The Beatles - i will, 1968

"I Will" was one of the songs composed by the Beatles and their associates while in Rishikesh, India. Although the music came together fairly easily, the words were worked on in India, and remained unfinished even as recording began back in London. McCartney recalled that while in Rishikesh he and Donovan had written a set of lyrics with a "moon" theme, but he found them inadequate and so replaced them with "very simple words, straight love-song words". Donovan could not recall writing any of the early lyrics for the song but said that he possibly assisted McCartney with the "shape of the chords", in keeping with the "descending movements" in his own melodies. McCartney also commented on "I Will": "It's still one of my favourite melodies that I've written. You just occasionally get lucky with a melody and it becomes rather complete and I think this is one of them; quite a complete tune."

Genesis - where the sour turns to sweet, 1969

"The song itself had been in the band’s repertoire for quite some time. They had already recorded it among three other songs in a one-hour session at Regent Studios in London, where many rock legends had recorded, in 1967. Jonathan King had taken them there to record a tape that was sent to Decca Records. The label had been impressed and signed them and King went into the studio with them again, this time to Advision Studios, to produce a reprise of ‘Where The Sour Turns To Sweet’ for their debut single."

John Prine - summer's end, 2018

"The Tree of Forgiveness is the eighteenth and final studio album by American country folk singer John Prine. The album was released on April 13, 2018. It is the last album released by Prine before his death on April 7, 2020." 

 Such a great song!

Etienne Daho - le grand sommeil, 1984

"Daho's collaborations and productions both on stage and in the studio with other artists have been extensive. He has worked with Brigitte Fontaine, Arthur Baker, Air, Working Week, '80's new wave bands OMD and Comateens, Jane Birkin, Marianne Faithfull, Françoise Hardy, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vanessa Paradis, Dani and more. His music has also been remixed, among others, by Air, Fischerspooner, Amon Tobin and William Orbit."

Black Box Recorder - goodnight kiss, 2000

"The closing "Goodnight Kiss" is also brimming with beauty, yet - at heart - still a song with pained regret."

Etienne Daho - quelqu'un qui m'ressemble, 1986

"Daho was born in Oran, French Algeria. He sings in a low, whispery voice somewhat akin to Leonard Cohen or Chet Baker and his music established him as a pop cult hero. He cites Serge Gainsbourg, The Velvet Underground, The Beach Boys and Syd Barrett as his musical influences. All his albums have been certified at least gold or platinum, including "Mythomane" in 1981, "La notte, la notte" in 1984, "Pop satori" in 1986, produced with a young William Orbit, "Pour nos vies martiennes" in 1988 and the double platinum "Paris ailleurs" in 1991, recorded in New York."

William Fitzsimmons - in the light, 2018

"My parents got divorced and it fucked me up a lot. And I don’t want to do this to my own kids. I need to be able to tell my kids later when they asked what I did to save the marriage that I did the best I could."

Sambassadeur - ice and snow, 2005

"In some reviews, you’ll read about Belle and Sebastian, My Bloody Valentine, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Go-Betweens. As for me, I’d say that most of their songs are kind of close to Camera Obscura, the Aislers Set and the Radio Dept."

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - the power of love, 1984

"I always felt like 'The Power of Love' was the record that would save me in this life. There is a biblical aspect to its spirituality and passion; the fact that love is the only thing that matters in the end"

Del Amitri - be my downfall, 1992

"I was spending the whole time on tour, when I was still playing the guitar on this song, just thinking about where the plectrum was between my fingers, and when you start thinking about things like that then all the other stuff just starts falling apart."

The Lightning Seeds - all i want, 1990

"Initially, it was just him; he produced and wrote and recorded most of the first album, “Cloudcuckooland” alone. He chose the name “Lightning Seeds” after mis-hearing a Prince lyric (“The thunder hides what the lightning sees”) and also because, one day, he dreamed of forming a group. “Pure”, the first single from Cloudcuckooland, charted at number 16 and became the feel-good summer hit of 1989. The album followed to critical acclaim, followed by further singles “Joy” and “All I Want”.

