Anyone who knows me knows how much I value music, I’m often seen in the corner of the dingy HMV in town looking through the albums and the vinyl that are stacked in the corner. It’s been at the forefront of relationships I’ve formed in the past both romantic and platonic. It’s helped me get through some rough patches in my life and has thankfully even been there when I couldn’t find the right words to say. So, without any further hesitation here is a run-down of the top five songs that I feel sum up my life. This is My Life in Songs!
Swan Lake // Madness
This track and the band themselves have always been a constant in my musical life it seems. They conjure up images of being sat with my Dad at the age of three onwards, listening to old cassettes and CDs, cross-legged on the floor in front of a massive stereo set, albums stacked up around us. I think this band really sparked off my interest in music – how could a simple instrumental track manage to say so much?I used to be amazed at how a reworking of the classic Tchaikovsky orchestral symphony by seven lads from London could have so much movement, how they could make it their own and make people forget that what they were listening to is in fact a classical arrangement.
Madness showed me that it was okay to have fun whatever you’re doing, you don’t have to be serious all the time, you can be you. They are the band that remind me of my childhood and every time I hear their songs, I’m reminded of sitting with my parents and discovering music that was exciting.