#uk soul chart

[mr-divabetic]

AMAZING!! Our new single, Crystal Penny's STANDARDS, produced by Ivan Hampden Jr., debuts at #15 on BCFM Radio's Soul Chart, hosted by DJ Tony Griffin. 

STANDARDS is a tribute to many of the Queens of the Quiet Storm who shaped our expectations about falling and being in love with a song. Available on all music streaming apps in late April 

[tcmusicnyla]

Optimism Number 1 on the UK Soul Chart Michael Gray Tatiana Owens

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: July 17, 1995

Lyrics:

It's been a year today

Baby, since you came into my life

Feels just like yesterday

That we both stood beneath the open sky

Playing like children in the rain

As though we had known our destiny

Nothing would ever be the same

I guess I knew you were the one for me

I hear your name

(I hear your name)

Suddenly the world is standin' still

I hear your name

(I hear your name)

And I start dreamin' of makin' love

I hear your name

(I hear your name)

Bringin' on a rush of ecstasy

(I hear your name)

And I feel like makin' love to you

We've come such a long way

A travellers' road, no lookin' back

Here's where I want to stay

Safe in your arms feeling body and soul

When you're not here I long to feel

The lovin' warmth of your embrace

Missin' you madly night and day

Longin' to see you face to face

I hear your name

(I hear your name)

Suddenly the world is standin' still

I hear your name

(I hear your name)

And I start dreamin' of makin' love

I hear your name

(Hear your name, yeah)

Bringin' on a rush of ecstasy

(I hear your name)

And I feel like makin' love to you, yeah

There is no use in trying to hide the way that I feel

Life is so clear with you on my mind

I know for sure I'm not mislead

And baby, I love everything that you do for me

(Everything that you do for me)

Yeah

I hear your name

(I hear your name)

Suddenly the world is standin' still

I hear your name

(Ooh, ooh, your name)

And I start dreamin' of makin' love

I hear your name

(I hear your name)

Bringin' on a rush of ecstasy

I hear your name

And I feel like makin' love to you

Yeah

Feel like makin', makin', makin' love

Feel like makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

Feel like makin' love, love

Feel like makin', makin', makin' love

Feel like makin' love

Feel like makin', makin' love

Feel like makin' love, love

Feel like makin', makin', makin' love

Feel like makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

Feel like makin' love, love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

Feel like makin', makin', makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

Feel like makin', makin', makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

Feel like makin', makin', makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

Songwriter:

Feel like makin', makin', makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

'Cause I feel like makin', makin' love

Jean Maunick / Graham Harvey

AlbumFacts:

👉📖

Homepage:

Incognito

[radiopopstand]

Back On The Air This Weekend, It’s Your Multi Genre Music Station

We are travelling on our Time Machine this Saturday, stretching way back to the year 1941, would you believe, plus many other years along the way, like 1951, 1961, 1971, etc, etc, up to 2021.

There’s tracks from the 21st century selected by my young niece and just a few Northern Soul tracks to make our transmission complete.

Radio Popstand via the Stationhead app this Saturday.

We are also on air Sunday with all those hits that didn’t quite make it to number 1 in the uk charts. A transmission packed with number 2’s.

Radio Popstand: Your multi genre station is available on the Stationhead app. To hear the music you’ll need a premium subscription to either Spotify or Apple Music.

On air Saturday: 18:30 BST

On air Sunday: 08:30 BST

BST is 1 hour in advance of GMT or UTC

Or listen at anytime via recording of shows available on Radio Popstand profile on Stationhead.

Jeff Wright, 8th July 2023

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Aaliyah - Are You That Somebody? 1998

"Are You That Somebody?" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Aaliyah for the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. It was written by Static Major and Timbaland, with the latter producing it, in addition to performing a guest rap. It is an R&B, pop, soul, and avant-funk song with hip hop influences. Its production also incorporates other instrumentals such as staccato guitars, beatboxing, and drum and bass. The Dr. Dolittle soundtrack was released on June 16, 1998 and consisted of a blend of hip hop and contemporary R&B. The soundtrack was a huge success, peaking at 4 on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum on October 20 the same year.

Upon its release, "Are You That Somebody?" received critical acclaim from music critics, with them praising its off-beat innovative production. In 1999, Aaliyah earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the song. Initially, it was ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 because it was an airplay single not commercially released to retail stores but in December 1998, Billboard changed its policy to allow airplay-only songs to chart, and the song eventually peaked at number 21. Internationally, the song achieved even greater commercial success, peaking at number one in New Zealand and number three in the Netherlands. It also peaked at number 11 in Canada and the UK.

An accompanying music video for "Are You That Somebody?" was directed by Mark Gerard with choreography orchestrated by Fatima Robinson. It received acclaim from the music industry, receiving Best R&B Video and Best Video from a Film nominations at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. The video also earned a nomination for Outstanding Music Video at the NAACP Image Awards. Throughout the years, critics have praised the video for its choreography, with many highlighting the flamenco routine depicted in the final scene.

"Are You That Somebody?" received a total of 68,8% yes votes! Previous Aaliyah polls: #217 "Try Again".

[just-a-ghost00]

Your next significant relationship - Who? When? Where?