The Beatles - lovely rita, 1967

"It wasn't based on a real person. I think it was more a question of coincidence … I didn't think, 'Wow, that woman gave me a ticket, I'll write a song about her.' Never happened like that."

Black Box Recorder - the facts of life, 2000

"The Facts of Life" has a reggae-like beat, while its melody was reminiscent of the one in "Thank You" (2000) by Dido. Nixey sings in staccato form, bordering on rapping, as she assumes the role of a health teacher. Overall, it evoked "Never Ever" (1997) by All Saints and "Honey to the Bee" (1999) by Billie; Carlson said the song came across as a "Stanley Kubrick-directed All Saints production. Simple, gorgeous, chart-friendly, and just plain evil."

The Radio Dept - tåget, 2002

"This guitar-centered song starts out with bird noises which continue throughout it, giving it an outdoorsy and refreshing feel, and it washes over you as you listen."

The Style Council - headstart for happiness, 1983

"When the curtain came down on The Jam in late ’82 it was undoubtedly a relief for Weller. The intensity of their message was simply weighing too heavily on his young shoulders. The music just too constrictive for his burgeoning mind. It should have perhaps come as no surprise that his next musical venture was going to be lighter in tone."

Suzanne Vega - i'll never be your maggie may, 2001

"On Songs in Red and Gray, Vega returns to her signature acoustic folk-pop sound, shedding the experiments she had done in the 1990s with her husband, record producer Mitchell Froom. New producer Rupert Hine shows some traces of his past work with '80s new wave bands by employing electronic beats, but mostly allows Vega's voice and guitar to dominate in a manner reminiscent of her debut album and its 1987 follow-up, Solitude Standing. Most of the songs, like "Widow's Walk" and "If I Were a Weapon", deal with the dissolution of Vega's marriage with Froom. Her "calm, hushed, clear singing" belies the album's "mood of heartbroken defiance". The lyrics are "the most personally revealing songs she has written" in her career."

Death Cab For Cutie - soul meets body, 2005

"Throughout the song's lyrics, Gibbard touches on transcendental themes: in the song's hook, he pleads that "if the silence takes you then I hope it takes me too." Walla summarized the song's message: "It's a declaration of desire over circumstance. It means, 'Here's where I am and here's what I want to be and how do I bridge those two things.' I think it's a beautiful articulation of love, friendships and relationships and everything you do over the course of the day."

Sufjan Stevens - futile devices doveman remix, 2017

"The song was covered by American band Rituals of Mine (then-known as Sister Crayon) in 2011. A remix of "Futile Devices" by American musician Shigeto was released on February 29, 2012. The remix incorporates "bass-clouds and IDM clicks". In 2017, a new remix of the song by American producer Doveman was commissioned for the romantic drama film Call Me by Your Name. The film's director, Luca Guadagnino, specifically asked to include the song in the film. Doveman's remix was physically released on limited edition 10-inch vinyl in February 2018 alongside the songs "Mystery of Love" and "Visions of Gideon", all three of which were featured on the Call Me by Your Name soundtrack album."

Morrissey - rebels without applause, 2022

“I don’t need to listen to the album; the review is already written”

Club 8 - she lives by the water, 2001

"The band is/are a duo from Sweden. This album, their third, came out in 2001, and they have continued to put out albums regularly since then, for a total of ten, and eight of them have four-star reviews from AllMusic."

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - pandora's box it's a long long way, 1991

"These days, even though she is bedridden - in addition to osteoarthritis, she suffers from emphysema - the eyes remain unclouded. Over the phone, she sounds every bit as forthright as she is said to have been in her heyday, and she is delighted by the renewed interest in her pictures."

