Snapshots #271: A Top Ten Jet Songs

Here's someone who knows a thing or two about jets: old Tiny Tom. 

Which of you Mavericks did best at identifying my list of Jet Songs? Let's find out who was Top Gun... 

10. He knocks over his pint on Peter's Blue daughter.

He's a Spiller. She's the daughter of Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis.

Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis Bextor - Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)

9. Freddie's German Empire.

Freddie Mercury was the lead singer of Queen. The German Empire was the (Third) Reich. Metal bands do love their umlauts...

Queensrÿche - Jet City Woman

8. Follow this stylish band to get to De City.

You would follow De Sign to get to De City.

Design - The Jet Song (When The Weekend's Over)

7. Reg Dwight's room at the Crossroads.

Reg Dwight is, of course, Elton John. (Who could have featured in this countdown with B-b-b-Bennie & The Jets.) If Elton was on tour, he might stay at the Crossroads Motel.

Elton Motello - Jet Boy Jet Girl

Those of you who know about such things will recognise that as the original version of the song that would become Plastic Bertrand's Ça Plane Pour Moi. The Elton Motello version was a bit too rude for the time, so they changed the lyrics to nonsense French and a worldwide hit was born.

6. Perfect world.

One for Brian!

Utopia - Disco Jets

5. Fifteen hundred hours, definitely.

The Three O'Clock - Jet Fighter

That's a top video.

4. One twisted Messiah.

One, twisted, is Eno. And he's not the Messiah, (He's a Very Naughty Boy).

Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets

3. Virgin takes money meant for one man and gives it to another.

Mary is robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Peter, Paul & Mary - Leaving On A Jet Plane

I prefer John Denver's version, but he's featured here before. PP&M haven't.

2. Albert's Devil Men.

Anagram!

Steve Miller Band - Jet Airliner

1. Caught in the middle of the swing shift, without a shroud.

No pall (or Paul) in the middle of this SWING Shift...

They're only the band the Beatles could have been.

Jet on back here next Saturday morning for more Snapshots.

The United Kingdom of Song #35: Scarborough

To Scarborough then, where I spent some of my holiday last week. Although we stayed near Scarborough, we did spend more time in Whitby, Filey and Robin Hood's Bay. I do know a song about Whitby, which I'll feature another time, but sadly couldn't find any that referred to either Filey or Robin Hood's Bay. Lynchie was curious as to when exactly Robin Hood visited the North Yorkshire coast, and iffypedia only offers a vague legend about him seeing off some French pirates there once. But even outlaws deserve a holiday, surely?

Anyway, Scarborough, birthplace of rock band Little Angels and folkie Eliza Carthy (no, neither of her famous musical parents were born there). Scarborough may also attempt to claim Robert Palmer, and yes, he may have grown up there, but he was actually born much closer to my own home. There's a reason I call him Batley Bob.

I'm sure we can all name an obvious song about Scarborough.

Here it is, as recorded by Simon & Garfunkel.

And here it is again, as recorded by Queensryche.

I'm sure you can all think of other versions, so take your pick.

Scarborough also turns up (along with many other UK locales) in my favourite Noel Coward song...

Noel Coward - There Are Bad Times Just Around The Corner

However, this week's selection comes from Art Brut's Eddie Argos and Dyan Valdes of The Blood Arm, from their short-lived but much-cherished (in this house, anyway) collaboration, Everybody Was In The French Resistance... Now! Only 31 views on youtube as I write this post... let's see if we can get them up to at least 35, shall we?