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    Life of a Song

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    • Monday, 5 June, 2023
      Music
      I Will Always Love You — Dolly Parton’s hit was a break-up song with a twist

      Memorably covered by Whitney Houston, the track was inspired by a big career choice

    • Monday, 29 May, 2023
      Music
      Jump Around — how House of Pain amped up the Irishness for this party anthem

      The LA hip-hop crew forged a cultural identity for a track that went on to be widely covered and used in film soundtracks

    • Monday, 22 May, 2023
      Music
      Tubular Bells — Mike Oldfield’s masterpiece still resonates 50 years on

      The largely wordless composition altered the course of music history

    • Monday, 15 May, 2023
      Music
      Kumbaya — twists and turns of a campfire favourite and civil rights anthem

      The story of the song’s origins has recently been updated, while its message has become corrupted by contemporary US politics

    • Monday, 8 May, 2023
      Music
      If I Were a Rich Man — indelibly associated with Topol, but it could have been Sinatra’s song

      The late singer spent a lifetime singing the tune from Fiddler on the Roof, though others expressed interest in the role

    • Monday, 1 May, 2023
      Music
      Jerusalem — how William Blake’s poem became an anthem for all causes

      Set to music by Hubert Parry, the hymn has been sung by suffragettes, socialists and rugby fans

    • Monday, 24 April, 2023
      Music
      Darling Be Home Soon — John Sebastian’s love song went against the grain

      Written for a film soundtrack, the 1967 track by his band The Lovin’ Spoonful celebrates everyday pleasures

    • Monday, 17 April, 2023
      Music
      Tomorrow Never Knows — The Beatles’ song was a catalyst for psychedelia

      John Lennon’s groundbreaking track owed a great deal to The Tibetan Book of the Dead — and producer George Martin

    • Monday, 10 April, 2023
      Music
      How Deep Is Your Love — The Bee Gees seized the moment with this timeless track

      The song is chiefly remembered as part of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, though others have tackled it

    • Monday, 3 April, 2023
      Music
      I’m Every Woman — Chaka Khan struggled to embrace this anthem to female empowerment

      Over the years, the singer has revisited a song whose lyrics were mostly written by a man

    • Monday, 27 March, 2023
      Music
      Have You Ever Seen the Rain? — the universal appeal of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s track

      The band’s simple, hymnal song has been covered by pop stars and punk rockers

    • Monday, 20 March, 2023
      Music
      Super Freak — Rick James’s irresistible bassline spawned a hit, and a lawsuit

      The 1981 track epitomised the singer’s spirit and was sampled a decade later by MC Hammer

    • Monday, 13 March, 2023
      Music
      At Last — Etta James poured her heart into this classic tune

      The singer cemented the 1941 track as a standard and dozens more covered it — including Beyoncé

    • Monday, 6 March, 2023
      Music
      Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika — hymn that was central to the fight against apartheid

      It formed part of the new South Africa’s national anthem and was adopted by revolutionaries elsewhere

    • Monday, 27 February, 2023
      Music
      How Rachmaninov came to loathe his Prelude in C sharp minor

      The composer resented its popularity — but later said he admired one of several jazz versions of the piece

    • Monday, 20 February, 2023
      Music
      In the Pines — the story behind Kurt Cobain’s howl of anguish

      Popularised by Leadbelly and Nirvana, this song of suffering has its roots in an Appalachian folk tune

    • Monday, 13 February, 2023
      Music
      Psycho Killer — Talking Heads brought artsy cool to their portrait of a murderer

      The track’s release coincided with a real-life New York killing spree

    • Monday, 6 February, 2023
      Music
      Sloop John B — the story behind The Beach Boys’ hit runs deep

      Traces of this song from the Bahamas go back to the turn of the 20th century

    • Monday, 30 January, 2023
      Music
      Whole Lotta Love — Led Zeppelin’s priapic classic has a tangled history

      The band’s singer Robert Plant admitted that the song’s lyrics were not wholly original

    • Monday, 23 January, 2023
      Music
      The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo — music hall hit was inspired by a shady character

      Fred Gilbert’s 1891 song told the story of a gambler and conman who hit a lucky streak

    • Monday, 16 January, 2023
      Music
      Cum On Feel the Noize — Slade’s hit blasted the door open for ‘hair metal’

      A cover version of their 1973 track paved the way for a new wave of bands

    • Monday, 9 January, 2023
      Music
      It Ain’t Necessarily So — the Gershwins at the top of their game

      With its brilliantly playful rhymes, Sportin’ Life’s sceptical song from Porgy and Bess has been covered and reinterpreted over the years

    • Monday, 2 January, 2023
      Music
      Life on Mars? — David Bowie’s song had its roots in another epic hit

      The 1971 track, which channelled Sinatra’s ‘My Way’, became a tribute to Bowie following his death seven years ago

    • Monday, 26 December, 2022
      Music
      A New Year Carol — how Benjamin Britten popularised a mysterious song

      The composer took the piece back to its roots in Wales

    • Monday, 19 December, 2022
      Music
      How Walking in the Air took The Snowman to great heights

      Animated film of Raymond Briggs’s picture book featured a young singer who went uncredited for years

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