Pet Shop Boys - home and dry, 2002

"Home and Dry" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 18 March 2002 as the first UK single and the second US single from their eighth studio album, Release (2002). It reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and number 44 on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. One of the B-sides, "Sexy Northener", was also released as a promotional single in the United States and peaked at number 15 on the US dance chart, but never received a commercial release. The song is known to Pet Shop Boys fans for its unusual video, directed by Wolfgang Tillmans, primarily consisting of footage of mice running across tracks and eating discarded food at Tottenham Court Road Underground station. There are occasional shots of the duo performing the song in an empty venue. The track was remixed the same year by German trance duo Blank & Jones."

Mike Oldfield - tres lunas, 2003

"Mike Oldfield has never been one to avoid diverting into different styles of music in his long career, and 2002's `Tr3S Lunas' (translating from Spanish to mean "Three Moons") is no exception. Originally conceived as the soundtrack to a multi-media video game/virtual reality crossover project, this release can probably be considered a fairly minor entry in the sizeable discography of the legendary multi-instrumentalist, but is still a collection of atmospheric and relaxing pieces that holds together rather well."

The Thrills - i came all this way, 2007

"The album was recorded in a converted morgue in one of Vancouver's most deprived neighborhoods -- at the suggestion of R.E.M. -- and the image of youthful idealism meeting cold reality is too perfect to ignore. It's a good thing too; adversity has brought out the best in the Thrills, and Teenager can stand as the group's crowning glory to date."

The Beatles - the fool on the hill, 1967

"Fool on the Hill" was mine and I think I was writing about someone like Maharishi. His detractors called him a fool. Because of his giggle, he wasn't taken too seriously. It was this idea of a fool on the hill, a guru in a cave, I was attracted to ... I was sitting at the piano at my father's house in Liverpool hitting a D 6th chord, and I made up "Fool on the Hill".

Car Seat Headrest - maud gone, 2012

"I absolutely adore this song. It reminds me of a super sad time but makes me feel so warm at the same time. Will’s vocals on this track blow me away every time."

Tilly And The Wall - you and i misbehaving, 2004

"Their name comes from the title of a children's book about a mouse who thinks the grass is always greener on the other side, and their music is hopeful, optimistic and -- at times -- a little bit childlike."

Franz Ferdinand - live alone, 2009

"Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band's original line-up was composed of Alex Kapranos (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals), Bob Hardy (bass guitar, percussion) and Paul Thomson (drums, percussion, backing vocals). Julian Corrie (keyboards, lead guitar, backing vocals) and Dino Bardot (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) joined the band in 2017 after McCarthy left during the previous year, and Audrey Tait (drums, percussion) joined the band after Thomson left in 2021."

Enya - i want tomorrow, 1987

"In the liner notes of the album's 1992 reissue, "I Want Tomorrow" is described, simply, as "thoughts of the present"

Santana - samba pa ti, 1970

""Samba Pa Ti" was conceived in New York City on a Sunday afternoon,"..."I opened the window I saw this man in the street, he was drunk and he had a saxophone and a bottle of booze in his back pocket. And I kept looking at him because he kept struggling with himself. He couldn’t make up his mind which one to put in his mouth first, the saxophone or the bottle and I immediately heard a song"..."I wrote the whole thing right there"

Bear's Den - the love we stole, 2014

"I wrote this song around the same time as I was writing 'Sahara Pts 1&2' and 'Writing On The Wall' from our last EP. Those three/four songs originally were all one giant song and I had to split them up for the sake of the band's sanity! There's a short story by Raymond Carver called Vitamins and the final line is "Things kept falling…" That line encapsulates how you feel when it seems your life is falling apart and to an extent I was in that place when I was writing this song."

David Gilmour - short and sweet, 1978

"the song "Short and Sweet" can be seen as a musical precursor to "Run Like Hell" (also from The Wall), with its shifting chords over a D pedal point, using a flanged guitar in Drop D tuning. "Short and Sweet" was written in collaboration with Roy Harper, who recorded a version, on which Gilmour played, for his 1980 album The Unknown Soldier."

Life On Venus - stranger times, 2022

“You all know the situation damn well and you know as well that we’re not politicians and not soldiers… the only thing we know for sure is that we want to spread love and peace across the world with our music.”

