Paul McCartney - uncle albert admiral halsey, 1971

"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" is composed of several unfinished song fragments that Norwegian engineer Eirik Wangberg stitched together in a similar manner to the medleys from the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. The orchestral arrangements by George Martin were recorded in New York at A & R Recording, along with other instruments by McCartney and his new band. The project was moved to Los Angeles where vocals were added by Paul and Linda McCartney—her first experience of recording in a professional studio. The song is notable for its thunderstorm and environmental sound effects added by Wangberg in Los Angeles; he had been invited by McCartney to mix and sequence the Ram album in any way he saw fit, and he copied the thunder from a monaural film soundtrack, then fashioned an artificial stereo version of it for the song. McCartney stated that "Uncle Albert" was based on his uncle: "He's someone I recall fondly, and when the song was coming it was like a nostalgia thing." He also stated: "I had an uncle – Albert Kendall – who was a lot of fun, and when I came to write 'Uncle Albert'/'Admiral Halsey' it was loosely about addressing that older generation, half thinking, What would they think of the way my generation does things? That's why I wrote the line 'We're so sorry, Uncle Albert.'" McCartney also told an American journalist, "As for Admiral Halsey, he's one of yours, an American admiral", referring to Fleet Admiral William "Bull" Halsey (1882–1959). McCartney has described the "Uncle Albert" section of the song as an apology from his generation to the older generation, and Admiral Halsey as an authoritarian figure who ought to be ignored. McCartney additionally explained: "'Hands across the water/Heads across the sky' refers to Linda and me being American and British."

Simon And Garfunkel - the sounds of silence, 1964

"The Sound of Silence" (originally "The Sounds of Silence") is a song by the American music-duo Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon. The duo's studio audition of the song led to a record deal with Columbia Records, and the original acoustic version was recorded in March 1964 at Columbia's 7th Avenue Recording Studios in New York City for their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., released that October to disappointing sales."

Mount Eerie - real death, 2017

“She died at home with me and her parents holding her, hopefully having reached some last minute peace. It’s all very sad and surreal. So much is left unfinished for her. She was a firehose of brilliant ideas that never turned off. We loved her and everything is weird now.”

Morrissey - speedway, 1994

"Speedway: One of the songs that got me through high school. Spoke to me on every level in my mid-teens."

Purple Mountains - all my happiness is gone, 2019

"The warning signs were all over Purple Mountains"

Father John Misty - two wildly different perspectives, 2017

"It doesn't tell you what to think, it gives you a view in a window of the world, and will likely make you start to think about what you are seeing."

U2 - city of blinding lights live, 2005

"The earliest incarnation of the song was developed during sessions for the band's 1997 album, Pop. The lyrics were written by the band's lead vocalist Bono, taking partial inspiration from his recollection of his first trip to London, and from the band's experience playing in New York City in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks during their Elevation Tour in 2001. Other lyrics refer to Bono's relationship with his wife Ali. The song's underlying theme reflects lost innocence and was inspired by an image Bono saw of himself from the early 1980s. The sound has been compared to the tone of U2's 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire and their 1987 single "Where the Streets Have No Name"."

Belle And Sebastian - my wandering days are over live, 2015

"What to Look for in Summer has time for more moody offerings, with "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" from Write About Love being a real down-tempo gem here, and an oddly crowd-pleasing one, enough that a listener almost wishes there was less audience noise on this one. "The Fox in the Snow" from If You're Feeling Sinister is elegantly peformed here, with Stuart Murdoch's vocals adding a kind of maturity and world-weariness to the tune that it may have been lacking in its earlier versions. Similarly, his performance on "My Wandering Days are Over" is just as warm and engaing."

The Smiths - ask, 1987

"Its lyrics discuss shyness and encourage listeners to overcome their inhibitions. Its multiple guitar parts and complex production led to disagreements regarding its final mix. Craig Gannon, who at the time was rhythm guitarist for the group, has claimed he wrote – and was denied credit for – the song's chord structure."

REM - every day is yours to win live, 2011

"they discover the glow of middle age, warmly acknowledging the past — hello again, Peter Buck’s mandolin — while realizing that the present can feel just as comforting. The sober, pretty “Uberlin” sounds like a happier cousin to “Drive.” Twinkling ballad “Every Day Is Yours to Win” updates “Everybody Hurts” for the other side of despair, when optimism seeps back in. “Discoverer” and “All the Best” deliver sexy crunch for Monster fans. It’s R.E.M.’s many faces, collapsing into now."

