall – BBC
Joan – ITV
Until I Kill You – ITV

Cinema

I go to the cinema at our local arts centre a lot, as it’s where I socialise with my friends. This year has been a bit of a disappointment however as although I’ve seen 20+ films, none of them have really blown me away. I did really enjoy the film Wicked which I wrote about last month, but on the whole I’ve had more success watching films on the small screen, ones I’d missed at the cinema when they first came out. By a smidgeon, my favourite of these was Barbie on Amazon Prime. The two leads, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were excellent and it was great to see Ryan reprise his role at this year’s Oscars Ceremony.

Documentary

A lot of other things happened in 2024 – there was an Olympics from Paris and the Euros were hosted in Germany. No enormous time differences this time so I watched a fair bit of both. It was the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and the 40th anniversary of the Band Aid single. It was also the 40th anniversary of Wham!’s song Last Christmas and for the second year in a row it made it to the top of the UK Singles Chart – quite a feat and something its creator, George Michael, missed out on seeing. My favourite documentary of the year was the one about the making of Last Christmas where the original characters from the video (all friends of the band) returned, minus George, to the same village in Switzerland.

The Last Christmas house in Saas Fee


But the year is almost at an end and personally, I’ve had a really good one so I’ll be sad to see it go. I’ve been well all year and met up with many friends both locally and further afield. I love my volunteering role and our little business has ticked away nicely in the background. I even seem to have done a bit more blogging over the last couple of months. There are a few more lines on my face and a few more grey hairs on my head, but hey, I’ve learned to live with them. If next year is even remotely as good I’ll be a very happy woman.

To all my blogging friends and followers, Happy New Year. I hope 2025 brings you health and happiness.

Until next time…

Auld Lang Syne
(Words by Robbie Burns)

Should old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot
In the days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet
For the sake of auld lang syne

And surely, you will buy your cup
And surely, I’ll buy mine!
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet
For the sake of auld lang syne

New Turntables and Looking Out The Vinyl: Donald Fagen and Everything But The Girl

It was DD’s birthday at the weekend and when asked what she wanted for a present, she said a turntable. Things have turned full circle and young people are now discovering that having thousands of songs (heck, millions of songs?) at their disposal, might not be the best way to really appreciate music. So, we all chipped in, and between us, the in-laws and Mr DD, she is now the proud owner of a turntable, speakers and a starter selection of vinyl albums. Most were recorded by current artists but in amongst those given to her by her other half was Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. I still find it amazing that she is a fan of a band who first formed nearly 30 years before she was born. Then again I was a big fan of Fred Astaire when I was young and his heyday was nearly 30 years before I was born, so perhaps she’s just following my lead.

Anyway, on the big day we were invited across to their new house for brunch, and for the opening of presents. Although I now have nothing decent to play them on, I still have most of my vinyl albums from back in the day and I’ve decided to loan her a couple every now and again to hear what she thinks of them. On this occasion, the first “loaning out”, I brought Donald Fagan’s The Nightfly and Everything But The Girl’s Baby The Stars Shine Bright, both albums I bought when I was roughly her age. I eagerly await her judgement as she has a good ear.

I only found out about Donald Fagen’s solo career from my friend who made the “awesome mixtapes” (see link on sidebar), as back in 1986 he made me one with a couple of tracks from The Nightfly. I had always liked Steely Dan’s music but I honestly wouldn’t have known the band members’ names back then. It was a pleasant discovery though, and I immediately treated myself to my own copy of The Nightfly.

The album is full of songs that related to Donald’s New Jersey suburban childhood, in the late ’50s and early ’60s, and refer to late-night jazz disc jockeys, fallout shelters, and tropical vacations. One of my favourites is New Frontier and as you will see from the clip it involves a young chap bringing a girl home to “party” in his father’s shelter built in the back garden. Such times.

The New Frontier by Donald Fagen:


Baby, the Stars Shine Bright was an album I bought at the start of 1987, as it was recommended in the magazine The Face which I subscribed to at the time. (I went through a stage of trying to be cooler than I actually was!) It was EBTG’s third album and despite the fact it didn’t spawn any hit singles I have always really liked it.