Group 1 - Controler

Letters : N U Z E D M L K I O S Significant words/names/signs : SKZ, nudes, suki, soul, miso, sun, zen, Leo, kids, Nike, Mike, lion, Leon, noise, sound, Link, links, Dion, Zeus, Odin, Oden, onze (french for 11), douze (french for 12), uno, dos/due, dom, Muse, likes, silk, sold, DMs, solid, kudos, doki, slime, smile, Milo, miko

WHO ? - The Empress / STRENGTH / Herkimer diamond : power wash your energy This person is not what they seem. They may look harsh on the surface but deep down they are as fragile as Quartz. People may only judge them based on their looks and not who they are at there core. They are beautiful without a doubt. Extremely sensual and feminine. Their beauty feels ethereal. They are highly sensitive and spiritual. They could be a healer. The Herkimer diamond card mentions New York's Mohawk Valley where it can be found. So maybe this person is a New Yorker or they would like to travel to New York. With the strength card being related to fire, this person could have important fire placements in their chart (Leo, Sagittarius, Aries). They are powerful and determined. They know what they want and they won't back down no matter what you put them through. Though this person is affected by what people think of them, they would rather die than show it. They could have red hair. Their hair is rather long and straight. They like to wear bracelets. They are connected to the stars. They are grounded and protected by the universe. The Empress is also assiocated with Taurus. They present themselves as a woman. They feel close to their ancestors. It might be that there were warriors in their bloodline. Especially women. Their women ancestors were fierce in battle and they like to take after them and ask for their guidance. I'm feeling a strong connection to witches and shamans.

WHERE ? - 9 of swords / UNDERWORLD / Barite : get answers to your biggest questions. Places this person could be from or have been to at some point are : USA -> Nevada, Misouri, Georgia, Texas / China / India / Morocco / Mexico / Iran / Kazakhstan / Canada / Australia / Thailand / Nigeria / Peru / UK -> Scotland The 9 of swords card shows imagery of a woman lying down in the snow, with mountains in the background. So this person could live in a cold climate country/region. I'm thinking of the Alps, Himalaya, Caucasus, Alaska range. I'm thinking about Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Russia, Groenland, Iceland. Any city starting with a U or a B. Furthermore the character on the card has a dress with an important amount of stars on it, which reminded me of the European Union flag. In terms of the meeting, it could be through social media. The underworld card gives me a sense of mystery, of something being hidden. So it could be the dark web for some. Or on a website that keeps things hidden from people (i.e. content available only for subscribers or a private account). Also you could meet them in your dreams before you meet in 3D. Also, the underworld could be a metaphor for rave parties, clubs and so on. They could live or you could meet near an important building or monument.

WHEN ? - XXI The World / NATURE / Labradorite : protect your magic. The labradorite card mentions Aurora Borealis and the sign of Pisces. So Winter could be relevant, as well as the period from mid February to mid March. The number 21 could be relevent. So if we think in terms of dates it could be 02.21 or 03.21. The World speaks of cycles as well as the long term. So it could represent several years in terms of timing. When it comes to zodiac signs, The World is related to fixed signs. So Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius season could be relevant as well. Which means that you could meet them between mid April to mid May, mid July to mid August, mid October to mid November or mid January to mid February. The World could also represent a time of your life when you are traveling abroad. Again, the character depicted on the card has a lot of stars in their hair. So I'm thinking of the USA as well as the EU. As she is dressed in red, holds red roses and has horns on her head, I'm also being reminded of Spain. The nature card could talk about a time of your life when you are in the wild, connecting with nature, taking a break from the drama of big city life.

Group 2 - Phone

Letters : T E N N U L N O R I S Significant words/names/signs : tennis, Noris, Noe, Noel, runs, Euro, sun, tenor, soul, norns, nine, tunes, Sonne (Rammstein song), Uriel, notes, nuns, trio, route, routines, Riolu (pokémon name), Loire (region in France), Lorie, LOTR, rise, sonnet, soir (french word for evening), nuit (french for night), riots, Lise, lotus

WHO? - IV The Emporor / Sacred Sexuality / Sapphire : find your tranquil place. This person is very masculine and grounded. They could be a father and/or a leader, a mentor, an entrepreneur. The sign of Aries could be significant. They are incredibly determined and strong. Their sexual drive is high. They pay a lot of attention to their health and appearance. They have a lot of sex appeal. This person could be in the fashion industry or could even be that they get money from people watching their body (selling pictures of them, having access to private erotic content). They could have a bit of a bad temper. Piercings also seem significant. On the sacred sexuality card, there’s a full moon and roses. This tell me this person is a romantic and is more of a night owl. They have an important status. We’re talking about company owners, freelance artists, lawyers, head officers, doctors, headmasters of big schools, politicians and so on.

WHERE? - 6 of swords / MOVEMENT / Garnet : get into your depth. -> places they could be from or have gone to : Czekoslovakia, Kenya, Madagascar, India. The 6 of swords depicts a beautiful woman rowing a boat on a lake. Behind her is a white mountain. In her boat are two herons. So Africa seems significant, particularly Tanzania where Kilimandjaro can be found. I’m also thinking of the Mt Fuji in Japan, in Yamanashi. This person lives near an important body of water. Or you might meet them there. Another thing that is significant is movement. So you could meet them where you’re going on a trip, as you travel or relocate. You could meet them on a boat. Anyplace you want to create something (art, music, writing and so on). When looking at « get into your depth » this gives me the feeling you could meet this person in the 5D before meeting them in person, like through dreams or meditation.

WHEN? Queen of wands and VI The Lovers - DARE TO DREAM - Citrine : manifest your masterpiece. First of all I have to say, when I was shuffling the cards for the WHEN? the bells of the nearby Church started ringing. So this tells me when you're going to Church either for communion or for a wedding. Summer is significant, especially from mid June to mid July. I would even say the month of June is the most significant of the two. When you go after your dreams, you will meet this person. On the DARE TO DREAM card, you can see a diamond trapped in an eagle's claw. For some reasons it reminded me of metal and rock bands, of concerts and big events like the Superbowl. So maybe one of your dreams is to go watch your favorite band/artist live or to go to Hellfest or any big convention that is happening in Summer. If there are any French people here, I'm thinking of the Olympics happening this Summer in Paris. And also the Japan Expo convention. In terms of timing, I’d say in a few months.

