Another Day #15: National Repeat Day

Today is, I'm presuming in the US, but maybe elsewhere too, "National Repeat Day". 

I'll let them explain...

Ever had an experience that was so amazing, it’s worth doing twice? Or said something so brilliant that it simply bears repeating? Well, that’s exactly what this day is all about.

What?!?

National Repeat Day invites people to lean into the oddly satisfying side of doing something again on purpose. It can be as simple as replaying a favourite song or as ambitious as recreating an entire “best day ever” itinerary.

Was this written by AI? What exactly is "oddly satisfying" about doing something you like again? Why do I need a special day to play my favourite song again? 

See? I can do it whenever I like.

April Stevens - Do It Again

The Rifles - The Rifles - Repeat Offender

Raffaella Carrà - Do It, Do It Again

The charm is in the second pass: noticing new details, improving the outcome, or just enjoying the comfort of something familiar.

Shut up now.

A good rule of thumb: repeat what feels joyful or meaningful, not what feels draining. 

Well, d'oh. If I'm repeating what feels draining, isn't that just like every other day of my life?

Edwyn Collins - Do It Again

Manic Street Preachers - Repeat 

The Kinks - Do It Again

Repetition can be playful, but it can also be powerful. Athletes repeat drills to get stronger. Musicians repeat scales to get smoother.

Excuse the language, but fucking hell. This is like someone reminding me to breathe in case I forget and turn blue.

Home cooks repeat a recipe until it becomes a signature dish. National Repeat Day simply turns that everyday truth into a theme worth highlighting.

Oh. My. God. Go away. I hate you.

The Deaf Aids - Do It Again

The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Instant Repeater '99

The Beach Boys - Do It Again

LCD Sound System - On Repeat

Korova Milk Bar - Do It Again

The Offspring - Can't Repeat

Röyksopp & Robyn - Do It Again

Propellerheads featuring Miss Shirley Bassey - History Repeating

Saturday Snapshots #18 - The Answers

Short for time this week, so here's a quick run through, with the usual thanks...


(Apologies if anyone got the title of #6 after 7pm last night... I was in bed by then!)



10. No need to change gear for Dr. Frankenstein.

If you're in a car and you don't need to change gear, it'll be an automatic.

Dr. Frankenstein created a Monster.

The Automatic - Monster

First point of the week to Martin.

9. Speaking of whom, Tarzan's father got snowed in.

Not a lot of imagination went into the title part of this clue, but the artist...

Tarzan was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

The Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein

(You ask me, Edgar Winter is way scarier than Frankenstein's Monster.)

Point to CC.

8. Relocation by hymn, tapestry and pudding (almost).

Hymn = carol.

Bayeux tapestry.

Sago is a pudding.

Carole Bayer Sager - You're Moving Out Today

Martin pieced that one together.

7. Telstar on my mind - get off!

Telstar was a satellite.

Georgia on my mind.

Get off!

The Georgia Satellites - Keep Your Hands To Yourself

Another point for Martin.

Great song. Good to see Rigid Digit agrees.

6. French hoist suffers a great loss. (TWO points if anybody gets this one without cheating.)

French hoist is indeed Les Crane!

Kudos to Martin for working that out.

The Latin for loss is Desiderata.

More on this tomorrow!

5. Pale coloured vehicles (x3).

A point shared by Martin and Brian. No further explanation needed.

The Pastels - Truck, Train, Tractor

4. Very soft ladies, hard to find in a barn.

Soft ladies would be made of velvet.

A needle in a haystack would be hard to find in a barn.

Well done, Alyson.

The Velvelettes - Needle In A Haystack

3. An alternative to a big star.

Alternative = replacement

Big Star was the band of Alex Chilton (well, after the Box Tops)

The Replacements - Alex Chilton

The rest of you should just be glad that Martin stays in bed till the afternoon most Saturdays.

2. Good afternoon, Batgirls.

This was one of those clues where I didn't want to over-egg the pudding. Originally it was something like "Good afternoon from Japan, Batgirls and Dog Ladies", but really... you didn't need all that. Well, Martin didn't, anyway.

Robyn - Konichiwa, Bitches

1. Davis & Coltrane made lots of this.

John Coltrane

Miles Davis

John Miles - Music

My favourite clue this week, gave early riser CC no problems. George would have got there too if he'd set his alarm earlier.




Congrats to Martin. I like the way we seem to have a different winner every week.

More snapshots next Saturday. More on Les Crane tomorrow.

