Week 22 – Think Bensonium

Day 154: Knowing me, knowing you, Abba

Roderick Benson — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 15:59:07 +0000

In the original Covid Island Discs that I published on Facebook, I ended the series at week 11 with the Abba song “thank you for the music” which summarises how I feel about this amazing gift God has given us. Abba was one of those groups that for many became associated with more teeny bopper culture but while their genre was more pop than rock, they really did produce some incredible tunes and this one certainly deserves to be included in my Covid Island Disc collection.

I guess the other disconcerting thing about this tune is that in real life Benny was married to Frida and Bjorn was married to Agnetha and both couples split up around the time they released this song, which ultimately brought Abba to an end. It is almost as though this song is the musical version of their final agreement to part ways.

Day 153: Eternal Flame, The Bangles

Roderick Benson — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 15:56:36 +0000

From the funny “Walk like an Egyptian” to a more mature romantic song from the Bangles.

Day 152: Salt water wells in my eyes, Julian Lennon

Roderick Benson — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 15:46:27 +0000

He certainly inherited his Dad’s voice. Kind of sad that John Lennon really never connected with Julian. I wonder what Julian made of John’s song “Beautiful Boy” which was about his other younger son Sean that he had with Yoko Ono (Covid Island Discs Day 176). Another thought about this song is it was written in 1991 and contains the lines:

I have lived for love, now that’s not enough.
For the world I love is dying (and now I’m crying)
Time is not a friend (no friend of mine), cause friends we’re out of time and it’s slowly passing by.

Wow this was written in 1991 so quite along way ahead of its time. If Julian thought we were out of time then, imagine what he must think now as we watch the worst-case predictions of global heating come to pass.

Day 151: Tomorrow never dies, Sheryl Crow, (James Bond Theme)

Roderick Benson — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 15:32:36 +0000

OK this is the last James Bond theme although I did share Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let die” way back in week 2 day 9 which also belongs here. Sheryl Crow has already also made an appearance in my play list and she certainly was a good choice to do one of the James Bond opening songs.

Day 150: For your eyes only, Sheena Easton, (James Bond Theme)

Roderick Benson — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 15:25:50 +0000

“For your eyes only Mr Bond.” Sean Connery certainly made James Bond into a more comical character but I much prefer the modern protrayal of the spy by Daniel Craig. By far the best James Bond of the lot in my opinion.

Day 149: Nobody does it better – The Spy who loved me, Carly Simon (James Bond Theme)

Roderick Benson — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 15:01:22 +0000

A great song by Carly Simon and interestingly she must have performed it at the same venue as the first song of hers I shared all the way back in week 8, day 54. Would love to have been on one of those boats in that Marina.

Day 148: We don’t need another hero (Thunderdome), Tina Turner

Roderick Benson — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 14:55:30 +0000

The next song is of course the soundtrack to the Mel Gibson movie Thunderdome. Tina Turner also produce a theme song for the James Bond movie Golden Eye which I am not posting. However, over the next few days I will post some of the best James Bond theme tunes produced by various artists.