Group 3 - Mirror

First of all I want to say my coffee spilled as I did your reading. So either you or this person is super clumsy and/or coffee is significant in your relationship. Letters : E L I C O O E U J I A Y

Words/names/signs : Jay, Jey, Joy, Jolie, Julia, Julie, Jule, July, Lucy, cool, jail, Luc, Loïc, Alice, ciel (French for Sky), clue, juice, école (French for school), eco , CEO, Lucie, Lucia, Cloe

WHO? - XVII The Star / Ancestors / Obsidian : protect your soul. Aquarius comes in strongly for this reading. This person is an introvert. They are often seen as a daydreamer, someone that doesn’t care about earthly life. They look like their head is in the stars. Which, in some way is true. This person connects strongly with the Ethers. Social media seems to be important. They could be an influencer or have a certain amount of followers that they help. Think of tarot readings, raising awareness about certain subjects (mental health, disabilities, menstrual cycle, sexuality and so on). This person could be famous in some type of way or they are going to be at some point in their life. Overall they have a good reputation among their peers. They are valued for their work ethic and their deep insights. They are divinely protected. Family business comes to mind. They care about family a lot, especially the deceased ones. This person would be the type to seek out advice from their ancestors or try to honor them as much as they can. Scorpio is also a sign that seems relevant. I don’t know why but I thought of a surgeon. So maybe they have undergone an important surgery. Or they are very sharp. Because I definitely don’t feel this person is a surgeon. Well it could be, but honestly I feel more the energy of influencers and public speakers, like ambassadors of NGOs and stuff like that. Soft and caring, they feel and look rather feminine. Giving more than receiving. They love animals. They draw a lot of attention just from their presence. I think their aura is pretty strong and vibrant. Connected to nature, especially trees and plants.

WHERE? - 7 of pentacles / movement / Herkimer diamond You could meet at work, as you’re changing jobs or they are. During a break at work while you’re printing/scanning papers. In sacred spaces. New York. Somewhere in a lot of greenery like a park or a farm. As for places they could come from or have been to, we have : Norway, Ukraine, Arizona, China, Afghanistan, Herkimer county. If not these places, there could be farms where this person lives. Also they live in a place where there is a lot of activity, especially work wise. So this makes me think of hot spots like La Défense in Paris where a lot of businesses and political administrations can be found. Other places like that would be : Midtown New York, La City London, Marunouchi Tokyo, The Loop Chicago, Bankenviertel Frankfurt, Zuidas Amsterdam, Gangnam Seoul and so on.

WHEN? - 4 of swords / Death / Aquamarine : Keep your cool. You could meet on the fourth of a month, in April. At a time when you’ve lost your voice or when you are going Hermit mode, when you are sick or when you are mourning a loss. During a period of depression. During Scorpio season. In several weeks. Also it could be when someone or something pushes your buttons but you can’t express your frustration somehow. That could be anything really. Like queueing for registration in a building and someone is trying to take your spot. Or shopping at the mall and a customer is being super rude but since there are children around you can’t fully tell this person what you think of their attitude. Stuff like that.

[timetravellingkitty]

SAPPHIC ARTISTS TO LISTEN TO

(instead of writing your 69th essay about how Taylor Swift is a closet lesbian)

Starting off with my holy trinity:

Rina Sawayama (she/her, bi/pan): if you follow me you're probably aware of what a huge Rina fan I am. Lots of pop and rock, with a chunk of her earlier songs being R&B. Her debut album SAWAYAMA (my favourite album of all time!!) was her major breakthrough moment as it received critical acclaim and her sophomore album Hold the Girl made her the highest charting Japanese artist in the history of the UK. Known for her musical versatility, she made her acting debut in John Wick 4. I recommend: Cherry, Frankenstein and Bad Friend

Janelle Monáe (she/they, bi/pan): pop, funk, neo-soul and psychedelic. They have an entire series of concept albums about an android named Cindy Mayweather (her ALTER EGO?!) as she commits the crime of falling in love with a human. Lots of social commentary. Her album Dirty Computer comes along with a narrative film and a book taking place in its world. She's starred in movies like Antebellum, Glass Onion and Moonlight. I recommend: Electric Lady, Django Jane and Pynk

Raveena Aurora (she/her, bi): Experimental pop, R&B and soul. Her second album Asha's Awakening is a concept album following the journey of Asha, a Punjabi space princess, as it explores Aurora's South Asian identity and past relationships. Such a beautiful and soft voice to die for. I recommend: Headaches, If Only and Kathy Left 4 Kathmandu

Moving onto some other artists I like:

Boygenius: a band comprising of three sapphic women- Phoebe Bridgers (indie darling™), Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker (the first two are bi while the third is a lesbian). Indie, folk and alternative rock. Very melancholic. I urge you to check out their individual projects too (especially Phoebe's, I love her Punisher album). I recommend: Emily I'm Sorry, Satanist and True Blue

Kelela (she/her, queer): R&G, electronic and alternative R&B. Her debut EP Hallucinogen covers the beginning, middle and end of a relationship in reverse chronological order. Her second album Raven showcases Black futuristic art, which I fuck with. I recommend: Contact, The High and Bluff

Zolita (she/her, lesbian): dark-pop, R&B and electropop. She incorporates witchcraft into her music and mvs. She literally has an EP called Sappho what more could you want? I recommend: Holy, Ashley (the sapphic Speak Now) and Bedspell

Victoria Monét (she/her, bi): pop and R&B. She's written songs for artists like Ariana Grande (7 Rings) and Chloe x Halle (Do It). Go stream her Jaguar EP you will thank me later. I recommend: Touch Me (erotic sapphic song), Cupid and Love U Better

And finally some honourable mentions (can't make this post too long now can I): mxmtoon, Michelle Zauner, Arooj Aftab, Sir Babygirl, Dodie, Chloe Moriondo, Lauren Jauregui, Baby Queen, Sara and Teagan, The Butchies, Sofya Wang and Melissa Etheridge

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

Today, on June 30th, 1980 - Queen Story!

