Snapshots #470: Songs About Shops / High Street Retailers

Here are some songs about certain shops... some of them are still with us. Others have gone to that great high street in the sky...

15. What a carpet did next.

Clint Boon was an Inspiral Carpet. Then he formed...

The Clint Boon Experience - Comet Theme #1

14. I'm going to sue Deep Purple.

I'm going to sue Deep Purple.

Suede - Asda Town

13. What Tony Blackburn shouts at Turner and PJ.

"Sensational!" Alex Turner and PJ Harvey.

Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Next

12. Fred means not what you think.

"Fred means" was an anagram.

Sam Fender - Howdon Aldi Death Queue

He doesn't write them like that anymore, now that he's a proper pop star. (Shame.)

11. If you sent off for them, they were always a big disappointment when they arrived.

Did you ever send away for some X-Ray Spex? Bet they were a disappointment.

X-Ray Spex - Warrior In Woolworths

10. When Katrina walks onto the subway.

Katrina was Walking On Sunshine, in the underground.

The Sunshine Underground - Borders

9. How do you solve a problem like Macca's Miserable Holiday Home?

Is the Mull looking a bit dour, Maria?

Maria Muldaur - Midnight At The Oasis

8. Like Rachel, Matthew and Dita Von Teese.

Matthew Sweet and Rachel Sweet. Dita's real name is Heather Renée Sweet.

The Sweet - Blockbuster

7. Assorted sweets for pretty girls.

Dolly Mixture - New Look Baby

6. When will young people learn where to find the answers for this quiz?

Will Young - Your Game

5. Grew up in the wilds.

Well, they came from Dundee!

The Wilderness Children - Plastic Bag From Tesco's

4. Dire Namesakes fan.

George likes Namesakes (or whatever he calls it). Add Dire Straits.

George Strait - All My Ex’s Live in Texas

3. Sugar man.

Bob Mould - Argos

2. Very, something, extra, nothing.

Very special, something special, extra special, nothing special.

The Specials - Man At C&A

1. Blue-eyed girl.

Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walking

Snap up another bargain next Saturday morning.

Saturday Snapshots #100 - The Answers

If you've got the Hair Like Brian May Blues this Sunday morning, don't feel Under Pressure. Here are the answers to the 100th edition of Saturday Snapshots to Keep Yourself Alive.

As I write this, nobody had spotted the Extra Special Bonus Mystery which connected 10 of the songs on this list... but I guess you'd have to be pretty sad to do that. (No offence to Alyson who came close to working it out.) Different photos, different clues and different songs, but the odd-numbered artists in this list all appeared in Saturday Snapshots #1, way back in September 2017.

I think Alyson just pipped Rigid Digit to the crown this week. I was intending to work out a league table of winners from the past 100 editions, but as you probably have realised by now, my time is rather restricted at the moment. Thanks for playing along as always, everybody. Remember: this quiz is Driven By You.


20. Lennie's pal in dire circumstance. I guess Tony must have shown him the way.

George & Lennie, as anybody who's done an English exam at school in the last 50 years will know, were the unlucky duo from Of Mice & Men.

Dire Straits, natch.

Tony Christie wondered Is This The Way To Amarillo?

George Strait - Amarillo By Morning

Justin Townes Earl (son of Steve) claims this is the last truly great country song ever written.

19. Oxymoronic invitation to stop the fight.

A band called War asking why we can't all just get along? Surely that's an oxymoron?

War - Can't We Be Friends?

18. V, son of Scotland, rejects the preserves.

V = 5.

Mc = son of Scotland.

MC5 - Kick Out The Jams

17. From here to there, with Brass Eye drug.

From here to there is a distance.

Cake was a Made Up Drug.

Cake - The Distance

16. Hooked on romance, old cinema tune.

Love is a better drug than cake.

Roxy Music - Love Is The Drug

15. Battles Evil Dead with Carl Douglas.

Ash - Kung Fu

14. Silky soft V on a quiet evening.

Laziness compelled me to re-use the V clue.

