Life of a Song | Financial Times

Monday, 9 December, 2019

Music
After the Gold Rush — Neil Young’s song has beguiled and bewildered since 1970
Many artists have covered this curious track, but how many have actually understood it?
Monday, 2 December, 2019

Music
Which Side Are You On? — Florence Reece’s protest song became an anthem
Sparked by a 1931 miners’ strike, this rallying cry has been adopted and adapted through the decades
Monday, 25 November, 2019

Music
Somebody to Love — Jefferson Airplane brought spark to this strange, disorienting track
Darby Slick’s song encapsulates the San Francisco scene in the mid-1960s
Monday, 18 November, 2019

Music
Mona Lisa — Leonardo’s enigmatic portrait inspired this mellow hit
The song made famous by Nat King Cole began life on a film soundtrack
Monday, 11 November, 2019

Music
’Tain’t What You Do (It’s the Way That You Do It) — Ella Fitzgerald popularised this classic swing tune
The song also introduced the wider world to a hip new slang term
Monday, 4 November, 2019

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Stan — how Eminem’s hit from 2000 gave rise to today’s stan culture
The song stirred controversy, spawned cover versions — and gave rise to a new word
Monday, 28 October, 2019

Music
The Girl from Ipanema — Astrud Gilberto’s beguiling voice brought bossa nova to a global audience
The Brazilian singer made her professional debut with this slinky hit
Monday, 21 October, 2019

Music
Stranger on the Shore — Acker Bilk came to hate his haunting melody
The British jazz clarinettist’s tune spawned a multitude of covers — and made it across the Atlantic
Monday, 14 October, 2019

Music
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy has been harnessed for good and ill
The choral movement of the composer’s Ninth Symphony has featured in politics and popular culture
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Monday, 7 October, 2019

Music
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay — why Otis Redding’s biggest hit wasn’t actually a soul song
The singer’s posthumous number one was both easy-going and deeply melancholy
Monday, 30 September, 2019

Music
Smalltown Boy — Bronski Beat’s 1984 hit was a heartfelt cry for liberation
Jimmy Somerville’s soaring voice told a tale of homophobia and alienation
Monday, 23 September, 2019

Music
Something — Sinatra called it ‘the greatest love song of the past 50 years’
George Harrison’s widely covered track is celebrated on a newly released Abbey Road Anniversary Edition
Monday, 16 September, 2019

Music
Chase the Devil — when Max Romeo declared war on Lucifer
This 1976 roots reggae classic has been remixed and sampled many times
Monday, 9 September, 2019

Music
Big Yellow Taxi — Joni Mitchell’s environmental anthem has been recycled many times
The singer’s hit came at a time of pollution disasters and rising anguish about the planet
Tuesday, 3 September, 2019

Music
Don’t You (Forget About Me) — Simple Minds have had a fraught relationship with their biggest hit
The band’s song from The Breakfast Club went on to spawn a multitude of cover versions
Monday, 26 August, 2019

Music
Who Knows Where the Time Goes? — sadness surrounds Sandy Denny’s classic ballad
Written when the singer was just 19, this plaintive song has been covered extensively
Monday, 19 August, 2019

Music
The Great Pretender — the hit that went from kitsch to heartbreak
The Platters’ 1955 song has cheap touches but real power, too — as Freddie Mercury showed in his 1987 version
Monday, 12 August, 2019

Music
Make It Easy on Yourself — The Walker Brothers’ 1965 hit was a masterclass in abject yearning
Bacharach and David’s song has been covered many times, but few have matched Scott Walker’s visceral sadness
Monday, 5 August, 2019

Music
Fortunate Son — Creedence Clearwater Revival’s era-defining anthem of dissent
The 1969 song became a rallying cry against the Vietnam war and entrenched privilege
Monday, 29 July, 2019

Music
Hurt — Trent Reznor’s ‘valentine to the sufferer’ was deepened by Johnny Cash
This bleak Nine Inch Nails track became the country singer’s swan song
Monday, 22 July, 2019

Music
Sumer Is Icumen In — medieval ditty that sparked debate about one word in particular
Like the cuckoo call in the lyrics, this 13th-century song has continued to echo down the years
Monday, 15 July, 2019

Music
Space Oddity — David Bowie’s 1969 breakthrough hit has continued to orbit the world of music
Released a few days before the Moon landing, Bowie’s song brought a downbeat mood to space travel
Monday, 8 July, 2019

Music
Bitter Sweet Symphony — The Verve’s 1997 hit left a sour aftertaste
Legal wrangling meant that frontman Richard Ashcroft received only £1,000 for the track
Monday, 8 July, 2019

Music
Bitter Sweet Symphony — The Verve’s 1997 hit left a sour aftertaste
Legal wrangling meant that frontman Richard Ashcroft received only £1,000 for the track
Monday, 1 July, 2019

Music
Let’s Talk About Sex — Salt-N-Pepa’s 1991 hit had a rich musical heritage
Civil rights and dub reggae were among the strands in the track’s DNA