El Vy - return to the moon live, 2015

"EL VY is an American indie rock duo that consists of Matt Berninger (lead vocalist of The National) and Brent Knopf (founding member of Ramona Falls and Menomena). The duo released their debut album, Return to the Moon, in October 2015."

Monaco - a life apart, 2000

"Monaco is the second studio album by rock band Monaco, a side project of New Order bassist Peter Hook. It was released in 2000 and reached No. 84 in the UK. The album was provided 2 singles. The first single is "I've Got A Feeling", but later was rejected in the UK, due to sample clearances. The second single is "See-Saw”, as a limited 12" single. When the album was recorded, their previous label Polydor Records rejected this album to be released, due to changing trends in music at the time."

Talking Heads - heaven, 1979

"Heaven has always been one of those songs that's able to be a lot of different things. Fear of Music especially is an album that exists on polar opposites. Heaven has made me cry in many different ways, from sadness to frustrations to happiness to laughter, it seems to be able to encompass it all."

The Triffids - open for you, 1987

"The Triffids’ fourth album, the brilliant Calenture, is a mostly dark affair, with even the brightest songs bearing themes of death and loss. Keyboard player and sometime vocalist Jill Birt wrote Open For You, an upbeat number with a mostly positive theme — that finds darkness around its edges."

The Housemartins - think for a minute, 1986

"Think for a Minute" is a single by The Housemartins taken from the album London 0 Hull 4. The song reached #18 in the UK Singles Chart. The single and album versions are quite different – the album track is similar to a lot of The Housemartins early tracks, being guitar, bass and drum based, while the single version is a much more produced version, with piano and trumpet (from Guy Barker)."

Chumbawamba - amnesia, 1997

"Amnesia" is the second single from English rock band Chumbawamba's eighth studio album, Tubthumper (1997). The song's lyrics address the sense of betrayal that English leftists felt during the rise of New Labour. Released on 19 January 1998 by EMI, the song was met with favorable reception from critics, who regarded the song as a highlight from Tubthumper. The song was a top-10 hit in Canada and the United Kingdom, giving the group their final top-20 entries in both countries. The song also reached number one on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, becoming the group's final US chart entry."

The Thrills - found my rosebud, 2004

"this album was pretty much written on the road. This was in stark contrast to their debut album that had been carefully honed before recording started. Let's Bottle Bohemia was recorded straight from raw demos and they are keen to keep such spontaneity going."

Letting Up Despite Great Faults - repeating hearts, 2011

"From the opening chords of the sweet ‘Repeating hearts’ until the reverb heavy fade out of ‘Helium’ (sounds like a balloon losing its wind!), there is rhyme to these sunny, happy drenched music. It’s a good continuation of the ideas that this Los Angeles based band laid out on their début album, Letting up despite great faults."

Angelo De Augustine - twenty-seven, 2022

"Its lyrics depict dystopian and hellish landscapes painted over with age long myths, games of telephone, what it means to be evil, and how evil itself is often misunderstood."

Pet Shop Boys - give stupidity a chance, 2019

"Synth-pop duo’s Give Stupidity a Chance refers to Gove’s assertion that ‘people in this country have had enough of experts’"

Bear's Den - magdalene, 2014

"The song discusses the secretive institutions called Magdalene laundries (also known as Magdalene’s asylums), named after Catholic saint Mary Magdalene. The penitentiary work-houses were for “fallen women” and was run by Catholic nuns. Originally the institutions intended to help women out of prostitution and other bad situations, they evolved into sweatshops where women would be forced to live and work, unpaid, for the rest of their lives."

The Fiery Furnaces - waiting to know you, 2006

"The Fiery Furnaces are an American indie rock band, formed in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York. The band's primary members are Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger. The siblings are originally from Oak Park, Illinois, a near-western suburb of Chicago. They are known for their ambitious, highly conceptual releases, which have frequently divided critical opinion."

The Beatles - it's only love, 1965

"Since Lennon wrote a third more songs than McCartney, it's easy to forgive a pair of minor numbers ("It's Only Love," "Tell Me What You See"), especially since they're overshadowed by four great songs. His Dylan infatuation holds strong, particularly on the plaintive "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and the title track, where the brash arrangement disguises Lennon's desperation."

