Namesakes #191: The Cardigans

Perhaps it's not the most sexy or exciting item of clothing in your wardrobe, but the humble cardigan deserves our love for making us feel warm and cosy in winter days.

Will any of the Cardigans below have the same effect?

THE CARDIGANS #1

From Chattanooga in the late 50s came the choo-choo Cardigans, four young sloppy-doo-woppy dudes who hit the charts twice with their single Your Graduation Means Goodbye. I chose the b-side, which was a lot more fun.

The Cardigans - Boll Weevil On The Mountain Top

THE CARDIGANS #2

More doo-wop, probably from around the same time, but with extra Dave, because we can all do with extra Dave. A youtube commenter reveals that the Cardigans were his mother and aunt, Marie and Terry Belanger. This track was recorded before the commenter was born - it must be lovely to hear his mum singing in her younger days.

Dave & The Cardigans - My Falling Star

CARDIGAN #3

A singular Cardigan, this one from Denmark in 1986. It has a video with 33,190 views on the tube of you, so it must have done something back in the day...

Cardigan - Without You

THE CARDIGANS #4

The Cardigans most of us are familiar with originated in Sweden in 1992, led by the very best Persson in rock: Nina. They took their name from a line in The Sundays' song Skin And Bones...

Oh, you see me in a cardigan

In a dress, dress, dress that I've been sick on

The Cardigans named their debut album Emmerdale - I'm presuming the show is big in Sweden? Their breakthru record came in 1996 when the infectious single below was featured in the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. 

The Cardigans - Lovefool

Not a great deal of choice in the Cardigans aisle... are any of them a good fit?

Snapshots #405: Superstitious Songs

If you're wondering why there was a photo of Stevie Wonder holding a camera available on the web of lies, apparently it comes from an old Saturday Night Live sketch in the 80s. Stevie was presumably a very good sport.

As to why it was featured here, well...

13-month-old baby, broke the looking glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good thing is in your past
When you believe in things that you don't understand
Then you suffer
Superstition ain't the way

Here are fifteen songs about good and bad luck superstitions...

15. Not actually jumpers.

The Cardigans - Your New Cuckoo

Hearing the first cuckoo of the year is considered good luck - turn your money over!

14. Nonaligned one.

With the correct alignment, those letters form...

Lonnie Donegan - Black Cat (Cross My Path Today)

Lots of debate whether black cats bring bad luck or good luck.

13. KLM, Vietnam Airlines, Air Tahiti, Air Force One.

Google them. They all have...

Blue Aeroplanes - Walking Under Ladders for a Living

12. Mighty Like A Shotgun Wedding. 

Might Like A Rose. Shotgun Wedding was by Roy C.

Rose Royce - Wishing On A Star

11. Electric Vehicle designed for the beach.

Evie Sands - Close Your Eyes, Cross Your Fingers

10. They spent so long sorting out the creases, they didn't score any runs.

Too much ironing led to a maiden over.

Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

9. Oy! Fiddle de way out of this one!

"Oy! Fiddle de" was an anagram.

Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood

8. A complete lack of gratitude.

The Unthanks - Magpie

One for sorrow, two for joy...

7. What if Bogie came from Bethlehem?

What if Humphrey came from a Little Town...?

Humphrey Lyttelton Band - Bad Penny Blues

6. Don't cry, baby, I'll turn on the air-con.

Wah! Heat - Don't Step On The Cracks

5. A Minder from Nottingham, with Joan.

Terence was a Minder. The river Trent flows through Nottingham. Darby & Joan.

Terence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well

Or Sananda Maitreya as he's known these days.

4. POTUS 3, Wright Flyer 1.

The third President was Jefferson. The Wright Flyer was the first Airplane.

Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit

Pinch punch, first of the month.

3. What have you got tangled in your hair, Nan?

"Hair, Nan" was an anagram.

Rihanna - Umbrella

Don't open it indoors.

2. Reggae prototypes in space.

The Skatalites - Lucky Seven

1. Taylor Swift, for example.

Taylor is a very...

Big Star - Thirteen

If anyone knows any songs about putting your shoes on the table, I'd love to hear them... otherwise, there'll be more of this nonsense next Saturday.

Snapshots #198: A Top Ten Favourite Songs

Is it that time already? Time for the answers to yesterday's Snapshots. And as the link was Favourite Songs, above is an image from my favourite film as a teenager, Back To The Future.

