Celebrity Jukebox #107: Roger Whittaker

I grew up listening to Radio 2, particularly Terry Wogan and Ray Moore, and a lot of the songs they used to play are buried deep in my memory. When I heard about Roger Whittaker's passing, all I could really think of was The Skye Boat Song and all that bloody whistling. Here he is on Top of the Pops with Des in 1986. Rock. And. Roll.

But then I had a flick through the archives and other songs started to return to me. And there are some belters...

Roger Whittaker - I Don't Believe In If Anymore

Roger Whittaker - Durham Town

Roger Whittaker - New World In The Morning

As they all came flooding back to me, I realised that it was wrong to remember Roger just for the whistling. He had a cracking voice too.

This one seems most appropriate today...

As to his place in the Celebrity Jukebox, well you'd be surprised where Roger crops up. Here's one German rapper...

Morlockk Dilemma - Orthopädischer Fall

Du Nixchecker kommst mit ner großen Fresse wie Mick Jagger

Doch deine Reime kommen in die Jahre wie Roger Whittaker

Which google-translates as...

You nix-checker come with a big face like Mick Jagger

But your rhymes are getting old like Roger Whittaker

And here's another German rapper...

MC Smook - Taggin'

Hits wie Roger Whittaker, Christina Millian

Tricks so wie Philipp Lahm, bin wie P.Diddy war

Which google-translates as...

Hits like Roger Whittaker, Christina Millian

Tricks like Philipp Lahm, I'm like P. Diddy

It turns out that Roger was really big in Germany. Who knew? (Well, Ernie probably knew.) 

Fortunately, I don't have to rely solely on German rappers for this feature (although there were more where the last two came from). Here's Nigel Blackwell, doing his best Roger whistling...

Half Man Half Biscuit - Awkward Sean

And here are The Danny Boys, from 1987. Yes, they were named after a tune Roger made his own... so why not name one of their songs after him? It's even got whistling, in lieu of a chorus... 

Neverending Top Ten #3.5: Whistle Down The Wind

 

"When I get older, I'm gonna be in the Olympics," Sam announced the other day.

"Oh yeah," said his mum. "What are you going to do?"

"Running..." he replied, and then gave it another thought, "or hopping."

Why isn't hopping in the Olympics, anyway? Is it because 7 year olds would win?

As long as it's not whistling.

A few weeks back, after many failed attempts, Sam taught himself to whistle. This was just prior to him losing the second of his front teeth, so now he has a huge gap in the centre of his mouth... but that hasn't stopped the whistling. He whistles all the time, tunelessly, celebrating this new adult pursuit... it's got to the point he doesn't even realise he's doing it anymore.

We, his tortured parents, we realise though. Yes, we realise we should be celebrating this latest stage of him growing up, but all day, every day... from before it gets light in the morning to long after the sun has been whistled off over the horizon... especially in lockdown... it's all getting a bit much for our already frazzled nerves.

"Sam - STOP Whistling!"

It's like living with a three foot six Roger Whittaker.

I was going to say "a slightly less tuneful Roger Whittaker", until I listened to this again... and actually, Sam's pretty much there.

Hot 100 Countdown #81

Some very good suggestions this week, introducing me to all manner of songs I hadn't heard before...

Alyson suggested Joanna Newsom - '81.

Nice harp there, as always from Joanna.

C & The Swede came up with Miles Davis - 81.

I wish I could be hip enough to pretend to have loads of Miles Davis in my record collection. I'm not, but I do like a nice bit of trumpet.

The Swede also offered Gato Barbieri & Dollar Brand - '81st Street'.

The Swede is doing his best to get me into proper jazz... and to be fair, he's got more chance of that than getting me into Simple Minds, though it was inevitable that New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) would crop up again this week.

Meanwhile, Rigid Digit - who's just about given up on trying to get me into Jim Kerr and his buddies - tried Marillion - White Feather, which contains the following lyric...

When I hit the streets back in '81
Found a heart in the gutter and a poet's crown
I felt barbed wire kisses and icicle tears
Where have I been for all these years?

Not in my collection either, but still more palatable than SM.

Much more my cup of tea (but sadly not yet in my collection) was Lynchie's suggestion: Candy & The Kisses - The 81. That would be a winner if I owned it.

Chris also came up with a suggestion I liked... but don't own... Roger Whittaker - New World In The Morning. Another lyrical 81... but that doesn't rule it out... as you'll see shortly.

I met a man who had a dream he'd had since he was twenty,
I met that man when he was 81

If all those weren't in my collection... what was? I was struggling a bit this week. The only titular 81 I could find was this...

The Fuzztones - Ward 81

It's not bad. Actually, it's MAD. But it didn't really feel like a winner. So I went lyrics diving myself... and this is what I came up with. One of my favourite from MCC... great Tom Petty nod in the chorus.

All the way down 81

I've got some friends in Nashville

Atlanta it's been way too long

By morning I'll make Asheville

...all of which takes us to the last of the 80s: number 80. Any suggestions?