Desert Island Discs
But maybe if I’m marooned on a desert island with just these 8 songs it will give me plenty of time to practice, right?
So, without further ado, here we go.
Meat Loaf – Bat Out Of Hell
This really was the album of my teenage years. My best friend and I played it non stop. I have very fond memories of a holiday in France with her and her family just after my parents split up – we spent long hours lying on the beach listening to this on her walkman. One walkman, two sets of headphones and one of those little splitter jacks that allowed us both to listen at the same time. I love the theatricality of this track, I love that it’s really three songs in one, and I love that there’s a female part for me to sing along with
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
Another song from my teenage years and my University years. I was (well, still am) a huge Queen fan, and I wish I’d had the chance to see them live before Freddie died. I did get to the Queen Paul Rogers concert in Hyde Park and it was brilliant. I particularly loved the way this song was used as a tribute to Freddie. I remember the day Freddie died – I was at University, and as I walked around campus there were many open windows through which you could hear Queen songs playing.
Howard Jones – No-one Is To Blame
If the geekdaddy and I could be said to have a song which is our own, it’s this one. An odd choice, I’ll grant you, but the geekdaddy is a huge Howard Jones fan, and taught himself to play this on the piano and sing along. The geekdaddy has a lovely singing voice, and I could listen to him sing this song all day. On a desert island I’ll just have to put up with Howard Jones instead
Les Miserables – On My Own
I would love to be in musical theatre. Sadly I can’t sing well enough, but that doesn’t stop me in the shower or when alone in my car! My favourite musical of all is Les Miserables – I have seen it on stage both in London and Manchester, and in fact when the geekdaddy and I started dating I insisted on taking him to see it as I wouldn’t get serious with anyone who didn’t like it! In most musicals I know which part I would play if I ever got the chance, and in Les Mis it would be Eponine. She has a far more interesting story than Cosette, and her song On My Own is my favourite in the show. This would be one for me to crank up the volume and belt along to!
Asia – An Extraordinary Life
When the geekdaughter was small the geekdaddy made a video montage of photos of her, and selected this track to accompany it. The main lyric seemed amazingly appropriate – all children are “an extraordinary life”, but ours even more so as they were conceived via IVF. A true miracle of science, completely extraordinary lives.
Carly Simon – Little Mr Roo
If the previous song is the geekdaughter’s “theme song” then this is the geekson’s. When he was born I used to put a DVD on for the geekdaughter to watch whilst I was feeding her brother, and she frequently requested Pooh’s Heffalump Movie. This song is used as a lullaby for Roo, sung initially by Kanga before Carly Simon takes over. I started singing it to the geekson as a lullaby, and fell in love with it. So much so that I sang it at his naming ceremony – one of the few times I have sung publicly. Beautiful words, can still make me cry.
Kerry Ellis – Defying Gravity
If any musical was going to challenge Les Miserables for the position of my favourite, it would be Wicked. I discovered it soon after it opened on Broadway, and ordered the cast recording from the US. I played it to death, loving all the songs. I booked tickets to see it in the West End as soon as it opened, and was delighted to discover when we arrived at the theatre that the amazing Idina Menzel would be appearing in the role of Elphaba – the role she created on Broadway. However the version of this song I would take to my desert island would be the one by Kerry Ellis (who took over the role from Idina) accompanied by Brian May on guitar. This is not the way you’ll hear it in the show, but I love the rocky style. I like to kid myself I can sing along with this one
Idina Menzel – Let it go
This is a recent addition to my list of favourite songs, but it’s a corker. All the songs from Disney’s latest movie, Frozen, sound like they would not be out of place in a West End musical, and I believe there are plans afoot to convert it for the stage. The songs were written by one of the two guys behind Avenue Q, another great musical. For me, Let it Go is the absolute show stopper of Frozen – Idina Menzel’s amazing voice, the sheer quality of the song, and all backed by Disney’s amazing animation – this is one of those film moments where everything comes together to make magic. And as with the previous song, I like to think I can sing along with this
So there you are, that’s my choice of 8 desert island discs. It now just remains for me to tag some other bloggers whose choices I would like to hear. I tag
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