Posts Tagged Song
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August 1, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Paula Green’s Poetry Shelf: Thirteen Poems About Song
New Zealand’s Patron Saint to Poetry – Paula Green – does many great things with, and on, her Poetry Shelf, but over winter this year she’s been posting a different set of ‘Theme’ poems by varioius poets. Each Friday a new theme. I’ve loved them, have shared them all. And this week I was one of the […]Archive
July 10, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
In Praise of ‘Walking On The Chinese Wall’
I am in love with the song Walking On The Chinese Wall by Philip Bailey. It’s a multiple whammy of guilty pleasure moments and I do not care. It has been my call-to-home for weeks now, months even. Something happened when I heard it for the first time in a while several months back. Olfactory […]Archive
March 19, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Making American Recordings
Johnny Cash and his guitar in a room, with the ghosts of the men he used to be. That’s the way to make new history. Take the last quarter century and put it in the bin. Make the song the thing. Make it the only thing. Let the song ring out its truth. Let the […]Archive
December 10, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Dear Prudence,
My parents planned to name me Prudence if I was a girl. I wasn’t – so that is pretty much that. I hated the name – but loved the song; when I heard it was because my dad always loved that tune from The White Album it made more sense, or something like that. Now […]Archive
June 10, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: The Makings Of You
Ask Curtis, it’s true it’s almost impossible to do when it comes to reciting the makings of you I listen to the song so often. It’s the one that softens me like nothing else could ever do. When I first heard it I stopped everything I ever thought I was doing. Just listened – played […]Archive
December 10, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Big Jobs
My life is measured in walks and work, not much of one makes for increases in the other column My life is many miles of footsteps, sometimes searching for a meaning, some meaning, any meaning – other times simply demeaning But that leads me on (leads me) and I lead the dog (or is he […]Archive
November 3, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Dylan Jones: The Wichita Lineman – Searching In The Sun For The World’s Greatest Unfinished Song
The Wichita Lineman: Searching In The Sun For The World’s Greatest Unfinished Song Dylan Jones Faber & Faber Social It’s anyone’s guess what the “greatest” song of all time is – but a clever choice might be Wichita Lineman as recorded by Glen Campbell and written by Jimmy Webb. You could certainly do a lot […]Archive
October 21, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Wind Chimes
What’s the last song that made you feel like you actually stopped existing? That was the question. And there’s only one answer. That one by The Beach Boys… The one that goes, “On the warm breeze the little bells/Tinkle like wind chimes Though it’s hard I try not to look at my wind chimes Now […]Archive
May 1, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 205 Stop the World
I think it took me over ten years to write this song. I know I started on the verses in 1980 after the demise of Negative Theatre. I’d read an interview with Steely Dan where they talked about mu major chords and I played the A, E, A, D, C#m, D, A, E, A pattern […]Archive
March 27, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 200 The Last Cigarette In The World
I watch another boat in the harbour sail out Sitting on my own in the bay By the time you get to China on that slow ship I’ll have bitten all my nails and crumbled into the carpet You had no clear idea of what you’re looking for You only knew you couldn’t stay […]Archive
March 21, 2018 by Simon Sweetman