The Five Satins - In The Still Of The Night

13. Ashes in the toilet have you skidding on pebbles.

Loo-cinder? No?

I did like Walter's idea that parts of this clue might relate to a Drunken Angel.

Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

12. Stay in bed with a bunch of flowers.

The Posies - Dream All Day

11. Nesting spirit. Atlas or Goliath, possibly.

They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse In Your Soul

10. Warhol goes Wilde, with a slight sway.

Andy Warhol, Kim Wilde. Not Andy Oscar.

Andy Kim - Rock Me Gently

9. Colleagues visit a disco that only plays Dolly and Johnny.

The Associates - Club Country

Check SS #1 for Party Fears Two.

8. Threat stops traffic across the sea.

Billy Ocean - Red Light Spells Danger

7. DJs are... cemented.

DJs are on the radio. (Except club DJs.)

The Concretes - On The Radio

6. Moroccan bartender visits Homer's town, looking for Madonna's dear ladyfriend.

Rick was the bartender from Casablanca.

Homer lives in Springfield.

Madonna was friends with Dear Jessie.

Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl

5. Touché + mutant ninjas = a harmonious match.

Touché would win that fight.

The Turtles - Happy Together

4. Skirmish between pro-US biopics and laces. Murderous commandments!

"pro-US biopics" is one anagram.

"and laces" is another.

Put a skirmish (Vs.) between them and thou shalt...

Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip - Thous Shalt Always Kill

Thou shalt still not question Stephen Fry.

3. Ain't nothing like it. Your help required to pass.

The Real Thing - Can't Get By Without You

God, that takes me back to the Fifth Form. (80s reissue.)

2. Wren, spinning, no relation to one, an ordinary man.

Jenny Wren, Spinning Jenny, no relation to Huey (below).

Jenny Lewis - Just One Of The Guys

1. Donald's nephews deliver papers to trendy L7.

Well, two of Donald's nephews. Dewey must have been sick that day.

Still one of the greatest pop songs ever recorded...


Well, that's it, folks. 100 seems a pretty good number to bow out on, don't you think? Time to call it a day on Saturday Snapshots, maybe? Give you all a lie in next Saturday morning?





(Maybe not.)

Hot 100 Countdown #80

French indie dream-pop band Tahiti 80 give us our image this week... but which 80 song will be the winner?


Lots of you thought I might have to go down the 1980 or eighties route, but I managed to get away with avoiding the year (or the decade!) again this week. Still, good suggestions from...


Alyson: The Belle Stars - 80s Romance


Rigid Digit: Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Lies (Through The 80s) / Tori Amos - Glory Of The 80s


Jim Dubai: The Strokes - 80s Comedown Machine / Calvin Harris - Acceptable in the 80s (liked that more than I expected from a Calvin Harris track!) / The Vox - Bored Of The 80s (couldn't find that one, I'm afraid) / Milky Wimpshake - Blow out at 80 MPH (could only find a dodgy live version but how could you not like a band called Milky Wimpshake?)


The Swede: Dream Syndicate - 80 West (great guitar sound on that one) / Otway & Barrett - DK 50/80 (Mental! But I like mental.)


C: Killing Joke - Eighties (the first one so far this week that I actually own... hence a contender, if I'd been forced to use a year / decade song).


Lynchie: K.T. Oslin - 80s Ladies (always got time for a bit of country... I'm surprised nobody suggested George Strait - 80 Proof Bottle of Beer Stopper).


However, I'm going to ignore all of those, I'm afraid... because I have to go classic this week.


The song Around The World was written for the 1956 movie Around The World In 80 Days and recorded by lots of the usual suspects, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. The track was also recorded by Diana Ross & The Supremes (under the film's full title of Around The World In 80 Days) in 1965 for an album that wasn't actually released until 2004.Anyway, here it is... I can't ever resist the Supremes...




So... 79 next week - what can you offer me?