Most of these are oldies. Well, they're oldies where I come from...

10. He is in debt to Mr. Simon.

He's owing Paul.

Owen Paul - My Favourite Waste Of Time

9. A Shaky Oh and a golfing saint.

Oh Julie + St. Andrews...

Julie Andrews - My Favourite Things

8. Matt Lucas on the drums.

Matt Lucas was George Dawes.

Dawes - All Your Favourite Bands

7. Sell-out cynic.

Anagram!

The Style Council - Our Favourite Shop

6. Arachnids get mixed up.

Unmix "arachnids get" and you get...

The Cardigans - My Favourite Game

5. Spare parts.

The Replacements - Favourite Thing

4. Early British cars.

Specifically these, the Armstrong Siddeley...

The Siddeleys - My Favourite Wet Wednesday Afternoon

3. Sounds like a gloating angel.

Cheryl Ladd was an Angel (for Charlie). Gloating is crowing.

Sheryl Crow - My Favourite Mistake

2. You're fired!

Says Sir Alan Sugar.

Sugar - Your Favourite Thing

1. Bob Century.

A bob is a type of haircut. A century = 100.

Get Back to Snapshots in the Future... next Saturday, to be precise. Great Scott!

Snapshots #190: A Top Ten Sick Songs

Perhaps not the nicest subject matter I've ever used to connect songs, but not a bad set of tunes.

When I think of sick, I think of our cats puking up furballs... any excuse for a cat camera pic!

Answers... sorry if they get a bit heavy this week!

10. Count Ferdinand was a heavy metal pioneer.

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, that would be.

Led Zeppelin - Sick Again

9. Welsh bays.

Cardigan Bay.

The Cardigans - Sick And Tired

8. The last ding dong. 

Ding Dong, Avon calling. The last time they call would presumably be Z-von.

Warren Zevon - Don't Let Us Get Sick

7. Found in a dirty, wet hive.

Mudhoney - Touch Me, I'm Sick

6. Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile.

Three towns in Alabama.

The Alabama 3 - Too Sick To Pray

5. Thank Robbie for teeing off.

Take the T off thank and you get Hank, with Robbie Williams...

Hank Williams - Lovesick Blues

4. Bothered?

Disturbed - Down With The Sickness

If that's too loud for you, may I suggest this version instead...?

Richard Cheese - Down With The Sickness

3. Bee, birds, gopher.

It's an anagram!

Phoebe Bridgers - Motion Sickness

2. Disc knitters.

And another one!

Tindersticks - City Sickness

1. Guitar playing rabbit floats up and down.

Cue the first ever lyric video...

You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, but it'll blow more Snapshots your way next Saturday...

Saturday Snapshots #118 - The Answers

Groovy answers, baby... yeah!



10. In an Osmond's eye, how you call a princess.

Donnie's iris?

Princess Leia.

Donnie Iris - Ah! Leah!

9. Both my boots are excellent - I will not change my mind!

He is adamant.

Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes

8. Finally! Estimated arrival time for 7 seated bell ringers.

ETA of James (who had an album called Seven, and songs called Sit Down & Ring The Bells).

Etta James - At Last

7. Noisy hedgehogs get a ticket to tenderness.

The Sonics - Have Love Will Travel

6. Oh, show me the way to a trio of whiskey bars... I've cancelled my holiday to Vasco da Gama.

"Oh, show me the way to the next whiskey bar" is the opening line of Alabama Song.

Trio is 3.

Vasco da Gama is in Goa.

Alabama 3 - Ain't Goin' To Goa

5. Murdered? Escape repeatedly.

Slayed.

Slade - Run Runaway

4. Angriest Chad mixed up with romantic idiot.

"Angriest Chad" is an anagram.

The Cardigans - Lovefool

3. Succulent, in the sky with... adoration questionnaires.

Succulent = juicy.

Lucy was in the sky with diamonds.

Juicy Lucy - Who Do You Love?

2. Chained ghost selects donut filling.

Jacob Marley's chains.

How do you like your donuts, Bob?

With jam in.

The old ones are the best.

Bob Marley - Jammin'

1. No man pauses before a storm. Who's gonna clean up later?

Tom Waits for no man.

Pauses = waits.

Storm = gale.

Tell me... how long have you been combing your hair with a wrench?



More Shagadelic Snapshots next Saturday.