Friday 25 March 2011

Alison Moyet - Love Letters

Hearing this wonderfully romantic song on the radio reminded me of how technology has changed the world that we live in so much. Sending a letter by post (snail-mail in modern parlance) is now considered prehistoric - a 'love letter' would most likely now be sent by email, yahoo messenger, text message, or via twitter or facebook.
Actually how many other "letter" songs can you think of? Here's just a few: 'Return to Sender' - Elvis. 'The Letter' - The Box Tops. 'All My Loving' - The Beatles. 'Please Mr Postman' - The Carpenters.

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Saturday 12 March 2011

Waltons World Of Music

Waltons on North Frederick Street is perhaps Ireland's best known music store. Founded in the 1920's by Martin Walton it soon became a mecca for music lovers. In 1951 Waltons started to sponsor a weekly programme on Radio Eireann and the programme and it's presenter Leo Maguire soon became a broadcasting institution. Generations of Irish people became familiar with the Saturday afternoon fifteen minute broadcast with it's catchphrase, once the most famous sentence in Irish music - 'if you feel like singing, do sing an Irish song'. Through the radio programme Waltons branched into vinyl record sales and launched their own successful label, Glenside.
In 1981 Radio Eireann, by now rebranded as RTE ended all the sponsored programmes - much to the dismay of listeners with whom they were hugely popular. (Have you ever heard the saying 'if it's not broke don't fix it' ?)
But Waltons survived this setback and continue to thrive, including online, and they now have another store in SouthGreat George's Street on Dublin's Southside, which was featured in the short Irish film 'Once' winner of an Oscar in Hollywood for *Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song in 2008.

* 'Falling Slowly' by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová
( 'Once' happens to be one of my favourite movies)

Wednesday 9 March 2011

ADELE - 'Make You Feel My Love'

Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan)

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you haven’t made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I’ve known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue
I’d go crawling down the avenue
There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging on the rollin’ sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain’t seen nothing like me yet
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn’t do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

Tuesday 1 March 2011