My Top Ten Stalker Songs (Volume 2)

Still not featuring this one, but its time will come.

As promised, I'm following you home again tonight.

In case you missed it, Volume 1 is here.



10. Robyn - Dancing On My Own

Seriously, you wouldn't mess around on Robyn. She would mess you up.

Somebody said you got a new friend
Does she love you better than I can?
There's a big black sky over my town
I know where you're at, I bet she's around
Yeah, I know it's stupid
I just gotta see it for myself
I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ohh
I'm right over here, why can't you see me, ohh
I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home,
I keep dancing on my own

9. Randy Newman - Suzanne

Randy finds a girl's name & number graffitied in a telephone box and decides she's the one for him...

And when you go to the pictures
And I know you do
Don't take no one with you
'Cause I'll be there, too

8. Eminem - Stan

I realise there are many out there who hate the fact that Marshall gave Dido a career as a result of this track, but if you can get past that it's both scary and hilarious. Plus it's the record that proves once and for all that Eminem is a Phil Collins fan...

Dear Mr. I'm-Too-Good-to-Call-or-Write-My-Fans
This'll be the last package I ever send your ass
It's been six months and still no word – I don't deserve it?
I know you got my last two letters
I wrote the addresses on 'em perfect
So this is my cassette I'm sending you, I hope you hear it
I'm in the car right now, I'm doing 90 on the freeway
Hey, Slim, I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?
You know the song by Phil Collins
"In the Air of the Night" about that guy who could've saved that other guy from drownin'
But didn't, then Phil saw it all, then at a show he found him?
That's kinda how this is
You could've rescued me from drowning
Now it's too late, I'm on a thousand downers now, I'm drowsy
And all I wanted was a lousy letter or a call
I hope you know I ripped all of your pictures off the wall
I loved you, Slim, we could've been together – think about it!

And of course, I can't post that without also posting this*, which I still find hilarious. Your mileage may vary. (*Enjoy your holiday, Jez.)

7. Heart - Alone

It doesn't get more 80s than this. I was 15 when this song came out. It soundtracked my teenage desperation...

You don't know how long I have wanted
To touch your lips and hold you tight, oh
You don't know how long I have waited
And I was going to tell you tonight
But the secret is still my own
And my love for you is still unknown
Alone

You've no idea how much those lyrics still make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

6. Morrissey - The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get

I was reading a US article the other day that called Morrissey a "one hit wonder" and cited this track as said hit. What a bizarre world.

That aside, can you imagine anything more bizarre than being stalked by Mozzer? "Call the cops!", as Shaun Ryder would say.

Oh, by the way, while I like the new Morrissey single a lot and am looking forward to the album, I do wish he'd keep his mouth shut while promoting it.

5. The Wedding Present - Bewitched

Actually, I could probably devote a whole Top Ten to Wedding Present Songs wherein David Gedge ends up stalking someone. Here's one of the best.

Why do my steps get this small
When I reach your front door
And I wait outside for you to come back out
And your light goes out
You don't know me but I'm still here
And God the last time I saw you
You were, oh, this near
And there's a thousand things I wished I'd said and done
But the moment's gone...

4. Tommy Tutone - Jenny (867-5309)

The guys from Tommy Tutone employ a very similar pick-up strategy to Randy Newman.

Jenny, Jenny you're the girl for me
You don't know me but you make me so happy
I tried to call you before, but I lost my nerve
I tried my imagination but I was disturbed

3. Jens Lekman - Psychogirl

Jens gets stalked by a girl from the post office. They all fall for him, psychogirls.

She sent me an SMS
But it felt more like an SOS, a cry for help
I know your life has been a mess
You cried yourself to sleep as a child
In your mommy's dress and your summerdress
But stop following me, psychogirl
I have enough problems to deal with on my own
Just turn around now, psychogirl
Your eyes are like knives, cutting into my bones
And if I'd be your psychologist, who would be the psychologist's psychologist?

2. Blondie - One Way Or Another

Line up her if you'd like Debbie Harry as a stalker...

I'll walk down the mall, stand over by the wall
Where I can see it all, find out who ya' call
Lead you to the supermarket checkout, some specials and rat food
Get lost in the crowd...

1. Elvis Costello - I Want You 

Genuinely one of the scariest songs ever written. So good, they made a film out of it.

It's the stupid details that my heart is breaking for 
It's the way your shoulders shake and what they're shaking for 
I want you 
It's knowing that he knows you now after only guessing 
It's the thought of him undressing you or you undressing

There is plenty for a third volume. If I'm not arrested first.

