Snapshots #452: Songs About Girl's Names Beginning With P

Patti Smith introduced our quiz yesterday. Polly Jean takes to the stage today.

Here are some more ladies whose name begins with P...

15. Seven Council Fires steal an idea from Bob Marley's band.

Seven Council Fires, or Oceti Šakówiŋ, refers to the Great Sioux Nation. Bob Marley had some Wailers - which is just what Banshees do.

Siouxsie And The Banshees - Dear Prudence

14. Champion... or Chumpion?

Wunderhorse - Poppy

13. What's with these homies dissin' my girl?

The opening line to Weezer's biggest hit...

Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue

12. What you might shout at a small Beatle.

Hey Paulette - I Really Do Love You, Penelope

11. A Pratt of the Toun.

Actor Chris Pratt goes to de Burgh.

Chris de Burgh - Patricia The Stripper

10. Not a lot of kids called this these days... he almost claims. 

You may recall a song we featured here a few weeks back about how there aren't many kids called Gary these days. It helps if you pay attention to the rest of this blog, not just the Snapshots.

Clail is almost a Claim.

Gary Clail & The On U-Sound System - Who Pays The Piper?

9. A way or an end... he's got a thing going on with the Mrs.

Howard's Way or Howard's End? Me and Mrs. Jones had a thing going on.

Howard Jones - Pearl In The Shell

8. PM's unruly airfares questioned.

"PM's unruly airfares" was an anagram.

Super Furry Animals - Hermann Loves Pauline

7. Could only eat half a cannibal.

Toto Coleo were known for eating Cannibals. These guys are half as good.

Toto - Pamela

6. Not named after Thomas, but some rocks off the coast of Cornwall.

It's Eddystone Lighthouse, if you want to be pedantic about it.

Edison Lighthouse - It's Up To You, Petula

5. Sounds like an appendage you don't want to stub - twice!

Men - try not to stub your cock-toe.

Cocteau Twins - Persephone 

...or you could have had...

Cocteau Twins - Pandora (for Cindy)

4. Piers is a Free Man.

Piers Morgan... or Morgan Freeman?

Morgan - Miss Parker

3. Good man makes a bullock of himself - let me die in your arms!

Len Goodman with his Ox.

"Let me die in your arms!" is a line from Annie's Song.

Annie Lennox - Precious

2. Ivan ran till he felt less confused.

"Ivan ran" was an anagram.

Nirvana - Polly

1. The Blair Rich Project. 

Lionel Blair gets Rich...ie.

Lionel Richie - Penny Lover

Incredibly, that is the first time Lionel Richie has ever appeared on Snapshots. I know - what's wrong with me!?

Hopefully you don't want Rid Of Me yet. If not, Snapshots will be back next week.

Saturday Snapshots #452

Because the night belongs to lovers, I always wait until 8.30 on a Saturday morning to unleash the week's Snapshots. You can thank me later.

Who are these people and how might their songs be connected?

15. Seven Council Fires steal an idea from Bob Marley's band.

14. Champion... or Chumpion?

13. What's with these homies dissin' my girl?

12. What you might shout at a small Beatle.

11. A Pratt of the Toun.

10. Not a lot of kids called this these days... he almost claims. 

9. A way or an end... he's got a thing going on with the Mrs.

8. PM's unruly airfares questioned.

7. Could only eat half a cannibal.

6. Not named after Thomas, but some rocks off the coast of Cornwall.

5. Sounds like an appendage you don't want to stub - twice!

4. Piers is a Free Man.

3. Good man makes a bullock of himself - let me die in your arms!

2. Ivan ran till he felt less confused.

1. The Blair Rich Project. 

Come on now, try to understand the answers... tomorrow morning.

Another Day #16: Russian Superman Day

June 12th is a a national holiday in Russia, commemorating the end of the Soviet Union back in 1990. And if that just makes you think of the WONDERFULNESS done since by that VERY NICE MAN Vladimir Putin then, GOOD FOR YOU.

(This post has been edited to stop the bots reporting me. I don't want to end up in a Siberian Salt Mine, thank you very much. I've got in enough trouble for slagging off Trump all the time.)

Remember what Sting told us - the Russians love their children too!

The Beatles - Back In The USSR

Matt Monro - From Russia with Love

Boney M. - Rasputin

Manic Street Preachers - Revol 

Do you think that the Russians want war?

These are the sons and the daughters of parents who died in the last one

Do you think that they want to go through that again?

