Having recently written a book on the controversial Frenchman, journalist Jeremy Allen is perfectly placed to select 12 essential songs...
Songs
Articles
The story behind this much-loved new wave hit from 1980 – it’s not actually what popular legend supposes it’s about...
A trip to Silverthorne, Colorado inspired this New York City songwriter and producer to get back to her own music...
The Wombles songwriter recollects how a song about death became the theme to ‘Watership Down’ and a No 1 hit...
The singer-songwriter aimed to craft “a big song” about “a modern America” and ended up delivering an eight-and-a-half-minute folk-rock phenomenon...
An inter-species tale of unrequited love provided the surprising inspiration for one of the most memorable songs of the 1990s...
We look at the ingredients which make up the English folk musician’s “love song seen through the prism of cooking”
The Australian rock band’s songwriter and keyboardist discusses his intimately personal song which their iconic frontman Michael Hutchence did justice...
We learn how the singer-songwriter’s Ivor Award-winning hit single was inspired by Patti Smith and written in just 30 minutes...
The Swedish soft-rock duo’s lead singer reveals the ballad that graced the ‘Pretty Woman’ soundtrack was originally a Christmas song...
Shelly Peiken on writing What A Girl Wants: “One day I wrote something down about it on a receipt. Songwriters...
One half of the much-loved Cockney duo, Chas Hodges reveals how their song was inspired by a US R&B hit...



























