Books of the Noughties

Brian MacArthur has just listed the “100 Books that Defined the Noughties”, which makes for a fairly interesting read.  It’s no surprise to see one of the Harry Potter books top the list, but what might be surprising are some of the lesser-known books which MacArthur suggests have had a significant impact on the current decade.  How many of these books have you read?  If it’s “not many”, then perhaps you should pick up a few!

Read the full article here (Telegraph).

Oh Miss Dusty …

Seriously, I remember where I was when Dusty Springfield died. That was a major event … the passing of a singing legend. And not just because she did wonders to the Burt Bacharach songbook; in fact, Bacharach once noted that Dusty was the singer for “The Look of Love”.

Sure, Dusty Springfield may be best known for her iconic rendition of “Son of a Preacher Man” (video). It is one of those truly great songs of the mid-/late-20th Century, and it’s return to us in Pulp Fiction helped awaken a whole new generation to its poignant and searing vocals.

But it’s a diva-worthy performance on “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” (video) that will also make Dusty Springfield stand out as one of the great back-combed divas of the 1960s and 1970. (You simply can’t get that level of lift in hair with out a lot of teasing and Aqua-Net … or a wig.) With “Say You Love Me”, Springfield shared with the world some ache, tinged with the upbeat movements that make pop pop.

Recently, the standout star of the British TV show “The One and Only” (an American-Idol-styled show for aspiring singers) offered her cover of Springfield’s classic tune. Not too shabby!

Also memorably for folks today is “Wishin’ and Hopin'”, which you’ll remember from the Julia Roberts film My Best Friend’s Wedding.

Regardless the song (or even the genre), Dusty Springfield made it her own.  She’s a true treasure of the British Isles, and was even named to the OBE, though she died on the day she was to accept her honor at Buckingham Palace.  Currently, there’s a bio-pic being made of her life, rumored to star Kristin Chenoweth.

A Listen to Lilly Allen

Last week, we looked at one of the queens of British music, and to do so, we went “old school” to gab about Vera Lynn. Fast forward a good 50+ years, and we find ourselves this week looking at Lilly Allen, a recent alt-pop phenom to come out England. Sure, most new Brit acts have been swept under the Amy Winehouse carpet, especially given Winehouse’s recent Grammy sweep, but for some of us, there are still others out there who may need just as much “rehab” as Miss Amy … and whose music offers us a little “rehab” from the flotsam and jetsam we get from much of America’s pop.

This week, we’re showcasing Lilly Allen’s third release from her first album, Alright, Still: “Littlest Things”. “Littlest Things” offers a look at the after-effects of a bad relationship … we’ve all been there, of course.

But if you’re feeling a bit more upbeat, be sure to sample Allen’s “Knock ‘Em Out“, which says exactly what many of us have wanted to say to some wanker who comes up to us in a bar:

There’s also “LDN“. Who knows what it’s really about, but it’s peppy, fairly vapid at times, and contains one of the worst rhymes imaginable:

There was a little old lady, who was walking down the road
She was struggling with bags from Tesco
There were people from the city having lunch in the park
I believe that it’s called al fresco

In a few weeks, we’ll come back Lilly Allen’s song about her brother as we look at the impact Equus is having on the London stage.

Music: Vera Lynn

There are few artists more respected in British musical history and culture than Vera Lynn, who was first admitted to Order of the British Empire in the 1960s and later given the honor of “Dame Commander” in 1975. Lynn is most famous for two songs, one of which is featured here: “The White Cliffs of Dover“.

This particular song spoke to a nation wracked by war and fearful that the “London Blitz” would put them under German rule. The nation looked for hope, and a song like “White Cliffs of Dover” underscored that hope, noting that one day “Jimmy will go to sleep / In his own little room again”.