My Desert Island Discs

My husband is a huge Desert Island Discs fan, so I challenged him recently to come up with his own (which, when he finally makes his choices, I hope to publish too) and I couldn’t miss out on doing it myself. I actually struggled most with the book I’d take as a poetry anthology is a bit of a cop out, isn’t it? In the end I decided I would take Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, as this took me SO LONG to read the first time I expect it’d take me twice as long this time. My luxury item would be a really big, really soft blanket (think natural material  not fleece – just say no to fleece) as I am never knowingly without a blanket for sleep. Even in the hottest place, always need a blanket.

Here are my 8 songs, in no particular order, enjoy and don’t laugh:

Joni Mitchell – Gallery

It is hard for me to choose a favourite Joni song. My Mum introduced me to her when I was younger, I first liked her because I liked the challenge of singing along but I fell in love. Her music is soothing, exciting and beautiful. I love how she is so talented and yet famously called herself an artist first and a musician second. She said ‘I sing my sorrow, and I paint my joy.’

 

The Beautiful South – Good as Gold (Stupid as Mud)

If you don’t like them or think less of me for this choice, I don’t care. I loved them as a child and teenager and my Dad and I had some fantastic times at their concerts together. I chose this song especially because it reminds me of my Dad and his impersonation of Paul Heaton’s dancing.

 

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Into My Arms

Chris played this song to me soon after we first got together. Then the lovely Eliza played it for us on the piano as I walked down the aisle at my wedding. It is the most beautiful love song I have ever heard.

 

Richard & Linda Thomson – I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

This song is another that just makes me instantly happy, it sums up perfectly that Friday night feeling, being free, drinking lots of wine, eating good food with lovely people. It reminds me of pre-children times when Chris and I lived in London and had carefree evenings, most evenings. ‘If you’ve got the cab fare mister you’ll do alright’

 

Boy Meets Girl – Waiting for a Star to Fall

We had this song as we left the church on our wedding day, which was directly copied from the end of one of my favourite films – Three Men and a Little Lady. I must have watched that film a couple of hundred times as a child and I just loved it. We even toyed with calling our daughter Mary because of it. Also, it has an amazingly ’80s sax solo and there isn’t a song in the world that cheers me up more than this.

 

Band Of Horses – No One’s Gonna Love You More Than I Do

This would have been the first dance at our wedding, had we had one. We saw them at Glastonbury in 2008 (?) and then again the day that we got home from our honeymoon in London in 2010. They are one of my favourite bands ever and this song comes in at a very close second for the perfect love song.

 

Sarah Mclachlan – Angel

This song, a little bit angsty, was the theme of my self indulgent pity parties (there were many) as a teenager. A bit obvious, but there we are. An important song to me … it was hard being the only extrovert in a family of introverts, I spent quite a lot of time singing very loudly in my bedroom, often this song.

 

Martyn Joseph – One Step Up

Well, this one is a bit of a cheat. Martyn Joseph is hands down my favourite singer songwriter. He’s a folk singer from Wales who is not as well known as he should be. This song is his version of the Bruce Springsteen song, but its beautiful. My favourite Martyn Joseph song is Precious, which I have written about previously. I’m a late convert Springsteen fan too, we saw him at Wembley recently and it was hands down the best concert I have ever been to.

 

So there they are, I’m sure over time they will change and I’m even more sure that they will be polar opposites to my husband’s choice.