My Top Ten Time Travel Songs

Okay. Time circuit's on. Flux capacitor... fluxing. Engine running. All right!


10. Death In Vegas - Silver Time Machine

No, they didn't steal this from David Essex.

9. Busted - Year 3000

I like to think this blog will boldly go where other music blogs never go... Busted!

I've been to the year 3000
Not much has changed but they live underwater
And your great-great-great-great granddaughter is pretty fine...

Busted, of course, went on to spawn McFly... so extra marks for that, at least.

8. Uriah Heap - Traveller In Time

From an album called Demons & Wizards. You've got to love the 70s.

7. Grand Funk Railroad - Time Machine

Don't worry about tomorrow,
I'm gonna love you tonight

You old smoothie, you, Mr. Grand Funk.

6. Cher - If I Could Turn Back Time

Looking for a definition of the phrase "phallic imagery"? Look no further...

Also, you know that nightmare you have where you leave the house without your trousers and everyone is staring and pointing at you and eventually you get chased by a load of sailors...?

5. Robyn - Time Machine

Robyn's DeLorean needs only go in one direction. (And that will be the only time you hear those two words used together on this blog.)

4. The Blazing Zoos - Anywhere But Here

Today's the worst day of Andrew Mueller's life... except for yesterday. And he's not overly optimistic about tomorrow. His solution is to call up every science lab in town, looking for a time machine that he can borrow. You get the idea...

3. The Rocky Horror Picture Show Cast - The Time Warp

It's just a jump to the left.

2. Frank Turner - Time Machine

From the amazing new album, Tape Deck Heart... though you have to buy the Deluxe Edition to get this doozy...

I’m a gonna build myself a time machine
On particle physics and the power of steam
It runs on diesel oil and Donnie Darko daydreams...

Packed up, sat in my DeLorean
Like some kind of amateur historian
I’ll visit the Renaissance and the Romans, the Victorians
Drinking in Deadwood in the 1880s
Rock 'n roll and drive-thrus in the 1950s
Trying not to change things so the plot lines don’t get shifty...

1. Huey Lewis & The News - Back In Time 

Often overshadowed by that other Huey song from Back To The Future, this is the lesser-remembered track that plays out over the end credits. And if that sax intro doesn't take you back in time to 1985, 1.21 gigawatts isn't going to help you...

Tell me, doctor, where are we going this time
Is it the 50s - or 1999?

Ah, yes, remember when 1999 was in the distant future? 



Great Scott! Comments? Where we're going, we don't need comments...

But they're always appreciated. 

My Top Ten Robot Songs

10. Arling & Cameron - Dirty Robot

Covered by The Lemonheads featuring Kate Moss, which might have worked... had it come without the "featuring Kate Moss" bit.

9. The Aliens - Robot Man

The artists formerly known as The Beta Band with their anthem to robot dancing.

8. Go Kart Mozart - I Talk With Robot Voice

Lawrence (of Felt & Denim fame) returned earlier this year with a new album from his third band, including this wonderful hymn to alienation which has him bemoaning his uselessness at humanoid relationships before guiltily confessing: "Yet I admit I'm still susceptible to vaginas." When was the last time Gary Barlow wrote a lyric like that?

7. Guided By Voices - Tropical Robots

It's only 52 seconds long, but it's still quite lovely.

6. Kraftwerk - The Robots

The track which inspired this...

5. Daft Punk - Robot Rock,

...which in turn inspired this...

4. Flight Of The Conchords - Robots

Finally, robotic beings rule the world! The humans are dead...

Binary solo - 000000100001110000111000111111100001010!

3. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

Those evil-natured robots
they're programmed to destroy us
she's gotta be strong to fight them
so she's taking lots of vitamins

2. Robyn - Fembot

Once you gone tech you ain't never going back

Robyn's got robots on the brain. See also Robotboy and The Girl And The Robot (featuring Röyksopp).

1. Radiohead - Paranoid Android

I remember when this was released, the record company promoted it as Radiohead's answer to Bohemian Rhapsody. I still think that comparison holds true. Like Bo Rap, there's far more going on here than one song can usually hold... and yet, it works.

Back in my Championship Hearts playing days, I went by the moniker 'Marvin': the original Paranoid Android. Life - don't talk to me about life...



Those were the songs that get me robot-dancing... which one gives you a binary solo?