Week 56 – Think Bensonium

Day 392: Chemtrails over the country club, Lana Del Rey

Roderick Benson — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 23:00:53 +0000

Err so where do I begin with this one. Lana Del Rey is certainly a very interesting musician and this one of her latest songs fresh off the press so to speak as it was only released in January of 2021. It has Del Rey’s trademark voice but it also is a very interesting video combining a lot of mixed imagery which about three quarters of the way through the video enters a horror genre. It is also interesting to observe how Covid-19 has written itself into the video as Del Rey dons at least two styles of face mask during the video.

Day 391 (21st Wedding Anniversary): We’ve only just begun, The Carpenters

Roderick Benson — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 23:00:19 +0000

OK so this time last year I shared the song for my twentieth wedding anniversary which was Day 26: Happy Anniversary Baby by the Little River Band. Couldn’t think of another anniversary theme song so went for the next best thing a song that has been played at many a wedding and that is this Carpenter’s classic “We’ve only just begun”. Although this song is perhaps a little sickly sweet, as always I am always blown away but Karen’s angelic voice. In some ways, this song is kind of unusual because, being in a minor key, it actually sound a little melancholic for a tune that is celebrating marriage.

I guess my learning experience from my wedding day is just how fast 21 years goes; seemingly in the blink of an eyelid. Anyway, thank you my dear Helen for looking after me and putting up with my shenanigans for 21 years. It has been an interesting, sometimes fun, sometimes sad and sometimes scary journey with you as we have both experienced the things God has ordained for us during our married years.

Day 390: Tiny Dancer, Elton John

Roderick Benson — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 23:00:54 +0000

This song always reminds me of the most amazing Elton John concert I attended with a good friend all the way back in 1986. This was a really special concert where Elton teamed up with the Melbourne Symphonic Orchestra. One of the songs that really stuck in my mind was this classic from the album Madman Across the Water. I was quite surprised to find an official music video for this song which appears to only be published in 2017. Anyway, the official video’s soundtrack is of the original recording although I assume it has been remastered to improve the audio quality.

Day 389: Angie, The Rolling Stones

Roderick Benson — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 23:00:49 +0000

So far I have only cited one song from the Rolling Stones as I’m not a great fan of their music. However, my daughter was watching a seventies hits cable TV channel and the Stone’s classic song “Angie” came on. This is another song of the Stones I particularly like because it reminds me of the wife of one of my closest friends who still lives in Australia.

Day 388: As Lights Fall, Alan Parsons

Roderick Benson — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 23:00:45 +0000

So this is a song that was released by Alan Parsons after 15 years of musical silence. The video of this song is also really worth watching because it really is in some ways Parson’s musical autobiography. I watched this song just after preparing Parson’s biography for Covid Island Discs (Week 23) and what is fascinating about the video is seeing all the important landmarks of Parson’s life in the imagery of the video, including Abbey road and his past famous albums. In fact, even the very opening scene of the video has a piece of old ship paper with the words “Dark Side of the Moon” inscribed on it as this was one of the early albums Parson’s helped to produce along with the iconic Beatles album, “Abbey Road”, when he first went to work at Abbey road studios as a young man.

Day 387: The Year of the Cat, Al Stewart

Roderick Benson — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 23:00:19 +0000

As I have often observed while doing Covid Island Discs, it is amazing that even after over a year of citing songs, I suddenly remember a super rock classic that I have forgotten to include. I only remember this one because I was preparing a brief biography on the musician and music producer Alan Parsons. It turns out that it was Parson’s that added the saxophone part to this song which transformed it into the enduring classic that it now is.

Day 386: Dreams, The Cranberries

Roderick Benson — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 23:00:06 +0000

What better way to open week 56 with a song from the Cranberries. I still feel a little sadness that Delores is no longer with us. Like Kate Bush, she had quite a unique a instantly recognisable voice.