"The Game", 8th studio album, released in the UK and USA, reached number 1, on chart for 18 weeks, achieved Platinum status

🔸“We were No.1 in all the Soul, Black orientated charts, Disco charts...it was totally unexpected...we never even thought of that record as being a single...”

- Roger Taylor on 'Another One Bites The Dust'

Recorded between February and May 1980. The tracks, Save Me, Coming Soon, Sail Away Sweet Sister and Crazy Little Thing Called Love (the first single from the album, released a full seven months ahead of The Game) were recorded in June and July of 1979. Despite the fact that Queen had recently purchased their own recording studios in Montreux, Switzerland, they did not use it for this project. All tracks were recorded in Musicland in Munich and were produced by Queen and Mack. It was the first Queen/Mack co-venture but certainly not the last; the collaboration would go on to produce some of the band's finest work and be responsible for many of the biggest and best known hits.

The Game marked a notable turning point for Queen in terms of musical style. For the first time they were experimenting with disco/funk rhythms and completely immersing themselves in the bass-driven grooves of the day. Whatever Queen did, and whatever the fall-out might be, good or bad, they embraced it wholeheartedly, and this album was no exception. The Game was the first Queen album to feature a synthesizer, though this aspect was unwelcome news to many long term fans who had been with Queen since the 'Nobody played synths' albums of the seventies.

➡ Singles from this album: 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' / 'Save Me' / 'Play The Game' / 'Another One Bites The Dust' / 'Need Your Loving Tonight'

👉 continue to read on 👇

http://www.queenonline.com/music

👉 Another Info

Today, 1980 - Queen perform at the PNE Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada - Start of the 'Game Tour'

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday to Eddi Reader.

Eddi, born born Sadenia Reader on August 29th in 1959, has been around several blocks, musically speaking. A native of Glasgow, she has been well known and loved here for years. Oddly enough, Reader jumped right into her performing career in the early ‘80s by travelling throughout Europe with a circus troupe. Shortly after, she decided to settle in London and become a session vocalist.

Her choice proved fruitful as her book soon filled up and she landed work with the Eurythmics, the Waterboys, and Gang of Four. None seemed like the right setting for Reader. Then she found her place in the spotlight with Fairground Attraction. The band’s debut, First of a Million Kisses, hit the British charts in 1988, along with the single “Perfect.” Reader gained a good bit of recognition, both critical and popular, and was able to launch her solo career from that platform, although it did not happen immediately.

Her solo debut, Mirmama, saw daylight in 1992 and found Reader’s lovely pipes wrapped around some fine tunes. Although it was a limited release, it caught the ear of the folks at Warner Brothers, who followed it in 1994 with her self-titled album. This second effort included more Reader originals amid the slick production.

Despite touring in its support, she still managed to contribute to recordings by Thomas Dolby, Liberty Horses, and others. When things didn’t pan out with her major label, Reader returned to her independent roots and issued Candyfloss and Medicine in 1996 and Angels & Electricity in 1999, all the while perfecting her brand of smooth acoustic folk-pop.

Finding herself with yet another musical home, Compass Records re-released both Mirmama and Angels & Electricity in the United States and allowed Reader the chance to put forth her most organic offering to date with Simple Soul in 2001. Seventeen Stories: The Best of Eddi Reader and the all-new Driftwood arrived in 2002, followed by Eddi Reader and my personal favourite, Sings the Songs of Robert Burns in 2003 and Peacetime in 2007.

2008 sawEddi make a foray into film with an appearance in Me and Orson Wells, the following year she commemorated the 250th anniversary of Burn’s birth with a deluxe version of his songs with additional songs to add to the original. That same year she also put out new music in the form of her ninth studio album, Love is the Way.

Save for a live record, which appeared in 2010 Eddi took a long break from the recording studios, returning in 2014 with Vagabond. There was only a slightly lesser gap between albums with her 12th studio record appearing in 2018, Cavalier, which was recorded in Glasgow.

In 2020 Eddi celebrated 40 years in the music business with a UK wide tour that included 10 Scottish shows, that was before the Covid virus came calling, the shows had been rescheduled twice. The album Light Is in the Horizon followed, her 12th studio piece.

In 2024, the band's original line-up announced a Japan and UK tour, and reunited for an album titled "Beautiful Happening", set for release on September 20th 2024. A first single, "What's Wrong With The World ?", was released in February, followed by the album's title track in June.

Eddi is back to touring with her solo band and has a gig on Hayling Island off the south coast of England, in December a seven date tour of Ireland follows in 2025, then ten gigs in England.

Don't worry she hasn't forgotten her homeland, look out for Phil Cunningham’s Christmas Songbook, where Eddi will join the former Silly Wizard musician in ten Festive concerts around Scotland between December 12th and 22nd.

I've chosen a gaelic song that Eddi performed, it's called Buain Ná Rainich (Fairy Love Song) and is from her 11th album Vagabond.

The other well-known title, Tha mi Sgìthh, there are many variations of the story relating to this song, but one version says that the song was originally sung by a fairy who caught sight of a beautiful girl when he was cutting bracken. They fell in love, but alas there was no fairytale ending. When her family learned of the love, they stopped the girl from seeing the fairy and they locked her away. His song mourns the situation. The tune of this song is very old and it is often used as a lullaby. In Cape Breton though, it is often used as a Puirt à beul!

