skip to main |
skip to sidebar
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 32 - 4. MAY YOU NEVER (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 19th April 2025
"May you never lay your head down without a hand to hold / May you never make your bed out in the cold."
A perfect folk song of brotherly affection, with simply voice and guitar, John Martyn's May You Never has captured listeners' hearts since 1971.
John Martyn was born in Surrey in 1948 and grew up in Glasgow. Part of the potent London folk scene in the late 60s early 70s, John's style evolved from these folk roots. Written in his early 20s, the enduring version of May You Never was recorded in one take in the early hours of recording his beloved 1973 album, Solid Air. The lyrics encapsulate something of the essence of John Martyn: sweet, joyful and affectionate, yet with a hint of danger ("And may you never lose your temper / If you get in a bar room fight"). John's life was beset by substance abuse and addiction and he died in 2009, age 60.
May You Never, perhaps his most famous song, is remembered by those whose lives became entwined with the song, and by others who knew John or have covered it.
Featuring:
Michael Volpe, Executive Director of If Opera;
Lauren Bensted, a writer based in London;
Graeme Thomson, author of Small Hours: The Long Night of John Martyn;
Spencer Cozens, keyboard player and Musical Director in John Martyn's band from 1990-2009;
Blythe Pepino, Kit Hawes, Pete Josef and Sam Brookes from The John Martyn Project.
With thanks to Kit Hawes and Spencer Cozens for the instrumental recordings.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 30 - 25. INTO MY ARMS BY NICK CAVE (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 18th July 2025
"I don't believe in an interventionist God" has to be one of the most original opening lines to a song.
It's one that resonates with the people in this programme who take comfort from Nick Cave's love song.
Els from Belgium was introduced to Cave's music through her partner Guido and Into My Arms became their song. After Guido died in a road accident Els carried on going to concerts and took great comfort from hearing that song. When she later wrote to Nick Cave's blog The Red Hand Files to tell him her story about Into My Arms she was overwhelmed when Nick Cave responded.
The Reverend John Walker feels a strong connection to the song as it's one his musician son Jonny performed just for him one evening on a rainy street in Leeds City Centre as Jonny was about to pack up and leave his busking spot. That special father-son moment has become even more cherished since Jonny's untimely death in 2018.
Many different artists have recorded their versions of Into My Arms including the Norwegian singer Ane Brun who performed it as a way of dealing with the heartache of a lost relationship.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
First broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2022.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 30 - 23. RUNNING UP THAT HILL (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 3rd January 2025
"And if I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places..."
True stories of what Kate Bush's song Running Up That Hill means to people around the world, from its original release in 1985 to its return to the charts in 2022.
Long distance runner Lee Perry takes himself on a marathon the morning after his mum dies, with Kate Bush in his headphones for all 26 miles of his run.
Musician and record producer Georgia Barnes talks through the making of her synth-pop cover of the song, from the opening drone to the iconic synth line.
Graeme Thomson, author of 'Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush', shares insights into Bush's studio set-up during her making of the Hounds of Love album, and reflects on why Running Up That Hill continues to resonate down the generations.
Songwriter and trans activist Órla Bligh sees the song as an anthem of empathy, and a call-to-action for people to try to understand the experiences of others.
And finally, Astrid Jorgensen, conductor and founder of 'Pub Choir', gets 1600 people under one roof to sing Running Up That Hill together.
Producer: Becky Ripley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2022.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 21 - 5. FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK (320kbs-m4a/63mb/27mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 23rd December 2017
The tragi-comic tale of love gone sour and shattered dreams eloquently depicted in the Christmas classic Fairytale of New York is the focus of this edition of Soul Music. James Fearnley, pianist with The Pogues recounts how the song started off as a transatlantic love story between an Irish seafarer missing his girl at Christmas before becoming the bittersweet reminiscences of the Irish immigrant down on his luck in the Big Apple, attempting to win back the woman he wooed with promises of 'cars big as bars and rivers of gold'.
