Neverending Top Ten #7.5: Eurovision

Sam and I visited The National Media Museum (or whatever they're calling it these days) in Bradford this week. Among the attractions was an exhibition about the Eurovision song contest. It was pretty fascinating, even for someone who lost interest in Eurovision post-Bucks Fizz. I even got to perform myself.

Here are a few appropriate tunes, only one of them a Eurovision contender...

Roxy Music - A Song For Europe

Suede - Dancing With The Europeans

The Blades - The Last Man In Europe

Magnetic Fields - Eurodisco Trio

Ed Kuepper - Also Sprach The King Of Euro Disco

John Foxx - Europe After The Rain

Lydia Loveless - European

Pavement - Sensitive Euro Man

Manic Street Preachers - Miss Europa Disco Dancer

Bis - Eurodisco

The Necessaries - Europe

T Bone Burnett - Euromad 

LIFE - Euromillions

Cleaners From Venus - European War

The Divine Comedy - Europop

Landscape - European Man

I know you won't have time to listen to all those, but there's some cracking tunes in there. More reasons to go back into Europe!

Saturday Snapshots #125 - The Answers

Yesterday, I forgot to set the time stamp on the post, hence its late arrival. It also proved the most difficult set of Snapshots to date, so sorry about that. But they can't all be easy!

Anyway, here's this week's answers to give you a real Buzz...



10. Can the third sequel ever be the best? Uncanny!

Classics IV - Spooky

What do you mean you don't remember Classics IV?

9. Loin zip, you dig?

"Loin zip" is an anagram.

To dig, you can use a JCB.

Nizlopi - JCB Song

8. Sounds like Mrs. McC moved in with a Trotter. Also sounds like a Minder.

Mrs. McCartney was Linda.

The Trotter would be Del Boy.

If they moved in together, maybe they could have one of those really naff house names which is half the husband's name and half the wife's.

The Minder would be Waterman. (Any excuse to link to that video.)

Linda Lyndell - What A Man

7. Set fire to your nemesis.

Lit - My Own Worst Enemy

I couldn't think of any extra clues for that one.

6. She keeps my toothbrush in her apartment and she never complains about being lonely. #2.

Obscure lyrics ahoy!

Lydia "keeps my toothbrush in her apartment and she never complains" is the opening line of Lydia by Dean Friedman. Shut up, it's my quiz.

If she were lonely, she might be loveless.

#2 this week is... hang, on we'll get to that in a second.

Lydia Loveless - Steve Earle

5. M'okay. At the moment. Bowl of roses.

The most famous thing I could find about Pasadena was that it is the home of the Rose Bowl Stadium.

The Pasadenas - I'm Doing Fine Now

Great Four Tops homage.

4. Climb every goddam lady.

Climb Every Mountain.

I've not seen The Sound of Music since I was a kid, but in my memory, Julie Andrews sings this. Not so. Watching the scene again now, it's filmed in a really disturbing way that almost reminds me of The Exorcist.

The Goddam Lady would be Mississippi Goddam.

Mountain - Mississippi Queen

I was very impressed that Charity Chic got this. I'd never have pegged him for a Mountain fan.

3. Bryan lied about the year, all the young ones protested.

The year Bryan sang about was The Summer of '69, yet as has been previously discussed here, he would only have been ten years old then, so probably not old enough to form his first band. Certainly not old enough to be in a band where one of the other members quits to get married. Not really old enough to spend his evenings down at the drive-in either, for that matter. Although, as has also been previously discussed here, Bryan claims the '69 in the title doesn't refer to a year at all, but some other arcane practice of which I know not. Anyway, The Summer of '69 is a sham.

No wonder the kids were up in arms.

Sham '69 - If The Kids Are United

2. Like a duke, on a highway of vipers.

An earl is kind of like a duke... at least, the Duke of Earl was.

A highway of vipers would be... look, do I have to do all the work here?