Apparently, Tracey and Ben were following a distinctively “anti-rock” approach at this time and were unwilling to adopt a synthetic-sounding production that was fashionable at the time. Instead, the album took its influence from ’60s orchestrated music and the singer Dusty Springfield. This explains why I must have liked the album so much as since starting this blog I find myself returning to orchestral pop time and time again. This song, Come On Home, was the first on side one – I wonder what DD will make of it?

Come On Home by Everything But The Girl:


So, “What’s It All About?” – Sharing your music with the generation below I think. DD already has a good appreciation of the music we bought on CD throughout the 1990s and beyond, but my vinyl is all new to her. I’m looking forward to having music-listening sessions in her lovely new house complete with turntable and speakers. I will report back.

Until next time…

The New Frontier Lyrics
(Song by Donald Fagen)

Yes we’re gonna have a wingding
A summer smoker underground
It’s just a dugout that my dad built
In case the reds decide to push the button down
We’ve got provisions and lots of beer
The key word is survival on the new frontier

Introduce me to that big blonde
She’s got a touch of Tuesday Weld
She’s wearing Ambush and a French twist
She’s got us wild and she can tell
She loves to limbo, that much is clear
She’s got the right dynamic for the new frontier

Well I can’t wait till I move to the city
Till I finally make up my mind
To learn design and study overseas

Do you have a steady boyfriend
Cause honey I’ve been watching you
I hear you’re mad about Brubeck
I like your eyes I like him too
He’s an artist, a pioneer
We’ve got to have some music on the new frontier

Well I can’t wait till I move to the city
Till I finally make up my mind
To learn design and study overseas

Let’s pretend that it’s the real thing
And stay together all night long
And when I really get to know you
We’ll open up the doors and climb into the dawn
Confess your passion, your secret fear
Prepare to meet the challenge of the new frontier

A New Found Appreciation: RIP Quincy Jones

We lost a titan of the music industry last Sunday when Quincy Delight Jones Jr., 91, died peacefully at his home in Bel-Air. He had come a long way from his humble beginnings on the South Side of Chicago. I thought I knew a fair bit about Quincy when I heard the news, but as ever, it’s not until you start to read the tributes that you discover how much you didn’t know.

I hadn’t, for example, realised he’d had quite the career as a jazz musician, arranger, and composer throughout the 1950s, and worked extensively with Frank Sinatra. Quincy first worked with Frank in 1958 and then six years later he was invited to arrange and conduct his live album with the Count Basie Orchestra, Sinatra at the Sands. Frank even gave him a gold pinkie ring with his personal crest and from that day on he never took it off.

Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra with the Count Basie Orchestra

I also didn’t know that Soul Bossa Nova, which became the theme tune for Mike Myers’ film series Austin Powers, was composed and first performed by Quincy in 1962. It got a whole new lease of life, and audience, when the first film was released in 1997.

Soul Bossa Nova by Quincy Jones

In the 1960s Quincy started to write the music for film soundtracks and along with Don Black created this bit of movie magic, On Days Like These, the theme tune for 1969’s The Italian Job starring Michael Caine. Sublime – one of my favourite ever film themes.

On Days Like These by Matt Monro

We’re now getting onto more familiar territory and I did know that Quincy produced the soundtrack for 1978’s The Wiz, the musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, starring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. It was whilst working on The Wiz that Michael asked Quincy to recommend some producers for his upcoming solo album. He offered some names but when none were right for the project he eventually offered to produce the album himself. Michael accepted and the rest, as they say, is history. The first album they made together, Off the Wall, sold about 20 million copies. Michael and Quincy’s next collaboration, Thriller, sold 65 million copies and became the highest-selling album of all time. The third album in the trilogy was Bad, which sold 45 million copies, and this was the last time they worked together. 

Off The Wall by Michael Jackson

Quincy didn’t often produce albums under his own name but back in 1981 he released the The Dude. I wouldn’t have remembered this album but I very definitely remember the single Razzamatazz (with vocals by Patti Austin) as it climbed to No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart, Quincy’s biggest solo hit over here. Having just listened to it straight after Off The Wall, there is more than a passing similarity, which of course makes perfect sense.

