Paul McCartney - magic, 2001

"This is about meeting Linda – ‘it must have been magic the night that we met’. I met Linda in a club and I always thought years after, particularly after she died, that if I hadn’t stood up that night in a club we might never have met again. It was something I never normally did; I wouldn’t normally stand up as someone was about to leave and say ‘Er, excuse me, hello…’ I didn’t do that. It was a bit embarrassing for a young guy to do that. I didn’t normally do that but it was just one of those things that I felt I just had to do that night – ‘Hi, um, I’m Paul, who are you?’ And she sort of smiled and said ‘Linda’. I said ‘Er, we’re going onto another club. Are you going home? Shall we meet up at this other club?’ We were in the Bag O’Nails and we said we’d meet up in the Speakeasy. Which we did. So ‘Magic’ is a song about that; it must have been some sort of magic that made me do that. Because if I hadn’t done that I might not have met her again."

Travis - follow the light, 2001

"This was the last song to be added to the tracklisting of The Invisible Band. It began life in February 2001 just before I went to LA write. The melody came first and was memorable within one listen. The tempo was sluggish and the verse was totally different from what it turned into. What it turned into didn't happen until we were in the studio. The chorus melody began with the words,"But its alright..." but I couldn't seem to get the words to the rest of the chorus. It wasn't until I stumbled upon an interesting melody one night when I stayed behind in Ocean Way that flowed really well into the chorus that began " But it's alright.." The tempo was alot more up than the chorus melody had been originally but as soon as I put the new verse with the older chorus the lyrics started to come. The hook line started out as ... " But its alright, just shadows and light.." but neil said there was a Joni album by the same name so it changed to, "...But its alright, you're travelling light..." and then became " ... Follow the light.." and then that was that. The lyric in the chorus dictated what the verse was about, just how, when you don't know what you're doing or where you're going you've just got to follow that light. The light being whatever you want it to be."

realidade virtual

"What's "reality" anyway? Just another virtuality, plus pain"

The Go-Betweens - love goes on, 1988

"Love Goes On" is a song by the Australian indie rock group The Go-Betweens, issued as the third and final single from their 1988 album 16 Lovers Lane. The song was released in January 1989 by Beggars Banquet Records in the UK, with "Clouds" as the B-side. "Love Goes On" was the last single issued by the band before their split in December 1989."

Marillion - heart of lothian, 1985

"Heart of Lothian" is a song by British neo-prog band Marillion. It is the fifth track on the 1985 concept album Misplaced Childhood. The song was released as the third single from Misplaced Childhood on 18 November 1985 in the UK, the Netherlands, West Germany, Canada (on Capitol Records), South Africa and Australia. "Heart of Lothian" became the third Top 30 UK single from Misplaced Childhood, peaking at number 29. The song also peaked at number 51 on the German singles chart."

The Radio Dept - we would fall against the tide, 2002

"Listening back to early singles 'Why Won't You Talk About It?' and 'Where Damage Isn't Already Done' - and in particular respective b-sides 'Liebling' and 'We Would Fall Against The Tide' - in comparison to more recent offerings 'Never Follow Suit' and 'The New Improved Hypocrisy' The Radio Dept.'s development can be traced along the way like stages of an Open University degree course."

Mike Oldfield - a minor tune, 2003

"Another good day, though I let the seed of doubt be sown and once sown, it proliferated with frightening speed. We were approaching the transition from the A minor Tune into the Blues tune, a guitar duet. My task at this point is to continue to play the A minor tune right up until the start of the blues section (not easy as it requires me to maintain the 4/4 meter of the A minor tune against the underlying 12/8 groove of the Blues which starts on the bass 4 bars or so before the Blues proper starts.)"

The Go-Betweens - you can't say no forever, 1988

"Legit rock drumming and bass work join the more standard Go-Betweens acoustic sensitivity making sure that as it reaches the half way mark, 16 Lovers Lane is in no danger of getting into a repetitive loop of predictability. This song is still perfectly in sync with what’s come before, it’s just not beholden to it."