Gaelic footballer Alisha Jordan came to New York to play football aged 17 from County Meath in Ireland. Despite being dazzled by the glamour and pace of New York City, she missed her family and friends and stencilled the words 'Fairytale of New York' on her apartment wall as an affirmation of her determination to make the most of her new life in the city. When she was later attacked on the street by a stranger, the words came to signify her battle to recover and not to let the horrific facial injuries she suffered defeat her or her ambition to captain her football team. Rachel Burdett posted the video of the song onto her friend Michelle's social media page to let her know she was thinking of her and praying for her safe return when Michelle went missing suddenly one December.
Stories of redemption and of a recognition that Christmas is often not the fairytale we are sold, told through a seasonal favourite.
Producer: Maggie Ayre.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 24 - 1. WATERLOO SUNSET (320kbs-m4a/63mb/27mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 5th July 2022
Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks was released in 1967.
Soul Music hears the poignant, thoughtful and life-changing memories of those who love it.
Childhood holidays were an escape from bullying for John Harvey. He describes the unforgettable moment when he heard Waterloo Sunset for the first time, on the radio, in 1967. Getting to know the music of The Kinks, and finding out about the character of its lead singer, Ray Davies, shaped and coloured his life from then on.
Allison Moore Adams is an American who married Vernon, a Brit. Waterloo Sunset was sung at his bedside following a terrible road accident. The painting used to illustrate this edition of Soul Music is of Vernon and Allison on Waterloo Bridge. It's by Allison's friend, Isabelle Logie, who also sang to Vernon in hospital.
Christopher Young used to work in mental health. For him, the lyrics of Waterloo Sunset symbolise the isolation that many people feel.
Professor Allan Moore, a musicologist, discusses why this beautiful pop song works so well.
Producer: Karen Gregor
First brodacast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 25 - 5. KRAFTWERK - COMPUTER WORLD (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 30th August 2022
How Kraftwerk's classic album Computer World has changed people's lives.
On their first wedding anniversary, David Sanborn and Jennifer Huber remember their Kraftwerk themed celebrations. Ramona Gonzales from the band Nite Jewel recounts how a car crash and a chance encounter with Computer World changed the course of her life. And Andy McCluskey from Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark recalls the Kraftwerk concert that inspired his musical career.
Kraftwerk were forged in the shadow of World War Two, out of a desire to create a new, German music. Uwe Schütte from Aston University explains how Computer World embodies the politics of this time and points the way to a computerized future. Brian Carney recalls how the album's glamour and sheen changed his horizons in the industrial town of St Helens. And in South Central Los Angeles Greg Broussard, aka Egyptian Lover, shows how this album brought love into his life.
Life, love and an electronic future as experienced through the music of this pioneering German band.
Producer: Melvin Rickarby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 25 - 4. BOYS DON'T CRY (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 9th August 2022
Boys Don't Cry by The Cure is, on the surface, a tribute to teenage angst and a slice of pop perfection.
Lol Tolhurst, the band's drummer, wrote the song with his band mates in Robert Smith's parents' house extension.
Poorna Bell saw the song's lyrics echo her husband's struggle with expressing his emotions, and describes the devastating impact which that can have.
Runner Derek Redmond recalls the moment he lost his 'game face' at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and Sara Pacella and Jeffrey Axt chart the changing fortunes of a giant Boys Don't Cry poster.
Producer: Sally Heaven.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2018.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 23 - 4. THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER (320kbs-m4a/63mb/27mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 28th June 2022
America's national anthem was written by a lawyer, Francis Scott Key, after watching the British navy bombing Fort McHenry in 1814.
It was set to an English social men's club song and recognized as the national anthem in 1889. Notoriously difficult to sing, and traditionally played at public sports events and orchestral concerts, the anthem has inspired emotion and attracted controversy.
We hear from:
Dr John Carlos who along with Dr Tommie Smith, raised their fists on the Olympic podium in the Mexico City Olympics in 1968 as the anthem was played.
Jose Feliciano who sang the anthem at the 1968 World series and provoked criticism.
Conrad Netting IV who discovered the truth about his fighter pilot father's history which led him to a cemetery in Normandy.
Writer Crista Cloutier who associated it with President Obama's election.
Members of the Coldstream Guards band who played the anthem at the changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace the day after 9/11.