Razzamatazz by Quincy Jones with Patti Austin:

This tribute is growing arms and legs and I am conscious that I seem to be relying on a string of YouTube clips. We’re nearly there though. I’m also conscious I’ve shared a clip of someone I had banished from this blog a few years ago. It just didn’t seem right to make no mention of the three albums Quincy made with Michael Jackson, however, as in terms of his musical legacy they were probably his finest hour. I actually enjoyed watching the 21-year-old Michael sing and dance his way through Off The Wall, as being objective, he really was a rare talent.

In 1985 Quincy used his influence to get most of the major American artists together to record We Are The World. It was the US version of our Band Aid single and it raised even more money for the victims of famine in Ethiopia. 

By the 1990s, Quincy Jones had his own production company and worked with film studios and television networks to make copious amounts of entertainment. He was the person who gave us Will Smith in the form of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and yes, you guessed it, he composed the theme tune for the show.

For the next 30 years Quincy continued to be active in the entertainment industry and as recently as 2020, he appeared on the album Dawn FM by the Weeknd, performing a monolog in the sixth track, A Tale by Quincy. I would urge you to listen to it. It explains a lot.

I am reminded of the post I wrote about Burt Bacharach when he died. Both he and Quincy were in their 90s when they died so it’s not a tragedy, but it does draw a line under their amazing body of work. Unlike with Burt, whose life’s work I was more familiar with, I have learnt a lot about Quincy writing this post. They don’t come along very often, these magicians of music, but aren’t we glad that a few times in a generation, they do. RIP Quincy Jones.

Until next time…

Razzamatazz Lyrics
(Song by Quincy Jones/Rod Temperton)

Don’t believe those clouds in the sky
‘Cause they’ll be movin’ on and the sun will shine
If the world’s been passin’ you by
Just reach for a star and you’ll realize

Got to put back all the good times that we had
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz

If you feel your life’s in a rut
Just come on out tonight, and we’ll pull you up
Ain’t no use in dragging your feet
‘Cause something’s in the air that just can’t be beat

Got to put back all the good times that we had
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)

Bring out the rides with all those white wall tires
Let’s go out cruisin’ like we used to do
Get suited down, let’s set the town on fire
Jump out your seat and let the music pull you through

We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)

Got to put back all the good times that we had
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)

Bring out the rides with all those white wall tires
Let’s go out cruisin’ like we used to do
Get suited down, let’s set the town on fire
Jump out your seat and let the music pull you through

You can lay your soul on the line
‘Cause we can make it work if we do it right
Got to spread this message around
The people of the world should be getting down

Got to put back all the good times that we had
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
(Give a bit of Razzamatazz)

Birthdays, Football Tournaments and Sweet Summer Songs

WIAA: You know what I’m about to say, Alyson, don’t you?

ALYSON: I do indeed, WIAA, and I’m sorry your pages have remained blank so far this month. I could say I’ve been really busy, but in truth it seems that I’m just prioritising other things at the moment – sorry about that. What can I do to redeem myself?

WIAA: Hmm… let me think. How about WRITING SOMETHING! Just let your fingers dance around the keyboard telling us what you’ve been up to?

ALYSON: Good plan WIAA.

The big news is that DD and the still relatively new Mr DD have bought their first house together. An exciting time for them but also a busy time, as it being a 10-year-old house there is a fair bit of DIY to be done to get it just the way they want it. Guess who’s been doing the DIY? To be fair, the lion’s share has been down to her dad who is flooring their loft as I type. There is method in this madness, however, as our own loft might finally get a decent clear out of all the stuff she accumulated during her teenage years/early twenties when she had more disposable cash but a childhood bedroom too small to hold it all. I have an awful feeling most will go to the recycling centre but now at least there will be options.

The House That Jack Built by Tracie

In other news, we’ve had a short caravan holiday on our favourite beach up in East Sutherland. I’ve written about such holidays before so I won’t go there again but it was very relaxing indeed. The weather was not kind but in three days we went to three folk museums and three coffee shops, had three walks along the beach (in between rainstorms) and three nice dinners. The first of these dinners was paella cooked by Mr WIAA to celebrate my birthday. The cards and flowers I’d received in the morning came on holiday with us and a lovely day was had, despite the fact a very age-specific Beatles song kept ringing in my ears. Suddenly the age mentioned in the song didn’t feel very old at all, but then you remember two of the Beatles didn’t even make it, so feeling blessed (especially after my stint in hospital last year) to be happy and healthy at this point in my life.