[justforbooks]

David Soul, who has died aged 80, stormed to fame in the 1970s as half of the television “buddies” detective duo Starsky and Hutch, who careered across Los Angeles in their red and white Ford Gran Torino, over the roofs and bonnets of other cars, and through piles of cardboard boxes.

“When the Starsky and Hutch series was showing, police on patrol duty were adopting sunglasses and wearing their gloves with the cuffs turned down,” claimed Kenneth Oxford, a British chief constable. “They also started driving like bloody maniacs.” In south London, a council lowered a wall after fans of the tyre-squealing screen action used it as a launchpad to jump on to parked vehicles.

While Paul Michael Glaser played the streetwise, cardigan-wearing, junk food-eating Dave Starsky, Soul’s character, Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson, was the quieter, yoga-loving, healthy-eating one – two cool cops looking after each other as if they were brothers.

Over five series (1975-79), they patrolled a rough area populated by muggers, drug dealers, sex workers and pimps. They also fraternised with Huggy Bear (played by Antonio Fargas), a snazzily dressed, “jive-talking” informant with his own bar.

Soul traded on his newfound stardom to return to his first love, music. He recorded the ballads Don’t Give Up on Us (1976), a No 1 in the US and UK, and Silver Lady (1977), another British chart-topper.

His television career continued, but the starring roles rarely resonated beyond his homeland. An exception was the miniseries World War III (1982), in which he played an American cold war colonel trying to avert a nuclear holocaust. It also chimed with his political and social campaigning, which included supporting the anti-nuclear movement.

He took up the tempting offer to play Rick Blaine in Casablanca (1983), a five-part TV prequel to the film classic, in the role originally played by Humphrey Bogart, but it proved a flop.

Soul found renewed success – particularly on the West End stage – after moving to Britain in the 90s. He even hit the headlines beyond the review pages in the title role of Jerry Springer the Opera (Cambridge theatre, 2004-05), taking over from another American actor, Michael Brandon, as the “shock” talkshow host.

The BBC’s decision to screen Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee’s musical, complete with thousands of swear words, transvestites, tap-dancers dressed as Ku Klux Klan members and a nappy-wearing Jesus, received more than 60,000 complaints from viewers.

Soul simply relished the chance to fulfil his “dream to play in the birthplace of English-speaking theatre” after failing to “cut the mustard” when auditioning on Broadway.

He was born David Solberg in Chicago to June (nee Nelson), a teacher who had also performed as a singer, and Richard Solberg, a Lutheran minister of Norwegian descent. His father’s work as a representative of the Lutheran World Relief organisation during the reconstruction of Germany after the second world war meant the family moved to Berlin in 1949, returning to the US seven years later to live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where David attended Washington high school.

He then acted in plays while studying at Augustana College, before moving to Mexico with his family. Influenced by his father’s work, he initially had plans to join the diplomatic service, and learned Spanish and studied Latin American history. He was also taught to play the guitar by Mexican students.

After a year, he hitchhiked to the US, landed a job singing Mexican folk songs at a coffee shop in Minneapolis and set his sights on a career in music. He also gained some acting experience with the city’s Firehouse theatre company.

While talking with friends about the metaphorical masks people wear, he came up with the idea of wearing a real one while performing so that the music stood on its own merits, and billed himself “David Soul, the Covered Man”. The William Morris Agency signed him up after hearing a demo tape, and he soon had bookings. One was in The Merv Griffin Show on TV between 1966 and 1968, when he eventually dispensed with the mask. More significantly, a talent agent spotted his acting potential.

He had a regular role in Here Come the Brides (1968-70), a comedy western series set after the civil war, as Joshua Bolt, one of the brothers running a logging company in a male-dominated Seattle frontier town and importing marriageable women.

A guest star, Karen Carlson, became Soul’s second wife (1968-77), following the dissolution of his first marriage, to Mirriam “Mim” Russeth, in 1966, three years after their wedding.

Soul was then popping up all over American TV in guest roles himself, and had a short run in 1974 as Ted Warrick, the defence lawyer’s assistant, in Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, before wider fame came in Starsky and Hutch. By then, he was living in an “open” relationship with another actor, Lynne Marta. When he moved on to his third marriage, to Patti (nee Carnel, 1980-86), former wife of the 60s pop idol Bobby Sherman, he hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

In 1982, having already struck Patti several times, he returned home drunk one night following a day’s filming on Casablanca – which he correctly feared would bomb – and hit her repeatedly. He was arrested on a charge of misdemeanour battery, but a judge spared him jail on condition that he underwent therapy. Soul admitted to having a violent streak and, although he and Patti were reunited, the marriage was soon over.

He kept working, landing starring roles as Roy Champion in the cattle ranch soap-style drama The Yellow Rose (1983-84), the private eye of the title in the TV movie Harry’s Hong Kong (1987), and “Wes” Grayson, leading an FBI forensics team, in Unsub (1989), but his star was on the wane. Another marriage, to Julia Nickson (1987-1993), also failed, before he had a relationship with the actor-singer Alexa Hamilton.

Soul’s career was revived when in 1995 the theatre producer Bill Kenwright was looking for an American to star in the comedy thriller Catch Me If You Can on tour in Britain. He played Corban, a newlywed whose wife goes missing. There were other tours and Soul was in the West End as Hank in The Dead Monkey (Whitehall, now Trafalgar, theatre, 1998), Chandler Tate in Alan Ayckbourn’s Comic Potential (Lyric, 1999-2000) and Mack in Mack & Mabel (Criterion, 2006).

