1980 – Think Bensonium

Day 425: My baby, Cold Chisel

Roderick Benson — Tue, 18 May 2021 23:00:28 +0000

Time for some more Aussie music I feel. This is another classic from Cold Chisel and the video is well worth taking the time to watch. Some great footage of 70s Sydney chicks and a great sax solo to boot.

Day 352: Don’t stand so close to me, The Police

Roderick Benson — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 00:00:10 +0000

Wow I am surprised I have got to day 352 before I finally cited this song. As I have written on several occasions I love songs that are musically intense and this one is right up there. A classic Police song. Sting of course at one point was a school teacher so I sometimes wonder if this song might be a little bit autobiographical?

Day 349: Cheap Wine, Cold Chisel

Roderick Benson — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:00:50 +0000

Another song from the Aussie band Cold Chisel is well overdue. Once again this band nicely captures the slightly melancholic existence of most blokes who have reached middle age and have experienced at least a few life knocks. Probably the most poignant lines in this song are:

had a friend, heard she died
On a needle she was crucified
Baby that was years ago.

Day 289: Babooshka, Kate Bush

Roderick Benson — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Another classic from Kate Bush. I remember when this song was released as the radio track for her “Never for Ever” album. Certainly this song tells an interesting story of a woman “who wanted to test her husband’s fidelity”. The word “babooshka” means an elderly Russian or Polish woman especially one who is a grandmother.

Day 260: Whip It, Devo

Roderick Benson — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Crazy band of the 80s. They have already appeared once in Covid Island Discs. This is their second appearance. Not sure why they have flow pots on their heads ????.

Day 220: Blow away, Kate Bush

Roderick Benson — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

And here is the song I wrote about yesterday when I posted the one of Sandy Denny’s works. A song about what happens when one sheds this mortal coil. Sadly I cannot find a live version of this song so the album version will have to do.

Day 187: Love will tear us apart, Joy Division

Roderick Benson — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Yesterday I shared a hit by the band the cure. The cure and Joy division often played gigs together with Joy Division opening their concerts. Of course Joy Division’s music is anything but joyful and one of their founding members, Ian Curtis was a tragic figure suffering long term depression which led to him to take his own life when he was only 23. This song is probably from their most famous and final album (apparently they only had two) “Closer” and was released just a few month after Ian Curtis had taken his life. The remaining members of the band regrouped forming the band New Order.

Day 102: One day more, Les Misérables

Roderick Benson — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 12:06:35 +0000

I fell in love with this musical in my twenties when I first saw a performance of it out doors in Sydney. It even stimulated me to read Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables which is a very loooong book and is much darker than even the musical.

Day 37: Video Killed the Radio Star, Buggles

Rbenson — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 17:38:40 +0000

“I heard you on the wireless back in ’52…”
“Ohwa Ohwa”

Day 3: Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits

Rbenson — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 20:36:22 +0000

OK so yesterday I tried to demonstrate that my musical tastes have just about made it into the 21st century. Alas now I have done that I shall return to the 80s. In year 11 we were asked to write about two songs we liked in an English lesson. The first song I chose was Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits, the second one you shall find out tomorrow. The two songs I chose were based on clever lyrics. This song has the line “and all I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme” which I think was a pretty neat line. Enjoy!