What are you listening to right now?

[Blackleaf]

ABBA - "Lay All Your Love On Me" (1981)

One of the world's most successful artists and the winners of the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, the Swedish band made what was, upon its release in 1981, the biggest-selling song in British history...

They are very good...

 

[Blackleaf]

The Beatles - "Here Comes the Sun" (1969)

It's the middle of a typical cold and dark period of the year, but we know that in a few months the Sun will be back!

 

[Blackleaf]

Erasure - "Chorus" (1991)

The London electropoppers, formed after Vince Clarke departed Depeche Mode, had a No3 UK hit with this in the year of the First Gulf War, the year in which Soviet forces stormed Lithuania to try to prevent it from seceding the Soviet Union, the IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street, the West German capital moved from Bonn to Berlin during reunification and Sonic the Hedgehog is released on the 8-bit Sega Master System...

 

[Blackleaf]

Slipknot - "Solway Firth" (2019)

The Des Moines, Iowa, heavy metallers released this in 2019.

The Solway Firth forms part of the border between England and Scotland. There is no reference in the song as to its title, but it may have something to do with the fact that lead singer Corey Taylor is an Anglophile, a fan of Doctor Who (and he appeared in a 2015 episode) who has appeared on British celebrity quiz show QI several times.

Also turntablist Syd was born in Des Moines but to two British parents and visits his grandmother in Portsmouth every year.

The band's bassist is also British.

Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor appearing in a 2015 episode of his favourite TV show Doctor Who..

 

[Blackleaf]

Slipknot - "Unsainted" (2019)

The Iowan heavy metallers reached No4 in the US charts with this...

 

[Blackleaf]

David Brent - "Lady Gypsy" (2016)

David Brent is the boss of the Slough, Berkshire, branch of paper merchants Wernham Hogg as seen in the 2001-03 BBC documentary The Office.

Of course, Brent is just a fictional character created by and played by British actor and comedian Ricky Gervais and The Office is a comedy "mockumentary" starring, written by and directed by Gervais.

Brent's greatest ambition in life is to leave his mundane job as a boss in an office and to become a rock star, so this was probably some weird dream that he had one night.

The comedy song was written by Gervais, who was in the unsuccessful 1980s pop band Seona Dancing...

 

[Blackleaf]

Foregone Conclusion - "Paris Nights' (2016)

The British comedy rock band fronted by David Brent - in real life British actor and comedian Ricky Gervais - released this in 2016 about the death of Princess Diana...

 

[Blackleaf]

Seona Dancing - "Bitter Heart" (1983)

In his younger days, before he became an actor and comedian, Ricky Gervais was the frontman of the band Seona Dancing...