And Leon Hendrix, Jimi's brother, who was in the army at the time of Woodstock, and was put on 'potato peeling duty' because of the 'dishonourable' version his brother had played.
Producer: Sara Conkey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 30 - 16. SONG TO THE SIREN (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 4th December 2021
"Long afloat in shipless oceans": So begins Song To The Siren whose lyrics were inspired by Homer's Odyssey and the story of the Sirens who lured unwitting sailors to their deaths on the rocks. There is something so ancient and enchanting about the Siren that appeals to us. For the wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson listening to the song reinforced his belief that the eerie calls of seals at night were in fact the original siren voices whose sound and shape convinced sailors that they were being called by strange mer-creatures. His collaboration with poet Alec Finlay led to Chris recording two singers singing to each other across a bay in the North East of England "Here I am waiting to enfold you". Song To The Siren fills him with melancholy.
The image of lives lost at sea is one that Meg Bignell strongly associates with the song and when a family friend drowned in the ocean surrounding her native Tasmania she was comforted by the version by This Mortal Coil and Elizabeth Fraser's haunting vocals.
Larry Beckett regrets the song's association with death as he intended the lyrics to tell a more hopeful story about love. However Tim Buckley's death at 28 and the tragedy of his son Jeff's drowning in 1997 weigh Song To The Siren with a heavy sorrow that comforts those who have lost a loved one. Former Olympic runner Anthony Famiglietti lost his childhood friend Rob in an accident when they were both 21. Rob introduced Anthony to the music of John Frusciante whose version of Song To The Siren astounded him when he first heard it. It has a profound effect on him and it speaks to him of fathers and sons communicating across time and space, when one has passed on as in the case of Tim and Jeff Buckley, and Anthony's friend Rob and his father, the man who inspired Anthony's career as a runner.
When director Zack Snyder lost his daughter he stopped working on his Justice League film but when he completed it four years on he wanted to include Song To The Siren. Singer Rose Betts who recorded it for him explains how she immersed herself in the song to express the love, longing, grief and loss that it evokes. Musician and singer Dominic Stichbury sets out the musical elements that make this such a simple yet devastatingly powerful song.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 30 - 15. UNFINISHED SYMPATHY (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 27th November 2021
Personal stories inspired by Massive Attack's breakthrough single. Featuring the vocals of Shara Nelson, the track together with its iconic video would help catapult this band from Bristol onto the global stage. Stories include the photographer Giles Duley whose work was displayed during the song at the band's 2016 homecoming show in Bristol. Mountaineer Dmitry Golovchenko who named an attempt on the Nepalese mountain of Jannu after the track, and solicitor Marti Burgess who saw early sets from The Wild Bunch, the collective from which Massive Attack emerged, and for whom 'Unfinished Sympathy' helped crystallise her identity. Music Producer Ski Oakenfull deconstructs the track, peeling back the layers of beats, bells and samples. Belgian singer Liz Aku recorded a version of the track during lockdown, bringing back memories of her first love. Melissa Chemam, author of 'Massive Attack Out Of The Comfort Zone' explains the origins of Massive Attack, how 'Unfinished Sympathy' was written and why, when the track was released in 1991, the band had to drop the word 'Attack' from their name. A radio producer and DJ who spent New Year's Eve in a detox centre in London was asked to pick the tune to be played at midnight, and she chose 'Unfinished Sympathy'.
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Toby Field
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 20 - 3. FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 15th March 2022
Long before it was a worldwide hit for Rod Stewart, the Cat Stevens song 'First Cut is the Deepest' made a name for the former Ike and Tina Turner backing singer, PP Arnold.
In an interview for Soul Music she describes the emotional connection she felt to the lyrics, having emerged from an abusive marriage shortly before recording it.
Also contributing to the programme is the song's original producer, Mike Hurst. He describes how he achieved the huge 'wall of sound' production using double drums, a huge string section, and a harp instead of a guitar to play the signature riff at the the start of the track.
There are many personal stories associated with the track: Carsten Knauff recalls a childhood sweetheart - his first true love - and explains why the Cat Stevens' version brings back bitter-sweet memories for him.
