Showing posts with label Abba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abba. Show all posts

Sunday, 26 April 2026

Snapshots #445: Songs About Places Beginning With W

Here's Denzel Washington with the answers to this week's quiz. I almost used his photo yesterday, but you guys are getting a bit too smart when it comes to the top of the page pic, so I went with Warren Beatty instead. Warren is a city in Ohio. There's also a Warren in Michigan. And one in Cheshire. Probably some others too.

Here are 15 more places that begin with W... Washington, Wales and Wuhan were conspicuous by their absence. Maybe in tomorrow's spillover edition... 


15. Slightly longer than a Buzzcock.

Pete Shelley was a Buzzcock. This is almost his Namesake...

Peter Shelley - Wisconsin

14. Useful for campanologists.

That's a handy bell!

Andy Bell - Weston-Super-Mare 

That's a great tune from the Erasure dude.

13. Tastes like Homer's beer.


Duffy - Warwick Avenue

12. Revolutionary War singer, without his comrades.

60s band Paul Revere and the Raiders were named after a famous soldier from the American Revolutionary War. The band were also named after their keyboard player, whose real name was Paul Revere Dick. He dropped the surname on stage. Can't think why. 

The lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders was...

Mark Lindsay – Windy Wakefield

I've no idea why he's singing about a town just a few miles down the M1 from me.

11. Lard, Sweet Pea & Ivy.

Lard was, of course, the nickname used by DJ Marc Riley when he worked with Mark Radcliffe in the 90s. He was also in The Fall. But whenever Mark E. Smith kicked him out, he returned to his own band...

Marc Riley With The Creepers - Bard of Woking

10. Found in the back of a taxi and on short British Airways flights.

Back of a cAB... and on BA flights.

Abba - Waterloo

9. Looming over a Norfolk Festival.

Weavers used looms - or wanted to smash them. The Norfolk music festival is held at Houghton Hall... although these guys actually came from Westhoughton in Greater Manchester. Which might explain how they spotted the UFOs below...

The Houghton Weavers - The Martians Have Landed In Wigan

8. Confused, but they still made a rich packet.

"Rich packet" was an anagram.

Cheap Trick – A Long Way To Worcester

I had to listen carefully to make sure Cheap Trick weren't signing "A long was to Wor-chester". Actually it sounds more like they sing "Wister" than "Wuster", but close enough, I guess. 

No idea why though.

7. AU + a short Friar + Spider-Man, initially. 

AU is Gold. The abbreviation for a Friar is Fra. Spider-Man is Peter Parker.

Goldfrapp - Ride A White Horse

Whitehorse is the capital of Canada's Yukon territory.

6. Lapwings dressed as lambs.

The Mutton Birds - Wellington

We needed a native band to sing about the capital of New Zealand.

5. Modern American Music Hall players.

New Vaudeville Band - Winchester Cathedral

4. Globe loathing.

Theatre Of Hate - Do You Believe In The Westworld?

I didn't say they had to be real places.

3. The Pink... Parsons.

Lily The Pink meets Alan Parsons.

Lily Allen - West End Girl

The Pet Shop Boys were disqualified for upsetting George.

2. Curt is always with them.

Ian Curtis, that is.

Joy Division - Warsaw 

1. Regularly received mail from strangers.


He was known for "getting cards and letter from people" he didn't "even know".

Always Number One in my heart...


I had a few of these leftover, so tune in tomorrow.

More of this gubbins next Saturday.


Sunday, 25 May 2025

Snapshots #397: !!!Songs!!!

Goodness gracious me!

Great balls of fire!

Good golly, Miss Molly!

Here are 15 more song titles you might cry out in shock, frustration or outrage!


15. Known for squabbling with part of a Chinese omelette. 

The fight with the foo (yung).

Foo Fighters - Good Grief!

14. Teenage dads.

Young Fathers - Holy Moly!

13. Prince's New Generation: C'est Chic!

It was the New POWER Generation backing Prince. Le Freak, C'est Chic!

Freakpower - No Way!

12. Stone them.

Stone the crows!

The Crows - Gee!

11. Secret lover with bad spelling.

A secret lover is a paramour,

Paramore - Whoa!

10. A spiky mate.

Buddy Holly - Oh Boy!

9. Sounds like this would throw an old President.

Chuck Ragan - For Goodness Sake!

8. Do you remember me taking you on the Walk of Fame?

"Do you remember me?" is from Frankie, by Sister Sledge. The Walk of Fame is in Hollywood.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - For Heaven's Sake!

7. Get yourself a sex jab, taxmen!

"Sex jab, taxmen" was an anagram.

Basement Jaxx - Oh My Gosh!

6. A tame foal, out of order.

A pretty simple anagram.

Meat Loaf - For Crying Out Loud!