In between, he had one-off roles on British television, including as a locum surgeon in two episodes of Holby City (2001 and 2002), a Boston detective helping to investigate his wife’s murder in Dalziel and Pascoe (2004) and a criminology lecturer in Inspector Lewis (2012). Soul and Glaser had cameos in the 2004 film spoof Starsky & Hutch, alongside Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch. In the same year, Soul was granted British citizenship.

He is survived by his fifth wife, Helen (nee Snell), whom he married in 2010, and five sons and a daughter.

🔔 David Soul (David Richard Solberg), actor and singer, born 28 August 1943; died 4 January 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[jamieroxxartist]

Tuesday, Aug 13, 2024. Episode #1413 of 🎨#JamieRoxx’s www.PopRoxxRadio.com 🎙️#TalkShow and 🎧#Podcast w/ Featured Guest:

Pop Art Painter Jamie #Roxx ( www.JamieRoxx.us ) welcomes Jen Ash Music (#Pop) to the Show!

● WEB: www.jenashmusic.com ● FB: @jenashmusic ● IG: @jenashmusic ● YT: @jenashmusic ● TK: @jenashmusic ● X: @jenashmusic

Jen Ash is a rising star in the music industry, originally from France and Lebanon and now making waves in LA. Her last single, “Trouble” reached the National Radio Hits Top 20 airplay chart. The music video will be released soon.

Jen Ash is a prolific musical artist known for creating soulful music by combining R&B with pop and adding some of her own signature touches. Her celebrated catalog is fast-approaching 200K Spotify streams. With her last single, “No Lover Lover” reaching the UK iTunes Top 5, Ms. Ash is now releasing a brand-new track, “Trouble,” as well as the Official Music Video for her song, “I’m Dreaming of You.”

[mr-divabetic]

“Mama’s Kitchen Table” by songwriter Ivan Hampden Jr. and vocalist Paulette McWilliams is a musical recipe combining R&B, soul, and retro soul.

[singlesablog]

Nothing Ever Lasts Forever

“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (1985) Tears for Fears Phonogram / Mercury  Records (Written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, Chris Hughes) Highest U.S. Billboard Chart Position – No. 1 I would suggest that what makes a song truly memorable, rather than its intention or craft, is the special, unidentifiable magic that allows the  listener to enter into the feeling of it.  The Police could sing “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” in 1980, and by the end of the song, one knew what they meant, kind of.  In pop music, “kind of” is good enough.  Such is the moment of what is arguably Tears for Fears most enduring song, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”.  In an album full of big songs (Songs from the Big Chair), and portentous messages (“Shout”, “Mothers Talk”, “The Working Hour”) as well as a gigantic, bombastic love opera (“Head Over Heels”), it was the last effort to be recorded, the album being short one song (the final only 8 tracks), and inspired by two chords Roland Orzabal kept playing over and over during down studio moments.  Paired with an idea of a song originally entitled “Everybody Wants to go to War”, spurred on by producer Chris Hughes (a major contributor to the sound and feeling of the record, a masterpiece of old fashioned layered studio sound), and introduced by a sparkling synthesizer coda devised by keyboardist Ian Stanley, the song was recorded in a week (the shortest of any they attempted), was not much loved by the two singers, and then indeed took over the world.

Tears for Fears where formed by Roland Orzabal (Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana) and Curt Smith in Bath, Somerset, England in 1981, after deciding to leave their first new wave band, Graduate.  They were barely 21 years old when their very first record, The Hurting, debuted in 1983.  The record was an immediate success, with the single “Mad World” charting at No. 3 in the UK, and they were almost immediately very famous.  The Hurting was never a record I personally warmed to, not being a hit in the US in its time, and rather overlong and same-y in its synth sound (although I appreciate that to many this is sacrilege, and that they will want me strung up).  The general outlook and themes of the band’s two main performers, based on Arthur Janov’s primal therapy/primal scream, was extremely heavy-handed, if sincere, and weighed the album down.  It is apropos that when they finally met Janov later in the 1980s they were disillusioned by the fact that he had “gone Hollywood” and that he asked them to help write a musical based on his theories for him.

Songs from the Big Chair was to be a continuation of the same themes of lost childhoods (the title taken from the book and television movie “Sybil”, starring Sally Field, and the big chair being the safe chair in therapy where she could let her multiple personalities appear and subsequently sort out her traumatic past), but rather organically the record moved away from pure synth sounds and into standard instrumentation. In fact, I had not appreciated how much of a guitar, bass, and drums record it is until renting the Classic Albums episode on the making of the record; it is indeed full of gigantic guitar solos, lonely sax, thundering drums, and on “Head Over Heels”, the piano (!) as the driving instrument.  The synth work in it (mostly by Stanley) is beautiful and atmospheric, but the soul of the album is in the studio space commandeered by Chris Hughes, as well as the slow and methodical layering of sound that makes the record so special and successful.

Management, being nervous of the insular themes the two main band members, were committed to, begged for, a single, a “driving song”, something that would inspire the listener to roll down the car window and hum along, and perhaps Chris Hughes knew this when he pushed them to flesh out the song.  According to the documentary it was one accident after another: Orzabal’s overly strong singing style naturally suggested that Curt Smith take the lead, which brought a wistfulness to it; the lyrics, cobbled together, were snatches of blurry ideas only tangentially related; the shuffle beat of the song, rather than being driving and ambitious like the rest of the album, was subtle and dreamlike; and the very throwaway nature of the track lead to a kind of gentle creativity.  “Shout”, the first big single they recorded during those sessions, had set the tone of the record for Hughes, but it was “Everybody” that is perhaps the lasting achievement from the LP.  With the droning synthesized voices in the back of the track, the synth sounds, wonderful guitar (yes, including a blazing solo), and the mysterious blending of their two voices, it immediately invokes “that” year when you hear it, perhaps even the entire decade, by not being exactly representative of the band’s sound and purpose.  Wistful and ponderous, the song has endured.  We all know that “Shout, shout, let it all out” is the real credo for the two of them, but “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, like the proverbial tortoise, snuck up from behind their giant themes to deliver their message much more softly than either of the two very emotive singers could ever have intended.