Rosemarie Purdy saw PP Arnold give an extraordinary live rendition at a club in Portsmouth in 1967. Never before had she seen such a heartfelt, emotionally charged performance. It's something she's never forgotten.
The Sheryl Crow version reminds Rachel Batson of a very difficult phase in her life; it's a song she says reflects her own faith journey.
And former Radio Caroline DJ, Keith Hampshire, describes the circumstances that led to him having a No.1 hit with the song in Canada. It was the first time 'First Cut' reached No.1 anywhere in the world.
Producer: Karen Gregor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 18 - 2. CRAZY (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 28th December 2021
"It's the kind of music that makes you feel like you're just hurting so good."
People of different ages reflect on why the pop country classic 'Crazy' made famous by Patsy Cline brings out such strong emotions in them, including a young woman mourning the loss of a father's love after divorce, broadcaster Fiona Phillips on losing her father to Alzheimers and 87 year old Wayne Rethford who as a young man in 1961 met Patsy Cline and two years later happened upon the crash site where she died after her plane came down in a heavy storm in Tennessee.
"That music becomes embedded in your soul" he says.
Contributors:
Trish Broom
Paul Kingsbury
Fiona Phillips
Gus Sanchez
Wayne Rethsford
Norma Nicholls
Producer: Maggie Ayre
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 16 - 2. RODRIGO'S CONCIERTO DE ARANJUEZ FOR GUITAR (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 27th October 2021
Written by Joaquin Rodrigo in 1939, the Concierto de Aranjuez is a guitar classic. It was written amid the chaos of the Spanish Civil War, and in circumstances of poverty and personal tragedy. This programme explores how the piece touches and changes people's lives.
The composer's daughter Cecilia Rodrigo explains how the blind composer was inspired by the fountains and gardens of the palace of Aranjuez. Nelício Faria de Sales recounts an unforgettable performance deep inside one of Brazil's largest caves, while David B Katague remembers how the piece got him through a difficult period of separation from his family in the Philippines.
Guitarist Craig Ogden explains the magic of the piece for a performer, and actor Simon Callow recalls how hearing the piece was a formative experience for him during his schooldays, when it turned rural Berkshire into a piece of Spain.
Producer: Melvin Rickarby
(Photo: Blind Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo (1901 - 1999) playing the piano at his home in Madrid. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 15 - 1. PEGGY LEE'S IS THAT ALL THERE IS? (320lbs-m4a/63mb/27mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 8th September 2021
'Is That All There Is?', a Leiber & Stoller song made famous by Peggy Lee, is based upon a short story by Thomas Mann called 'Disillusionment'. But those who know and love it feel it's inspirational rather than a cynical, world weary musical take on existentialism and the futility of life.
'Soul Music' uncovers the compelling individual stories behind our collective love of music.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 11 - 3. THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 28th April 2021
In this series that explores those pieces of music that never fail to move us, this week we feature, 'The Impossible Dream', a song that talks of the resilience of the human spirit.
It tells the story of a quest and it's had a surprising journey of it's own. It was originally composed for the 1965 musical The Man of La Mancha which was inspired by Miguel de Cervantes story of Don Quixote. The music was written by Mitch Leigh and the lyrics by Joe Darion. Now in his 80's Leigh explains how his first writing partner was WH Auden and talks about why this particular piece struck a chord with African American friends at that time. Generations on, international Soprano Lesley Garrett recalls how this song inspired her childhood dreams in Doncaster, Yachtsman of the Year Geoff Holt talks about how this song carried him across the Atlantic on one of the most important voyages of his life and former advertising executive Rob Chew explains how this piece is helping him face lifes biggest challenge.
Contributors:
Geoff Holt
Rob Chew
Mitch Leigh
Stuart Pedlar
Lesley Garrett
Producer: Nicola Humphries
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2011.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 6 - 3. TAINTED LOVE (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 18th November 2020
Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.
3/4. Tainted Love
Originally a Motown song written by Ed Cobb and recorded by Gloria Jones, Tainted Love became famous on the Northern Soul scene in the late 1970s. A classic version was later recorded by Soft Cell.