The destruction, the bloodshed, the suffering and pain

In the second world war, out of every three dead, one was Russian

If we try with all of our power

Can we not find a way to peacefully settle our difference?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Cold War, it's a day to celebrate that strange visitor from another planet who became a symbol of truth, justice and the American Way. Except they don't say that anymore - in fact, about 15 years ago, Superman renounced his American citizenship and now represents "Truth, justice and a better tomorrow". Considering he's still an immigrant, it's a wonder the Tangerine Tosspot hasn't tried to have him deported. Or maybe he's worried the Man of Steel would move to Russia...?

The Flaming Lips - Waitin’ For A Superman (Is It Getting Heavy?)

Donovan - Sunshine Superman

Cinerama - Superman

The Ides of March - Superman

Laurie Anderson - O Superman

The Hesitations - Soul Superman

The Questionability of CD80: Part #2

Four more songs from the 80th in-car CD I produced to contribute towards my son's musical education...

Track 5: The Pogues - Sally MacLennane

This one has become a firm favourite with both Sam and his Mum... and why not? It's an out-and-out classic. Iffypedia tells us, "the song is based on a bar [Shane's] uncle owned which served Irish Ford workers in Dagenham," and that furthermore, "Sally MacLennane is also a type of stout".

What makes Sally MacLennane such a success is the shouting echo in the chorus "In the rain!", "On the train!", but as much as it's a drunken singalong, it also manages to be a wistful ode to "times long gone", and a bar where, presumably, everybody knows your name.

Track 6: Maurice William & The Zodiacs - Stay

From 1960, the original version of a song that's been covered by The Hollies, The Four Seasons, Jackson Browne... I'm pretty sure Barry Manilow had a go at it too? Original is still best though, especially for those of us who first came across it on the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing. Nobody puts baby in the corner...

Maurice Williams wrote this after a bad date when he was just 15. He couldn't persuade his young lady friend to stay out any later, so he went home and poured his frustrations into this little ditty. At one minute 36 seconds, it's one of the shortest tunes to ever hit the top of the US charts.

Track 7: The Damned - Eloise

Is the original always best though? Many might prefer Barry Ryan's 1968 original of Eloise, and it's a fine record in its own right, but for me, The Damned nailed it with their "throw everything at it, including the kitchen sink" Steinman-goes-Goth cover of 1986. Chartwise, Ryan got one position higher (which seems only fair) to Number 2, but this is still the Damned's biggest hit, and their only Top Ten single. 

Of course, I'm sure there will be loads of old punks who shudder at what The Damned became. The band who released the UK's first punk single, and spearheaded the British punk explosion, becoming a bunch of big-hairsprayed, white-bloused, Top of the Pops Goth tossers? How dare they? And let's not even start on Captain Sensible going off to sing show tunes. But I like The Damned at every stage of their career, and Eloise was a song I bought very early on, along with their subsequent Love cover, Alone Again, Or. Both were on a CD single, so I'm guessing they were a re-issue from a few years later.

 

Track 8: The Dandy Warhols - Every Day Should Be A Holiday

Finally today, some chugging stoner-indie from 1998. This was the band's debut hit before they broke the big time by selling one of their songs to a Vodafone advert. Lead singer and songwriter Courtney Taylor-Taylor made a cool $1.5 million from that deal, and used the money to buy a quarter-of-a-city block in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, turning it into a complex for recording, film editing, and web design.

I was a huge fan of the Dandy Warhols back in the day. Saw them live a few times and they always put on a great show, even if they were clearly stoned most of the time.

Celebrity Jukebox #77: Anthony Head

If this were a paranoid conspiracy part of the internet, we might be wondering if there was a curse on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. First, the proposed revival / reboot series was cancelled with very little explanation. Then actor Nicholas Brandon, who played Xander through the show's entire run from 1997–2003, died of "natural causes" back in March. He was the same age as me. And now, we hear of the passing of Anthony Head, aka Rupert Giles, a little bit older, but no age really (he was 72). 

If you never watched Buffy, you might recall Head playing the Prime Minister in Little Britain, or his recurring role as Hannah Waddingham's estranged husband in Ted Lasso. And if that still doesn't ring any bells, well... here's his brother.

Both brothers appeared in the lead role in Chess back in the 80s... but only Murray got on Top of the Pops. Anthony got his chance to sing on TV a little later...

 

If that's all a little Broadway for your tastes, then here's Manchester band Cruush with their very own tribute to Anthony Head's most famous character...

Now that I’m older

I don't feel much wiser

I just feel frozen

Waiting for the earth to swallow me whole...