Scenes from the video for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", shot in Los Angeles, and directed by Nigel Dick, in 1985.

Don’t get me wrong—Songs from the Big Chair is indeed a masterpiece, each track one gem after another, and as a record, a very solid gestalt.  Mostly it is a beautiful and mysterious album, one I have never tired of, and entirely deserving of its fame.  Sadly, the relentless touring of the album (and their relative very young ages) ruined the relationship for Roland and Curt, and after the long, overblown production for the follow up LP The Seeds of Love (which took three long years to record, so obviously difficult it was to follow Big Chair) that they split up in 1991, and remained estranged for nearly 10 years, with Roland recording for the band alone.  With their dour, pouty looks and fisherman’s sweaters, it is not clear that either band member ever actually wanted to rule over anything, but fame obviously had different plans for them.  Considering the single today, not understanding exactly what “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” alludes to has ironically made the song even more persistent as a statement; beyond the gentle suggestions of the music, one cannot help but think of it as either a forecast of the greed of its era, or perhaps as the dream of a dream for the 1980s.

However, Tears for Fears' most successful single is still miraculously casting that very same spell it did in 1985. A mood will always be a mood. ***

Chris Hughes, instrumental as producer for the sound of Big Chair, co-wrote “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”. He began his career as the drummer for Adam and the Ants, and produced the band’s very influential Kings of the Wild Frontier album in 1980.  He was the producer of both The Hurting and Songs from the Big Chair, and co-produced Peter Gabriel’s “Red Rain” from the album So.

Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith are both 62 years old. 

Producer Chris Hughes is 70.  

Ian Stanley (keyboardist) is 67.  He was unhappy with the direction of Tears for Fears’ The Seeds of Love (1989), which he considered lightweight by comparison, and split from the band, eventually working with many artists, including Howard Jones on that famously heavyweight album Cross That Line (1989), and which produced his comeback single “Everlasting Love” (No. 12 in the US).

Roland and Curt reunited in 2001 and recorded tracks for Everyone Loves a Happy Ending, promising a follow-up.

Eighteen years later, in 2023, The Tipping Point was released to near universal praise and chart success, their most personal and cohesive record as a duo since Songs from the Big Chair.  The scream was back, more plaintive than primal, and much more suited to their age and experience.

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: April 29, 2002 

Lyrics:

Sometimes late at night

I lie awake and watch her sleeping

She's lost in peaceful dreams

So I turn out the lights and lay there in the dark

And the thought crosses my mind

If I never wake in the morning

Would she ever doubt the way I feel

About her in my heart

If tomorrow never comes

Will she know how much I loved her

Did I try in every way to show her every day

That she's my only one

And if my time on earth were through

And she must face this world without me

Is the love I gave her in the past

Gonna be enough to last

If tomorrow never comes

'Cause I've lost love ones in my life

Who never knew how much I loved them

Now I live with the regret

That my true feelings for them never were revealed

So I made a promise to myself

To say each day how much she means to me

And avoid that circumstance

Where there's no second chance to tell her how I feel

If tomorrow never comes

Will she know how much I loved her

Did I try in every way to show her every day

That she's my only one

And if my time on earth were through

And she must face this world without me

Is the love I gave her in the past

Gonna be enough to last

If tomorrow never comes

Songwriter:

So tell that someone that you love

Just what you're thinking of

If tomorrow never comes

Kent Evan Blazy / Troyal Garth Brooks

SongFacts:

👉📖

Homepage:

Ronan Keating

[foxes-that-run]

18

18 is the only song Ed Sheeran wrote specifically for One Direction, and only one he wrote from their perspective. To me, it refers to I Wish You Would which Taylor wrote about Harry while on the Red Tour with Ed. Like Tenerife Sea, I think it is about Taylor from Harry's perspective. The Spotify vertical video focuses on Harry and Zayn who primarily sing it:

To Smallzy in September, 2014 Ed said, both that his songs are generally about a specific person and he also talked about writing 18 for One Direction:

"I wasn't gonna do it again because there was lots of ..ah.. basically, my record label got very annoyed that my first #1 was a song that I gave to someone else, and they were kind of like "don't do it. I did Britain's got Talent and basically Simon Cowell invited me up to eat and talk. And he mentioned it and in my head I was like 'I just just want to focus on my stuff' and the next day I was in Copenhagen and I got an idea and I kind of went into the shower room that's big and reverbartive and I wrote it thought that sounds like something for them. It's not something I would use for myself. It was written specifically for them and it's cool" Smallzy asks about Taylor he if he had helped with 1989, Ed "that's all her, all throughout of her doing it I heard little bits of it all throughout. Everything she does is a certain quality, it is going to satisfy any fan of hers."

Simon Cowell tells a similar story. Taylor also told Ryan Seacrest and others she played 1989 to Ed while on the Red Tour together.

The '...ah...' it is interesting, because although Ed and Harry stayed close, Ed did not write a song for Midnight Memories. There is a rumour this is about Don't. Ed did write Tenerife Sea, another song from Harry's perspective about Taylor in 2013 - that's on Ed's Multiply. This helps determine which Britain's got talent appearance he was referring to.