5. Reign of Terror.

The Communards were a big part of The Reign of Terror (French Revolution stuff).

The Communards - Heavens Above!

4. Show a Patsy the exit.

Lee Harvey Oswald claimed to be a Patsy. Lee: Door: see?

Lee Dorsey - Holy Cow!

3. Often seen in an Arab bar.

Arab bar

Abba - Mamma Mia!

2. If you're feeling confused, take a fresh sickie.

"A fresh sickie" was an anagram...

Kaiser Chiefs - Oh My God!

1. Mountain sides.

The Faces - Ooh La La!





Wednesday, 16 April 2025

Teacher Songs #1

I stumbled across this old Fist of Fun clip on the Tube of You last week, in which Stewart Lee and Richard Herring play two very different teachers. I'm sure we all recognise the stereotypes. It made me wonder, what type of teacher will I be remembered as? I'd like to think I'd be midway between the two... without the cringe on either side. But we can never knew how others might see us, particularly students...


I wonder what kind of teacher George was? Or Swiss Adam? 

All of this made me realise there was a series to be had in songs about teachers. Many of which would be cancelled if they were released these days. All the more reason to celebrate them!

Here are the three best teacher videos I could think of off the top of my head...






...but there's many more where they came from!


Sunday, 7 July 2024

Snapshots #351: A Top Ten Hat Songs


Hats off to you if you identified all this week's artists... and worked out which hats they were wearing...

10. Corporal Hum is an enigma.

Corporal Hum is an anagram.

Procol Harum - Homburg

9. Discovered inside Electric Ladyland. 


Electric Ladyland. 


8. Take the skinheads for a nice mulligatawny.

Take the skinheads bowling... for soup!

Bowling For Soup - Trucker Hat

7. Merciless villain becomes an American citizen. 

Ming was Merciless, until he went to the US.

Charles Mingus - Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat

6. Pick up, before you get to Pace.

A pick up is a van. Hale 'n' Pace.

Van Halen - Panama

5. Sounds like you split up with a South African runner.

If Zola (Budd) became your ex, you would be...

Zolar X - I Pulled My Helmet Off

4. Don't get tangled up in a sticky romance.

"Sticky romance" was an anagram...

Arctic Monkeys - Balaclava

3. Kamadeva and Rati.

Kamadeva and Rati were the Hindu deities in charge of romance. 

Hindu Love Gods - Raspberry Beret

(That's Warren Zevon & REM... minus Michael... if you're wondering.)

2. Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon found the answer within.

Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon is the artist also known as ShABBA Ranks.

Abba - Put On Your White Sombrero

1. Even my vision is impaired... I'm losing my hair.

And those are lyrics from Just Like Fred Astaire by James.

The top hat had to be a Top Hat...

Fred Astaire - Top Hat, White Tie & Tails

A few more hats to try on before we go...

Billy Bragg & Wilco - Stetson Kennedy

James Moody - Trilby

Oysterband - The Sailor's Bonnet

And, of course,...

Steely Dan - The Fez

Throw your hats in the ring again next Saturday morning...




Sunday, 28 April 2024

Saturday Snapshots #341: A Top Ten Abba Covers

When I asked if you knew who was pictured below, you resolutely replied, "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do..." 

But Does Your Mother Know the connection...?


10. Smashed up Z-Cars.

Anagram!

The Czars - Angel Eyes

9. When a Snapshot maker's clue is particularly hard to decipher.

A camera makes snapshots. This one might be a bit obscure though...

Camera Obscura - Super Trouper

8. Half Boy, Half Pickett.

Danny Boy meets Wilson Pickett...

Danny Wilson – Knowing Me, Knowing You

7. Get some unanimous okra mixed into your green salad. 

"Unanimous okra" was an anagram for the biggest selling female of all time (depending on which figures you look at).

Nana Mouskouri – I Have A Dream

6. Found in a shoe box.

A shoe box.

Ash - Does Your Mother Know?

5. Bus, Bunch, Blood, Bees... all washed out.

Pale Honey - Lay All Your Love On Me 

4. Obliteration.

Erasure - Take A Chance On Me

3. Keeps Clapton's clothes clean while he's eating. 

Eric Bibb - Dancing Queen

2. DOA Hipster comes apart.

"DOA Hipster" is an anagram...

Portishead - SOS

1. White mites, white eat. 


Blanc is white. Mange is caused by mites, but it also means eat in French.

Blancmange - The Day Before You Came

Indisputably the best Abba cover version ever...

Here are a few I didn't have room for...

Sinead O'Connor - Chiquitita 

The Volebeats - Knowing Me, Knowing You

Bike - My Love, My Life 

Red Kross - Dancing Queen

Information Society - Lay All Your Love On Me

Five Iron Frenzy – Mamma Mia

Richard Thompson – Money, Money, Money

Take A Chance On more Snapshots next Saturday.


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