Steve Earle - Copperhead Road

Remember when Steve Earle used to look like a redneck Axl Rose?

1. I tell him no, JC... French prisoner released.

"I tell him no, JC" was the best anagram I could come up with.



Giant steps are what you take while you're waiting for the return of Saturday Snapshots.

I'll try to make them a bit easier next week.

My Top Ten Stalker Songs (Volume 1)

There should be a question mark in that.
But maybe the fact that there isn't... 
making it more of an imperative than a question...
is actually quite apt.

This is one of those Top Tens I've been wanting to do since I started this blog... the only problem being, there are way too many songs about stalkers and stalking people to only choose ten. Because songwriters are a bunch of creepy, obsessive weirdos. So this is Volume 1... of, quite a few, probably. I have loads more saved up for future volumes, but feel free to make suggestions.


10. The Police - Every Breath You Take

Let's start with the obvious one. Iffypedia says that this one song is "estimated to generate between a quarter and a third of Sting's music publishing income". Stalking pays for the Popo.

9. Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart

I don't know what's more creepy about this song: the lyrics or the bassline.

There are days when outside your window
I see my reflection as I slowly pass
And I long for this mirrored perspective
When we'll be lovers, lovers at last

8. Eels - Restraining Order Blues

Here's one stalker you almost feel sorry for...

Life goes on

Nothing is new

Judge made it clear

I can't be near you

Everybody knows that I'm not a violent man

Just someone who knows he's in love...

7. Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes

This is one of those amiable radio hits that everybody knows... but nobody really knows what it's about. I have to confess, I didn't realise just how creepy it was until recently.

Ladies... So this guy turns up from your past. You remember him, you act friendly towards him. But there was never anything between you. Except... he thinks there was. And there's no point trying to tell him otherwise...

But what a fool believes

He sees

No wise man has the power

To reason away

What seems to be

Is always better than nothing...

Weirdly, there's another story connected to this song which makes those lyrics take on a different meaning entirely. When Michael Jackson claimed to have sung uncredited backing vocals on the track, the song's writers, Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, went, "Eh? We don't recall that, Michael..."

6. Badly Drawn Boy - Everybody's Stalking

When self-confessed Springsteen obsessive Damon Gough sings, "strap your hands across my engines" in the opening verse of this stalker song, maybe it's time for Bruce to keep an eye out for a weirdy-beardy in a Benny hat who might be following him home...

5. Lydia Loveless - Steve Earle

Dedicated to a creep who used to stalk Lydia... he looked just like Steve Earle. (Thanks to Charity Chic for bringing this one to my attention.)

4. REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You

If you think this is just a harmless, slushy soft rock ballad, then you've obviously never listened to the first verse in detail... or watched the ultra-creepy video in which lead singer Kevin Cronin goes all Norman Bates.... brrr.

You should've seen by the look in my eyes, baby
There was something missing
You should've known by the tone of my voice, maybe...
But you didn't listen
You played dead
But you never bled
Instead you lay still in the grass
All coiled up and hissing...

When he said that he loved you, he meant that he loved you FOREVER.

3. REM - Losing My Religion

Consider this, the hint of the century: Michael Stipe compared REM's breakthrough hit to Every Breath You Take...

That's him in the corner. Coo-eee! I can see you!

2. The Four Tops - Walk Away, Renee

Originally by The Left Banke, yes, but for me, nobody beats Levi and the boys...

Just walk away, Renee
You won't see me follow you back home
Now as the rain beats down upon my weary eyes
For me it cries

Although Billy Bragg's completely different Version (with Johnny Marr on guitar) comes damned close. Luckily, Billy doesn't get arrested for stalking though, even when Renee starts going out with Mr. Potato Head. She cuts her hair and he stops loving her...

1. Soko - I'll Kill Her

Because stalking isn't just something men do. Don't mess with Soko's bloke: she'll keel you.




That's volume one done. There'll be another ten following very soon. You won't know where or when, but they will be coming after you...