Timeline

Ed was on Britain's Got Talent twice, both were live shows, which narrows down when this song was written to 2 days, the day after:

8 June, 2013, Ed and Taylor performed Everything Has Changed together, or

27 May, 2014, Ed performed Sing.

Either is possible, but I am inclined to focus on 2014, because it's on Four and Ed did not write for Midnight Memories, which June would have made. In May 2014:

24 May 2014 Ed and One Direction both performed on the main stage of the Radio 1 Big Weekend in Glasgow. Harry and Taylor were seemingly back together. 2 squad members, Lorde and Lily Allen, also played. Taylor was in New York that morning then disappeared for 6 days, Harry off 3 of those.

25 & 26 May 2014 - ED & Taylor MIA, 1D have a few days off, Harry is seen in London playing a celebrity football game.

27 May 2014 - Ed performs on Britain's Got Talent in London, Taylor and Harry MIA.

28 May 2014 - Ed said he wrote the song in Copenhagen the next day, he wasn't seen. 1D UK show, Taylor still MIA.

5 June 2014 - Ed seen in London, Simon Cowell said he gave him the song a week after Britain's Got Talent.

Live Performances

Ed has never performed 18, he has performed other songs he gave to other artists, it may be that it was never written for him or it could be that others charted higher. One Direction added 18 to the OTRA setlist with No Control on 13 June 2015, replacing One Thing. It hasn't been on any solo 1D concert setlists. (It's at 33 mins here)

Since we were 16 honey

Harry once said “I have love you since we were 16 honey” after the chorus. Noting the song was only performed June - December 2015 I think Harry is taking the piss of Louis and Larries. 1D met industry people in LA before he turned 17 and Taylor was in town there, and there were times in late 2015 Harry and Taylor were in the UK and seemingly in contact with Colour IG posts and Haylor surprise songs from Taylor, so while Harry did potentially know Taylor at 16 I think this line is trolling .

Lyrics

I got a heart, and I got a soul Believe me, I will use them both We made a start Be it a false one, I know Baby, I don't want to feel alone

The opening verse is about a relationship that ended (false start) and not wanting to feel alone. To me, this is referring to the events of 2012/2013 and that relationship ending, Ed, being good friends with Harry while on tour with Taylor, hearing 1989 as it was written would have been keenly aware. He wrote Tenerife Sea in that time.

This verse, like the song to me sounds like it is written for Harry's voice. The verse is describing someone close to the narrator that ended. Later, in Olivia Harry sings of being alone "When you go and I'm alone"

So kiss me where I lay down My hands pressed to your cheeks A long way from the playground

The end of this verse 'long way from the playground' tells us this is a love that started when they were young. Taylor uses school and childhood as a metaphor for One Direction and this young love, including in the MV for EHC which Ed co-wrote, and Suburban Legends.

I have loved you since we were 18 Long before we both thought the same thing To be loved and to be in love All I can do is say that these arms Are made for holding you, oh-oh I wanna love like you made me feel When we were 18

The 1D boys all dated people different ages to them, however Harry and Taylor started officially dating when Harry was 18. I think Ed's simplified this to 'we were 18'.

"Long before we both thought the same thing", to me, is referring to I wish you would and the way Taylor described it. IWYW was written 27 May 2013 while on the US Red Tour with Ed who was likely to have heard it then.

The end of the Chorus is telling us this is a relationship that had come back, much like Taylor had written Style a few months earlier.

We took a chance God knows we tried Yet all along, I knew we'd be fine So pour me a drink, oh love And let's split the night wide open And we'll see everything we can Living love in slow motion, motion, motion

This verse is so much like Harry and Taylors later work which makes me think it must be a referring to a conversation or pattern:

Drinking

Delicate: But you can make me a drink

Satellite: We share the last line / Then we drink the wall / 'Til we wanna talk

Fine Line: We'll get the drinks in and I'll get to thinking of her

Time and slow motion

Olivia: And time is irrelevant when I've not been seeing you

Gold Rush: I don’t like slow motion, double vision in rose blush

Midnight Rain: My boy was a montage, a slow motion love potion

“Slut!”: Half asleep, taking your time in the tangerine neon light

So kiss me where I lay down My hands pressed to your cheeks A long way from the playground

Harry's unreleased Lay down also has arms around his muse, without knowing a clear era for Lay Down the inspiration could go either way with those. "Lay down with me (I put my arms around ya)" I am inclined to think Harry referenced Ed.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Fatboy Slim - The Rockafeller Skank 1998

"The Rockafeller Skank" is a song by English big beat musician and DJ Fatboy Slim. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby, on 8 June 1998. The single peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and topped the Icelandic Singles Chart.

The song features the repeated line "Right about now, the funk soul brother / Check it out now, the funk soul brother", which is a truncated vocal sample of rapper Lord Finesse on the track "Vinyl Dogs Vibe" by Vinyl Dogs. The original line, a spoken-word introduction to the instrumental track, was "Check it out right about now, it's no other than the funk soul brother, the Lord Finesse. And you're welcome to the world of the Vinyl Dogs right about now".

The song also features eight other samples, including a sample of the song "Sliced Tomatoes" by the band Just Brothers, The Bobby Fuller Four's "I Fought the Law" (featuring DeWayne Quirico's drum intro), "Join the Gang" by David Bowie, "Who You Wit II" by Jay-Z (pitched down vocals saying "Rockafeller"), and a sample of "Beat Girl" by John Barry and his Orchestra. Guitar lines were also sampled from "Twistin' 'N' Twangin'" by Duane Eddy and "Why Can't You Love Me" by Brian Poole & The Tremeloes, along with a shout from the song "Soup" by the J.J. All-Stars. Fatboy Slim has stated that to clear the samples and release the song he had to release 100% of the track's royalties, 25% to each artist, meaning he receives no royalties himself.

There was a total of 71,5% funk soul brothers. Previous Fatboy Slim polls: #12 "Weapon of Choice", #237 "Praise You".