The United Kingdom of Song #36: Milton Keynes

This week we stop off in the "New Town" of Milton Keynes, a town build from scratch in the late 60s using a modernist grid-style layout more akin to American cities than most other UK towns which were cobbled together in bits over many centuries. Often the butt of jokes, I visited Milton Keynes once to see friends who live down that way and found it to be perfectly pleasant... if a little "unreal".

Famous musical sons of Milton Keynes include the drummer from Babyshambles, the bassist from Bloc Party and... erm… nobody else I could find given five minutes on iffypedia. I did, however, come up with a couple of lyrical references...

Kirsty MacColl - Still Life

Our love is just a relic of the past

You'd never recognise the old town now

Somewhere behind the concrete and the glass

The monuments of England's sacred cow

Where are all the human beings?

Have they been sent to Milton Keynes?

They used to live round here but now they're gone

For some of us still life moves on

Toyah - Restless

I heard the last breath of the dolphin

Behind the doors on the fourth floor

Of a Manchester morgue

Little fingers on the Durex machine

God bless them

Yes God bless them

And God bless Milton Keynes

Still mental then, Toyah? Bless.

As is often the case though, there was one obvious choice for this week's song... and it comes from The Second Age of Weller.

May I walk you home tonight?

On this fine and lovely night tonight

We'll walk past the luscious houses

Through rolling lawns and lovely flowers

Our nice new town where the curtains are drawn

Where hope is started and dreams can be borne

Let us share our insanity

Go mad together in Community

Boys on the corner looking for their supper

Boys 'round the green looking for some slaughter

We used to chase dreams, now we chase the dragon

Mine is the semi with the Union Jack on

In our paradise lost we'll be finding our sanity

In this paradise found we'll be losing our way

For a brave new day

May I slash my wrists tonight?

This fine Conservative night

I was looking for a job so I came to town

I easily adopt when the chips are down

I read the ad about the private schemes

I liked the idea but now I'm not so Keyne

God bless you all, God bless