Such a great song!

Mew - white lips kissed, 2005

"The mood that this song sets is like the sort of feeling you’d get when you’ve finally managed to grab hold of something you’ve wanted all your life… and then it slips away from you. There’s a definite sense of loss to the lyrics and to the tear-stained melody, as if a relationship or possibly even’s someone life had been cut short before the protagonist could get some sort of closure out of the situation. Jonas sounds like the hurt little boy more here than ever – especially when the drums echo in the background of the second verse with this funereal sort of march, and his high-pitched voice sounds like it’s echoing up out of some deep pit that he’s found himself trapped in. The main synth hook of the song, and the wash of background vocals and dissonant horns that gradually join it as the song reaches its graceful climax, all come together like empathetic angels trying to calm his fears. Eventually all that’s left is the echoing piano… then a guitar line that slowly, sadly sinks down to its final resolution"

The Style Council - when you call me, 1985

"Our story kicks off with a love of music and records as a kid to 1982, when Tracie answered an advert in Smash Hits magazine that would change her life and land her on Top of The Pops with the biggest band in the country – The Jam – in just a matter of months!"

Everything But The Girl - nothing left to lose, 2023

"the song never sounds retro for retro’s sake: Rhythmically, texturally, and tonally, it’s got real heft, as well as a kind of lived-in ease that’s missing from a lot of contemporary acts tackling similar inspirations."

Beirut - at once, 2015

“I was convinced that Europe would be like walking through an old French film”

Bob Dylan - mr tambourine man, 1965

"The song has a bright, expansive melody and has become famous for its surrealistic imagery, influenced by artists as diverse as French poet Arthur Rimbaud and Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. The lyrics call on the title character to play a song and the narrator will follow. Interpretations of the lyrics have included a paean to drugs such as LSD, a call to the singer's muse, a reflection of the audience's demands on the singer, and religious interpretations."

Belle And Sebastian - when we were very young, 2023

"While "When We Were Very Young" and "Will I Tell You A Secret" feel like what we'd want (and expect) from a B&S album, lots more, like the grating single (written with an outsider) "I Don't Know What You See in Me" does not. However, the Sarah Martin-fronted "Give a Little Time" benefits from a robust production, and serves up a catchiness that's like a meatier version of something from side-band God Help the Girl. Sarah sings lead on "Do You Follow", another recommended cut here. Elsewhere, the languid and smart "When the Cynics Stare Back From the Wall" charms immensely in an old B&S fashion."

Morrissey - king leer, 1991

"'King Leer' is a little jazzy and very funny lyrically."

Crosby Stills Nash And Young - our house, 1970

"Our House" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Graham Nash and recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on their album Déjà Vu (1970). The single reached No. 30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 20 on the Cash Box Top 100. The song, "an ode to countercultural domestic bliss", was written while Nash was living with Joni Mitchell, recording both Crosby, Stills & Nash and Déjà Vu."

Guillemots - annie let's not wait, 2006

"The best antidote to depression and despair that I know is a favourite old song and the most rejuvenating and life-affirming one that I can think of is the awesome Annie, Let’s Not Wait by Guillemots."

Stars - palmistry, 2022

"Stars’ best qualities are rooted in their close-knit vocals, which, while effusive and inviting, also possess a certain contemplative quality as well. That’s immediately evident on the album’s lead-off track, “Palmistry,” which still manages to build towards a celebratory conclusion."

Beirut - the concubine, 2009

"This was when Zach Condon of Beirut began to subtly shift his sound. “The Concubine” is still like a classic European song of old, as is his forte, but it has a more propulsive beat carrying you forward."

Pink Floyd - wearing the inside out, 1994

"Wearing the Inside Out" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1994 album, The Division Bell. A collaboration between Richard Wright and Anthony Moore, it is the only song on the album for which David Gilmour receives no writing credit."