When I’m Sixty-Four by the Beatles:


It would be hard to miss the fact there is a big football tournament going on at the moment, the Euros, so lots of coverage on the main two television channels. I no longer follow club football but I do like the big tournaments as it’s a chance to see some of the world’s best players perform their magic on the pitch. From the 1970s on I’ve followed these biannual events and am lucky to have watched players such as Pele and Johan Cruyff as well as the more recent superstars such as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Tartan Army en route to a match

Sadly Scotland doesn’t have such superstars in their squad which might excuse them for their humiliating defeat last Friday night. I had to leave the room at one point as it was just so tough to watch after the big build up and following the antics of the 200,000 strong tartan army partying ahead of the match. It’s been 26 years since the tartan army had a chance to travel abroad for a tournament and they were certainly going to enjoy it. This song sums up their attitude I think, and despite the heavy defeat in their first match, optimism is high again ahead of their match tonight. (Don’t be misled by the still in this clip, it’s a very funny video.)

No Scotland No Party by Nick Morgan:


As this post is very much a web diary kind of affair what else have I been up to since the end of April? Many more hours of socialising with friends it seems. I really thought it would tail off once I’d been home from hospital for a while, but not a week passes without people getting in touch about going for walk, meeting up for coffee, organising a trip to the cinema… – I really am a very lucky lady and at no point over the last few months have I missed running the holiday hideaway. It was hard work and the standards I set myself were so high I was permanently exhausted and tied to my phone. Much better to do my weekly stint volunteering in the charity shop and continue to run our little online jewellery business. We’re definitely never going to make a fortune from it but it ticks over nicely and you just never know when a really interesting commission might come in.


As I mentioned the cinema above, our Film Club pick for last month was Bleeding Love starring one of my favourite actors, Ewan MacGregor. His real life daughter Clara plays his daughter in the movie. I always avoid reading the review for a film until after I’ve seen it so that I’m not predisposed to thinking a certain way about it. My friend and I both liked this story of the difficult road trip both characters went on, so were surprised when the reviews were less than favourable. Something else my friend and I liked was one of the songs on the soundtrack so we waited until all the credits rolled to see who it was by. As the words crept up the screen we eventually came to the songs. As soon as the names Bobby and Billy come up, I knew who it was going to be – yes, back in 1976 those Alessi brothers (of Oh Lori fame) wrote the sweet song Seabird which had now made it’s way into a MacGregor family offering 48 years later. They will be old men now just like I’m an old woman but having these songs in their back pocket is definitely something to impress the grandchildren with.

Seabird by Alessi:


Not much more to write about really as I’ve had a bit of an outpouring here. I no longer keep a paper diary so I like to use this blog as a reminder of what’s been going on in the world, and closer to home. Speaking of what’s going on in the world I didn’t mention the upcoming General Election, but that might be because I don’t watch much news nowadays and I know I’m not alone. Come the day I will turn out to vote but the electioneering is leaving me cold. What never leaves me cold however is a blogger’s meet-up and if all goes well there will be one next week. Looking forward to it very much and there will no doubt be stories to tell.

Until next time…

Seabird Lyrics
(Song by Bobby Alessi/Billy Alessi)

There’s a road I know I must go
Even though I tell myself
That road is closed

Listen, lonely seabird
You’ve been away from land too long
Aw, too long

I don’t listen to the news no more
Like an unwound clock
You just don’t seem to care
This world isn’t big enough
To keep me away from you
Oh, from you

Seabird, seabird
Fly home
Seabird, seabird
Fly home
Like a lonely seabird
You’ve been away from land too long
Oh, too long

Suddenly, you’re with me
I turn, and you’re not there
Like a ghost, you haunt me
You find warmth in a one-night bed

Sunsets, full moons
Don’t turn you on
Like an untied dog
You just had to run

Like a lonely seabird
You’ve been away from land too long
Oh, no, too long (so long, seabird)

Seabird, seabird
Fly home (like a lonely bird)
Seabird, seabird
Fly home

Seabird, seabird
Fly home (seabird, sea)
Seabird, seabird
Fly home