Snapshots #342: A Top Twelve Star Wars Songs

Yesterday was May 4th - Star Wars Day. (Because: May The 4th Be With You. Don't blame me. I didn't come up with that.) Did you need The Force to crack these clues...?

12. Flaming satellite. 

Named after a Russian street gang, the "sigue sigue" meaning "burn burn"...

Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Albinoni vs. Star Wars, Pt. 1 & 2

11. Sadomasochism for the Original Gangsters.

S&M for the OGs...

Smog - I Am Star Wars!

10. Armenian butcher.

Their name means "butcher" in Armenian, apparently...

Kasabian - Empire

9. Odd LA back-up. 

Odd is Weird, LA backwards is AL...

Weird Al Yankovic - Yoda

(Sung to the tune of Lola, naturally.)

8. Twice as bright.

Neon Neon - I Told Her On Alderaan

Alderaan was Princess Leia's home planet... but you knew that.

Neon Neon features Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals.

7. Greasy lady found in Falkirk.

The lady in Grease is Sandy. Denny is a town in Falkirk. Han was Solo.

Sandy Denny - Solo

6. Home security camera rotates more than half way. 

I've got Blink security cameras on Top Ten Towers, in case you were thinking of coming round to steal my CD collection. If you rotate something through half a turn, that's 180 degrees. Just over that would be...

Blink 182 - A New Hope

5. Don't mess.

Don't Mess With Jim!

Jim Croce - A Long Time Ago

...in a galaxy far, far away.

4. Female warrior and bright star. 

Bellatrix is both of the above.

Bellatrix - Jedi Wannabe

3. What Johnny used for small payments.

Johnny raids the Petty Cash.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Rebels

2. On yer bike, Nicole Kidman!

Nicole Kidman's second film role, way back in 1983, was in the movie BMX Bandits.

BMX Bandits - Star Wars

1. The genuine article.

The Real Thing - Can You Feel The Force?

Snapshots will be back next Saturday. Do. Or do not. There is no try.

Saturday Snapshots #156 - The Answers

 

It's Sunday morning. Do you know where your answers are?

10. Maternal advice from Larry... or Indiana. 

Larry Hagman played J.R. Ewing.

Indiana was Henry Jones Jr.

Junior - Mama Used To Say 

9. Laine too long on the beach? That's why your clock went missing. 

Denny Laine on a Sandy beach?

Sandy Denny - Who Knows Where The Time Goes?

8. Lindsay Anderson's conditional in sad notes.

Lindsay Anderson made the film If... which is a conditional.

The Bluetones - If...

7. Tune in with the end of your sleeve.

What's on the end of your sleeve? A cuff!

Roy Acuff - Turn Your Radio On

6. Caught in lessons.

Caught = Busted!

Busted - That's What I Go To School For

(That's the 21st Century version of this.)

5. A tiny one thousandth, suckers! 

A small milli?

Millie Small - My Boy Lollipop

4. Tyger cubs found in septic tank.

William Blake wrote Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright...

Blake Babies - Cesspool

(Juliana Hatfield there, folks.)

3. Royal pooches reluctantly join #6.

The Queen loves her corgis.

Reluctantly joining Busted in school, because...

The Korgis - Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime 

2. Looking for a different bloke? Choose a frisky one who's into ideologies.

You need a new man? Watch out if he's Randy!

Randy Newman - Political Science

1. Foxy chef can't tell you when the Battle of Hastings happened.

Sam Fox cooks?

Don't know much about history...

Saturday Snapshots returns next week... even if the world ain't that wonderful right now.

My Top Ten London Songs

This weekend, I have mostly been in a small southern village... amazingly, despite it being the kind of one-cow town that doesn't even appear on most maps, a few songwriters have still made records about it. Here are ten of the best... 

(By the way, don't all start crying out for Waterloo Sunset or Parklife or Baker Street... the rules of this one were It Must Have London In The Title. And I still could have done another twenty...)


10. Frank Turner - The Ladies Of London

Like How Soon Is Now relocated down south...

There’s so many beautiful girls in here tonight,
I can hardly stand it.
Where do they go during the day?
Who the hell do they go home with at the end of the night?
I don’t understand it.
They never go home with me.

9. The Pet Shop Boys - London

One of their best songs. Especially the piano version.

8. Luke Haines - Love Letter To London

Luke Haines has written many songs about the south. And quite a few about the north. He's always a lot nicer when on his home turf...

7. The Smiths - London

Not actually one of my favourite Smiths songs, but still better than most other things in life.

Do you think you've made the right decision this time?

6. Gene - London, Can You Wait?

Gene beat the Smiths for once - who'da think it?

5. The Pearlfishers - London's In Love

The word 'luscious' was coined to describe records by the Pearlfishers.

I walk the busy streets of london 
On a beautiful cold November day 
And I feel the buildings, and I hear the traffic 
And the zum of the telephone wires 
So many people, so many stories 
Too much for a worried boy from the north 
I’m applying for the role of most disenchanted soul on Piccadilly

4. ELO - Last Train To London

Many years ago, when I started work in the Evil Industry, this was the only ELO record on the playlist at the radio station I was sentenced to. It came round as a recurring oldie about three times a day. Because some idiot in charge thought it "tested" well. There's nothing wrong with the record, but there are a dozen other great ELO singles they could have played for variety. But oh no, that's not what the listeners wanted...

3. Thea Gilmore & Sandy Denny - London

Written, though never released, by the late Sandy Denny. Finally given life by the divine Ms. Gilmore. Great to hear this played as part of the Olympics coverage.

2. Warren Zevon - Werewolves Of London

Ah-ooo!

He's the hairy-handed gent who ran amuck in Kent
Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair
Better stay away from him
He'll rip your lungs out, Jim
I'd like to meet his tailor

1. The Clash - London Calling

 Well, it had to be, didn't it?






Those were mine... but which is your capital city song?