My Musical History Part 1

Junior Choice, Top 20 and Top of the Pops

What do I look for in a song?

When I look back on the music that has stayed with me, the common factor with most of the tracks is the narrative. I don’t mean that every single song I listen to has to have a clear storyline, although that helps, but I start by looking for some sort of connection with the character or the emotions of the song. I can fall under the spell of a song with lyrics that take second place to the tune, but it is always the lyrics that are my gateway into a song. You may notice the strength of the lyrics in many of my choices because it is the one thing that, looking back, has never changed. Let me take you on a trip through my earliest and strongest musical memories.

Once you have finished reading you can go onto my YouTube playlist where you will find the songs from this blog all in one place, although once you’ve read through my choices you might decide to steer well clear of it or at least do a lot of skipping!

It is very important to me that this tour through my musical background is an entirely truthful one. For that reason I am including songs that may seem embarrassing to modern ears, not least mine! However, these are the songs that helped form my musical landscape as it is today and to all these songs I owe a debt as they shaped the person I became in musical terms.

So, here is the Playlist for you to browse at your own risk!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYNHCBtlxb88oIwiPOwre4aE1OnmyD24T

Junior Choice

The first Number 1 of 1971, and the first I can really remember, was a song called Grandad by Clive Dunn. Clive Dunn was a 50 year old actor at the time playing Corporal Jones, a character significantly older, in the very popular BBC comedy ‘Dad’s Army’. He challenged Herbie Flowers, a multi-talented musician, whose performing credits read like a musical history lesson, to write a song for him and, along with Kenny Pickett he wrote Grandad.

To my modern ears it sounds like the type of novelty record that I might run a mile from, but that is mainly because of the chorus, which is a fairly repetitive dirge. However, when I first heard it on Junior Choice, presented by Ed Stewart and an absolute must listen for me at the time, it was the verses that really fascinated me.

They are very cleverly written to reflect the passing of time and the way that, to an extent, the past is where he feels most at home. Take those away from the chorus and you have a sympathetic and insightful piece of song writing. The first verse gives you a flavour of this.

I’ve been sitting here all day thinking.
Same old thing ten years away thinking.
Now my days are gone, memories linger on
Thoughts of when I was boy.

I suppose it set the tone for me for the rest of my musical life. Similar story songs featured on Junior Choice included ‘Two Little Boys’ by Rolf Harris and ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ by Peter, Paul and Mary and they created pictures in my mind that remain indelible. For those of us of a certain age it was a musical education as it looked backwards to songs from the late 1920s onwards and introduced me to a huge range of musical styles.

The Top 20 Countdown

Every Sunday night Radio 1 would broadcast the Top 20 and I was an avid listener. from about the age of 6. I used to insist on sitting in front of our big radio at home and listening to the Top 20 rundown in complete silence apart from when I was singing along! I used to be fascinated by the movement of songs up and down the charts and when a song or a group became a favourite of mine I was incredibly invested in their journey.

One of the first songs I can remember ‘cheering on’ was ‘Blue is the Colour’ by Chelsea FC, my favourite football team at the time. It got to Number 5 in early 1972 but stalled there, much to my disappointment. To this day, however, it ranks very near the top of the somewhat chequered history of football songs.

The first ‘grown up’ song that I really fell in love with was one that dealt with disappointment, rejection and suicide, not that I realised at the time! That song was ‘Vincent’ by Don McLean, also from 1972, and to this day it is a song I never tire of listening to. It is of course about Vincent Van Gogh and references his ‘Starry Night’ painting. I hadn’t seen the painting then, but I was already entranced by the idea. ‘Vincent’ was the first song I have a clear memory of listening to with my grandparents who I stayed with during the school holidays. My Nana in particular loved music and encouraged me in my discovery of all different kinds including watching the choir that she used to sing in. I think that she saw a light go on when I listened to the song and she was very happy to encourage that light. It also introduced me to one of my favourite painters, an artistic two for the price of one! I may not have fully understood the song, but who could fail to be entranced by lyrics like this?

Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue.
Colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand.

It also gave me a closeness to my Nana who was always happy to listen to the records that I bought and who had very eclectic tastes for someone of her generation.

Top of the Pops

I really started watching Top of the Pops regularly in 1972 and it became an non-negotiable part of my Thursday night for my childhood, teens and into my twenties. The records I chiefly remember from that year were the softer songs – glam would come stomping into my life the following year! – and again they had either a narrative or clearly defined characters, with perhaps one major exception. Despite being a boy, I was a huge fan of The Osmonds, and Donny in particular, because there was something almost other worldly about his voice. It was like nothing I had ever heard before with its beauty and clarity and I was immediately entranced. His first solo Number 1 was ‘Puppy Love’ which was originally written and recorded by Paul Anka. This song just exuded longing in a way I couldn’t grasp at the time, but it just bypassed my mind that was looking for a story and told me that in some cases the voice was enough to draw me in to a song. A similar effect happened when I first listened to ‘Clair’ by Gilbert O’Sullivan. It is a very cute little song about a man babysitting a friend’s child, but it was that completely different delivery and vocal performance that really entranced me and, I am sure, many others.

Every Thursday night, Top of the Pops bought music into our home. It wasn’t always music I enjoyed, but it helped to shape my taste for the rest of my musical life.

Next Time

Slade, Glam Rock, Showaddywaddy and The Wombles!