Music Monday: City Slicker

London's Lights!

This is my town, not the bit I come from of course or the bit that really is London, nope, this is the shiny bit! But still, this is my home town, the place I grew up in, where I learned to deal with casual violence and the trials of living with people around all of the time.

I don't live here anymore, I live in a coastal town and things are quieter and suit family life far better. We have amazing geographical features around us that make our lives great and that is of course awesome, but for tonight lets pretend I'm a big smoke kind of guy and hit up some city songs.

Last week we signed out on a sad note, this week I think we start with something of a similar mood and end happy. That's the plan as it stands anyway.


STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA by Bruce Springsteen

This song was on the soundtrack to the film 'Philadelphia' staring Tom Hanks, Antonio Banderes and Denzil Washington. It was a brilliant film as far as I'm concerned and I've got a lot of love for it, but if I had to choose between the film and song I'd tell you this beats the movie hands down!

Springsteen is 'The Boss' yeah, and his albums rock and roll, he captures the working class feel of those inner city American cities and towns (so I'm told) perfectly and let's face it; he kicks arse! In this though he walks the streets as a homeless man and damn this video does the song justice. The dark, sad heart of America laid bare as the light is shone on the heart-rending poverty of so many on those far away shores gets me every single time.

It starts and you know that you are hearing something true, something deeply painful, something raw. I'd tell you to enjoy but instead I'll ask you to just listen.






ROTTERDAM by The Beautiful South

The Beautiful South may be safe, yet slightly smutty, mainstream, but certainly off centre, easy listening, but with big old thorns in some of their songs, but above all I find them very relaxing. It doesn't matter if they are carving away the myth of love and marriage, promising sex instead of stability or serenading an old soak on his way to a pine box.

It all sounds very charming, soft and calm. I like that.





ISTANBUL (NOT CONSTANTINOPOL) by They Might Be Giants

This lot are mental! From them we get some off the wall stuff but here they hit something so catchy that it may very well drive you insane. Sorry. This is infectious, quirky, bizarre and yet utterly brilliant!

We don't always need music to teach us that life is amazing/cheap/sad/tragic/or wondrous  Sometimes we just want to be entertained. These guys hit that note perfectly.




BELFAST CHILD by Simple Minds

Right, this is a haunting, beautiful song from the eighties masters and though I couldn't tell you many more of their hits past 'Don't you forget about me', I'm pretty sure they were fucking great. I remember thinking 'Simple Minds are really cool', so I figured they definitely gave me a reason to think that.

Awesome intro on this!



Finally we need to leave on a high to make sure I haven't depressed anyone and so it's off to old snake hips for some saucy, catchy, drinky, party music! This is Elvis smashing it way out of the park with a huge song that never fails to make me smile!

Take it away Elvis!



Any suggestions? Just let me know! Back next week with another five and perhaps, just perhaps I'll head to something more classical and classy for a start of the week to bring drama and action...

Thanks for reading and listening.