For those of you that are new here, I used to host an irregular series called "Soundtrack To My Life" where I invited friends to share five songs that transported them back to a specific moment in time. It didn't have to be a major life event; just a treasured memory that you associate with that particular song. I occasionally interjected with my own lists of music and now I think it's time to revive the series.
This time, I want to share songs that I discovered by accident. Now, back in the day (haha, that makes me sound SO old!) the only time I heard anything outside of my comfort zone was by friend's recommendations or... well, you'll see. Nowadays, it's more likely to be by following 'you might like this' recommendations on Spotify. But it provides an eclectic playlist
This time, I’m sharing songs I stumbled across completely by accident. Back in the day (I know, that phrase instantly adds years on me, doesn’t it?) the only way I’d hear something outside my usual playlist was through a friend’s recommendation - or, well, you’ll find out in a minute. These days, it’s all thanks to those sneaky “you might like this” suggestions on Spotify. The result? A gloriously random, wonderfully eclectic playlist.
Seasons In The Sun - Terry Jacks
When I was 16, I went on a caravan holiday with my parents to Trewan Hall in St Columb, Cornwall. Caravan holidays were always met with a sense of freedom and the knowledge that there wasn't much emphasis on time. We were holidaying with some lifelong family friends and the campsite catered for kids of our age with a dedicated hang out space called the Loft Barn (stereo, pool table, table tennis, seated areas with cushions) and a heated swimming pool. We were away for two weeks and made some great friends. There are so many treasured memories of this holiday (I might write about that another time) but on a couple of occasions, we snuck off to the local village and somehow managed to get served cider, making sure we were back before the campsite 'quiet time' at 11pm. In this local pub, the jukebox music left a lot to be desired, but this song ended up as the anthem to our holiday. We didn't listen closely to the lyrics but sung along together every time we heard it. I have glorious memories of this holiday and it was the last time I went away with my parents which is probably another reason why I remember it fondly.
Band of Gold - Freda Payne
It's another jukebox story but this time from my local village pub. I was the youngest in our friendship group (still only 17 when everyone else was between 18 and 21) but they took my under their wing. One night, in The Ship Inn, at Freckleton, someone selected an Elvis number from the jukebox but out rang 'Band of Gold'. We all jeered and said that the wrong numbers must have been pushed so we tried again... and the same thing happened. I fell in love with the song but no-one knew what it was called. I visited a small record shop in the next town and tried to describe the song and some of the lyrics and, to my surprise, the owner of the shop knew which song it was. I ordered it, waited a couple of weeks, and then picked it up so I could play it any time I wanted on my own record player.
All God's Creatures - The Houghton Weavers
Village life presents very strange opportunities and for some reason, The Houghton Weavers (a Lancashire folk band) held one of their concerts in the village hall. Even more bizarrely, my dad bought tickets for the whole family. I can't have been very old (9 or 10) and I remember Dad giving me money to buy one of their albums and then lining up to have it signed by the band!! Moving on a few years, we had a cassette of their music in the car and All God's Creatures was one of the ones we sang together as a family
Chippy Tea - The Lancashire Hotpots
Back when the internet was very young, I discovered a website called diffusiononline which was full of daft songs (one that sticks in my head was about David Dickinson and another was a remix of the Phoenix Nights theme tune). Fast forward a few years and the team behind this website have morphed into the Lancashire Hotpots. I'd heard "Chippy Tea" ages before it went viral and knew these guys were something a bit special!
Drama - Spencer Sutherland
I don't listen to a lot of new music but occasionally Spotify will chuck a random song in the middle of a 'music you might like' playlist and this is how I discovered Spencer Sutherland. He sounds a bit like Mika, which is probably why it appeals to me.
