Week 31 – Think Bensonium

Day 217: Don’t Dream it’s over, Crowded House

Roderick Benson — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

So at the 6 month point in Covid Island Discs we had a song by the band Split Enz called Six Months in a leaky boat. Neil and Tim Finn joined forces with Nick Seymore and Paul Hester to form the band Crowded House and this is one of their classics.

Day 216: At Seventeen, Janis Ian

Roderick Benson — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

So yesterday I posted a song (Vincent by Don Mclean) which was chosen by our English teacher as her contribution to a writing exercise she set the class where we had to write an essay about two of our favourite songs.

This song was the second one she chose and I must confess at the time I thought she was brave to share a song which actually made her quite vulnerable to a class of all boys given its lyrical content. It is however, a very beautiful song that I am sure many women (and let’s face it men) can relate to.

Day 215: Vincent, Don McLean

Roderick Benson — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

At the very beginning of Covid Island Discs (Day 3 in fact) I posted the song Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits. The back story to that song was that in year 11 we had to write an essay on our two favourite rock songs and analyse their lyrics (you can read about it here). However, our English teacher, who set us the writing task at the time (her name was Mrs Jackson), also presented her two favourite songs and this was one of them.

After she presented this very sad song, one to the guys in the class said “What’s all this about is this singer gay or something?” Needless to say this comment reduced a class of young 17 year old boys to fits of laughter much to the chagrin of our poor long suffering English teacher.

Day 214: Both Sides now, Joni Mitchell

Roderick Benson — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

I really love this song, the lyrics are so beautiful. The last verse is especially poignant:

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say, “I love you” right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I’ve looked at life that way
Oh, but now old friends they’re acting strange
And they shake their heads, they say I’ve changed
Well something’s lost, but something’s gained
In living every day
I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all.

Day 213: Blowin in the Wind, Bob Dylan

Roderick Benson — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Now for a video that was made before I was born. A classic Bob Dylan song from sooo long ago. The master wordsmith at work.

How many times must a man look up before he can really see the sky?
And how many ears must a man have before he can hear people cry?
And how many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died?
The answer my friend is blowin in the wind the answer is blowin in the wind.

Day 212: Be Yourself, Audioslave

Roderick Benson — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Time from some more heavy rock. I quite like the lyrics to this song: “be yourself is all that you can do.” Surely a simple self-evident truth?

Day 211: The name of the game, Abba

Roderick Benson — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Another song by a band that is often considered by many as a band for the teeny boppers of the the 70s. Yet Abba wrote some very interesting songs with very interesting lyrics and here is another song from their collection which is possibly exploring in music the increasing tensions that were developing between Frida, Bennie, Bjorn and Agnetha as their marriages began to strain perhaps under the pressure of fame? The song is strange because in it the couples are having so much fun and look very much in love. I wonder if they ever now look back at this video and wish they could return to those days when they were so happy together?