Contributors:
Mark Ravenhill
Peter Christopherson
Ray Harris
Russ Winstanley
Alan King
Dave Ball
Mike Thorne
Danny McNamara
Nev Fountain
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 30 - 8. LIFE ON MARS? (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 9th January 2021
Life on Mars? was released on David Bowie's Hunky Dory album in 1971. Two years later it came out as a single in its own right. Famous for its exploration of disillusionment and alienation, there is no one single definitive story behind it. But that is perhaps the song's beauty and the secret behind its appeal - that its cryptic lyrics are open to interpretation, and can mean different things to different people.
Musicians and fans talk about what Life on Mars? means to them, and its lasting emotional impact, in this special programme remembering Bowie's birthday on January 8th 1947 and commemorating his death on January 10th 2016.
And what does the question mark in the song's title mean?
With contributions from:
Musician Dana Gillespie whose autobiography is Weren't Born A Man
Bowie author Chris O'Leary
Scientist Abigail Fraeman of NASA's Mars Mission
Artist Bridget Griggs
The Reverend Steve Stockman
Screenwriter Ashley Pharoah (Life on Mars)
Producer: Maggie Ayre for BBC Audio Bristol
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 30 - 7. ONCE IN A LIFETIME (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 29th December 2020
Talking Heads emerged out of the post punk scene of the late 1970s. Once In A Lifetime is the iconic single taken from their album Remain In Light. With its looped synthesizer and Afrobeat inspired by Fela Kuti it seemed to pre-empt the consumerism and ennui of the 1980s. Writer Ian Gittins interviewed David Byrne and later wrote his book Once In A Lifetime. He says David Byrne had in mind people of a certain middle class existence who seemingly breeze through life with ease when he wrote the lyrics. They may get to middle age or reach a crisis point and ask "How did I get here?" For a song that invites us to question our lives it has a suprisingly emotional core that encourages people to be grateful and make positive changes in their lives where necessary. For Glaswegian Gerry Murphy that meant becoming more present for his family after serious illness forced him to reconsider the amount of time he devoted to his career. He went on to write a book about his experience - And You May Find Yourself: A Guided Practice To Never Fearing Death Again.
Ian Peddie was inspired by the song to leave his dead end existence in Wolverhampton in the mid 1980s to 'find himself in another part of the world' following his dreams. Kelly Waterhouse says the song symbolises gratitude for all the things she takes for granted and sometimes struggles with in her life as a busy working mother.
And singer Angelique Kidjo recorded her own version of Once In A Lifetime in 2018 after coming full circle with the song from her arrival in Paris in 1983 after fleeing the dictatorship in her home country of Benin. She heard the song at a student party and recognised the Afrobeats adopted by David Byrne and Brian Eno that made her feel both joyful and homesick at the same time.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
SOUL MUSIC: SERIES 30 - 5. LEAN ON ME (320kbs-m4a/63mb/27mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 8th December 2020
An enduring classic which delivers a message of support and friendship. Never more so than in 2020 when it's been the musical backdrop to the Covid crisis in the UK, and at Black Lives Matter protests in the US.
Taking part:
Andy Greene, a senior writer at Rolling Stone magazine, tells the remarkable life-story of Bill Withers.
Composer, Neil Brand, explains how the simplicity of this track is what enables it to pack such a strong emotional punch.
Sara Morrell is a nurse whose version of Lean On Me, recorded quickly at home as a way of cheering-up colleagues, caught the attention of some big names in the music industry.
Sharmila Bousa organised a community flash-mob to show support to her local shops in Westbury-on-Trym which had suffered a spate of armed-robberies.
Arianna Evans has become a voice of the Black Lives Matter protests. She recalls a powerful moment at one of the Washington DC rallies where local singer, Kenny Sway, sang Lean On Me creating a memorable and much-needed moment of joy and unity.
Thanks to: Ian DeMartino who recorded the speech given by Arianna Evans; Zaranyzerak who provided the recording of Kenny Sway's performance; and to Tristan Cork who filmed the Westbury-on-Trym flashmob for Bristol Live
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor.