The best video for this week is definitely Cyndi Lauper's "Girl's just want to have fun". The video itself tells quite a funny story of the long suffering parents of a daughter who gathers up all and sundry from the her local street and ends up holding a massive party in her room.

So today I watched a very interesting video analysis of a song by the Beatles called A Northern Song. Post Covid Island Discs now usually records the death of famous musicians and of course poor old George Harrison passed away many years before the Covid-19 pandemic. So I guess this post is in memorandum to George Harrison even if he did pass away so many years before this website was even born. Yet there appears to be so much more to this song of Harrison's than meets the eye as explained by James Hargreaves in his video which is also included under the Beatles Anthrology recording of Harrison's clever song which I think, as Hargreaves argues, is a passive-aggressive dig at the way McCartney and Lennon treated him as an inferior member of the Beatles.

After watching Hargreaves excellent analysis of the Harrison's song, along with his detailing of the complicated tensions that existed between the Beatles in the late 60s, it became obvious that the band was always in trouble and it was only a matter of time before the fab four would go their separate ways. Hargreaves analysis challenges the commonly held idea that the breakup of the band was solely down to Yoko entering the scene as clearly relational tensions in the Beatles were not just confined to John and Paul.

A less known version but better version (in my opinion) of the song before Lennon and McCartney fell into a possible trap set by Harrison (see Hargreaves analysis below).

Analysis of the song and its meaning by James Hargreaves

The mainstream version of the song as first published on the Yellow Submarine Album

This song needs no introduction. And what a fantastic backdrop for the Oils to perform live in. This one is for all my Felly friends with special mention to Simon (Happy birthday mate), Jodi, Tani, Adrian, Anne, Matt, Fiona and Cathy. Also in loving memory of my best man Jonathan Higgs who was a MASSIVE Oils fan. So much so, he had a Midnight Oil themed 21^st where I went dressed from the album cover Head Injuries.

I know at least three of you on this list have photos with the great Peter G. Thanks for the wonderful memories guys. You are such valuable friends.

"US Forces give the nod!"

"Just a little something for the pain. Hospital food getting you down?"

A cute, funny song. "My Maserati does 185. I lost my license now I don't drive." Also in this version notice the slight comical change in the line: "I making records my fans they can't wait. They write me letters tell me Glen's great."

Well the first version of this song I got from Youtube had this line but it was deleted and the replacement version is of a different concert. In this one Joe has fun with the speed of his Maserati.

So we hit the day 200 mark of Covid Island Discs. The very first song I posted on facebook back on the 27th of March 2020 was Hide in Your Shell by Supertramp. So it seems only appropriate to post another Supertramp song as I would have said at the tender age of 18 that they were my all time favourite band. Just remember, "when you go home tonight you must take the long way home."

Countdown to the year anniversary of Covid Island Discs Covid Island new year's eve

Well we've made it. Tomorrow one year ago I started Covid Island Discs. Little did I (or indeed the world know) just how devastating this disease would be on so many lives. Since starting Covid Island discs so many thousands of lives have been lost to this terrible virus. So many people have also been forced to live a year of their lives in isolation and many businesses have been deeply damaged, some of course have gone out of business.

Yet there is light at the end of this very dark tunnel. One really impressive thing this year has shown, is just how well science can work to serve humanity when scientists are able to collaborate on a single problem rather than compete in an adversarial way, which sadly is much more common, given the foolish grant system that funding agencies have created. We now have at least 4 different highly effective vaccines available and in the UK, through the excellent work of the NHS, British people are steadily being vaccinated. In fact, I received my first vaccination the day I wrote this sentence although it is not on the 20^th of March but rather the 13^th as I write Covid Island Discs posts in blocks and then use a Wordpress scheduler to make sure they published on the correct date. Although I have very much enjoyed doing Covid Island Discs and will continue to do so until the UK is officially out of lockdown, I will certainly be pleased when this project finally comes to an end as this means that we have finally defeated this microscopic enemy, hopefully through the population reaching herd immunity.

The logical song is certainly one of Supertramp's greatest songs. Hodgson wrote the song reflecting on his Boarding School experience. He said of his own song: “the burning question that came down to its rawest place was 'please tell me who I am,' and that's basically what the song is about. I think this eternal question continues to hit such a deep chord in people around the world and why it stays so meaningful."

So this is the second time Panic at the Disco has appeared in Covid Island Discs. This is Gospel is certainly quite an interesting song lyrically and Brendon's voice is of course exceptional given his huge vocal range.