Father John Misty - so i'm growing old on magic mountain, 2017

"I’m someone who struggles daily with an overwhelming fear of death and I’ve never heard anything capture exactly what that feeling is like other than this song. “That was the last New Year I’ll ever see” feels pretty unambiguous to me - the protagonist will die this year. Either that or it’s the last time he is celebrating it, but I lean towards the former interpretation."

Billy Bragg - why we build the wall cover, 2017

“I first heard Anais Mitchell sing ‘Why We Build The Wall’ at Occupy London in November 2011, standing on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral. The power of the lyrics struck me then and, in the intervening years, the song has become even more powerful as the mass movement of people from Africa and Asia into Europe, North America and Australia has forced migration onto the political agenda. In 2016, matters came to a head when anti-immigrant sentiment was identified as a prime mover in Britain’s vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trump was elected president after promising to build a wall along the Mexican border. In the coming years, driven by climatic changes in their home countries, more and more people are going to be on the move, looking for a better life for their families. Our children and our grandchildren will judge us on our response to those who come to our door looking for shelter.”

Beirut - landslide live, 2019

"Surround that by bright and uplifting harmonies – like ones from No No No – and what is created is a gorgeous combination of new and old, showcasing a maturation of sound that one would be hard-pressed not to have chills when listening to."

Del Amitri - spit in the rain, 1990

"Del Amitri's founding member and main songwriter, Justin Currie, explained in 2010 that the band's name "was invented to be meaningless – basically a corruption of the Greek name 'Dimitri'." In 2018, Currie clarified that 'Del Amitri' is a bastardisation of the name of a film producer who appeared in the closing credits of a film he saw in 1979: "probably Dimitri-something, but we couldn't remember... so eventually through osmosis or maybe Chinese Whispers 'Dimitri' became 'Del Amitri'." Many sources have repeated a claim that the name was chosen because it is Greek for "from the womb", but this is untrue."

Pet Shop Boys - se a vida é that's the way life is, 1996

"Neil says that this song was written to cheer up a depressed friend. The melody, much of the arrangement, and even the title was adapted from a Brazilian song—"Estrada Da Paixão" by the group Olodum—that the Boys had encountered and enjoyed during their South American tour. Hence they properly gave that song's composers a co-writing credit. The intensely rhythmic percussion was provided by She-Boom, an all-woman drum corps. The words "se a vida é," meant to be translated "that's the way life is," actually means "If life is." It's therefore an instance of bad Portuguese and borders on nonsense within the context of the song. But Neil never claimed to be fluent in the language. Nevertheless, it sounds good. And the song itself has emerged as a latter-day PSB concert staple, never failing to spread its infectiously cheery air through a crowd."

Ride - clouds of saint marie, 2019

"More than any of the other new Ride songs, “Clouds Of Saint Marie” shoots for straight-up effervescence. It’s got a chiming, almost Byrds-ian guitar riff, a lead vocal that sounds like a sigh, and a central melody that’s triumphant and wistful in equal measures. It’s a song that seems custom-built for festivals, or for sunny afternoons."

Clouds of Saint Marie I see Clouds of Saint Marie She's over me A memory A remedy A melody Clouds of Saint Marie Make me feel Clouds of Saint Marie Nothing's real (deleted) A memory (is needed) A remedy (repeated) A melody She reigns over me

In Tall Buildings - curtain, 2018

"In Tall Buildings, the music project of Erik Hall is about to release his newest album Akinetic"

Spain - spiritual live, 2012

"Well singing and performing can be two different things. On stage there’s a level of adrenaline that just isn’t there in the studio. Also I’ve learned over the years there’s a obligation to be entertaining that isn’t so immediate in the studio."

The Moody Blues - to share our love, 1969

"On the Threshold of a Dream is the fourth album by The Moody Blues, released in April 1969 on the Deram label. The album reached the top of the album charts, the group's first No. 1 album in the UK. According to guitarist Justin Hayward, "I think Threshold is the defining album for the Moody Blues. And it's the one in the '60's that you would find in people's homes when you went, they would have that album."

Billy Bragg - the red flag, 2006

"Singing songs won’t change the world, no matter how much we might want it to. Music can bring us together in common cause, engage and inspire us, focus our anger, and raise funds and awareness, but ultimately the only people with the ability to bring about real change are in the audience, not on stage. Tomorrow, the singer will be gone, bringing his or her music to another town, but those who were in the audience will still be there."