Devine And Statton - under the weather, 1989

"Singer Alison Statton, born in Cardiff,Wales, began her music career with enigmatic, new wave minimalists Young Marble Giants, which released its defining LP, Colossal Youth, in 1980. Statton's coolly unadorned vocals were one of the defining characteristics of that incomparable post-punk landmark. With her subsequent group, Weekend, Statton preempted the posh, cocktail-cool of acts such as Everything But the Girl and Sade."

Beirut - the canals of our city, 2006

"At seventeen years old, New Mexico native Zach Condon dropped out of community college and flew to Eastern/Central Europe with his brother, where he traveled with gypsy bands and studied indigenous folk cultures in the Baltics and former USSR. Upon returning, the young musician started a one-man project called “Beirut,” through which he created music in memory of his travels and in recognition of the broad European cultural milieu that is at the heart of so much conflict yet even more spirit."

Saint Etienne - jack lemmon, 1999

"A mostly instrumental album released only in Japan, The Misadventures of St. Etienne is not quite a proper St. Etienne album. Instead, it's the soundtrack of a little-seen British indie film called The Misadventures of Margaret, starring Parker Posey and Brooke Shields. Fans of Sarah Cracknell's Lulu-style vocals should be warned that she sings on only seven of the 20 tracks, and that many of the remaining songs are simple piano instrumentals and themes."

Pink Floyd - fat old sun, 1970

"Fat Old Sun" is perhaps best described as a pastoral, a hymn of praise to the countryside (as were several early Pink Floyd songs, such as "Grantchester Meadows" from Ummagumma and "Green Is the Colour" from More). The bell sounds heard at the beginning and the end of the song were later used again in "High Hopes" from their album The Division Bell and in "Surfacing" from their album The Endless River.

The Durutti Column - a little mercy, 1984

"La Belle Dame sans Merci" ("The Beautiful Lady without Mercy") is a ballad produced by the English poet John Keats in 1819. The title was derived from the title of a 15th-century poem by Alain Chartier called La Belle Dame sans Mercy. Considered an English classic, the poem is an example of Keats' poetic preoccupation with love and death. The poem is about a fairy who condemns a knight to an unpleasant fate after she seduces him with her eyes and singing."

Black Box Recorder - gift horse, 2000

"Mix Cellini is a lonely, maladjusted young man who works for a company that repairs exercise equipment, and lives in the upstairs apartment of an old Victorian house on Notting Hill. While his reclusive landlady, Gwendoline Chawcer, spends her time reading and pondering lost loves, Mix grows dangerously obsessed with serial killer John Christie and a local model, Nerissa Nash, despite the fact that she hardly even acknowledges his existence."

Coldplay - lovers in japan reign of love, 2008

"Jed Gottlieb of the Boston Herald remarked that the piano sound in "Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love" hints at the 1968 song "Lady Madonna" by The Beatles, "before taking a neo-classical, Chopin-does-Britpop route". Jeff Crawford of the City Messenger wrote, "'Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love' and 'Strawberry Swing' rank among the band's best work".

Pink Milk - river of glass, 2022

"Swedish darkwave/post punk duo Pink Milk released their sophomore album Ultraviolet in October 2021, and they return with the new track, River of Glass. The new single is a sentimental and atmospheric love ballad, about a ghost's unrequited love for a vampire. As idealized and fantastical as the song's theme is, it also sounds lush and ethereal, as it naturally portrays a haunting scene of a 1950s diner in a Lynchian world, where a cryptic song echoes from the other side. River of Glass, ideal for an alternate Twin Peaks universe, quickly unravels its own mystery and becomes utterly enthralling for the listener to be submerged in."

Bright Eyes - southern state, 2002

"The song describes an acquaintance of the narrator and their ways of dealing with depression, relationships, and alcohol abuse; all of the events of this individuals life seem to wind up leading them back to Athens."