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Featured
Playlist | The Dads' Playlist
Our playlist was inspired by the dad of our regular contributor, Lottie. Richard Storey became an internet sensation when he selected tracks for a ‘desert island disco’ on Lauren Laverne’s 6Music show earlier this year. To mark Father’s Day, we asked our dads (including Richard, naturally) to suggest some favourite tunes. And here’s the resulting playlist.
Listen here.
DJ: Frances Ambler and the dads of The Simple Things team.
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Playlist | How does Your Garden Grow?
“Hello sunshine
So glad to see you sunshine
Hello sunshine
It’s been dark for a very long time”
A bit of sunshine, a bit of rain and a lot of love. Hear the playlist here
DJ: FRANCES AMBLER
Playlist | A Breath of Fresh Air
Playlist | Vardrypp
This playlist is compiled by Norwegian reader Katrine Wang. The direct translation of ‘vårdrypp’ is spring (vår) drip (drypp), meaning “the dripping from the roofs when snow is melting in spring.” This melting begins in March across Norway.
Stop, look and listen here.
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Playlist | Heart
“Something’s gotten hold of my heart, Keeping my soul and my senses apart”
Listen here.
More from our February issue…
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Playlist | European sounds
Book your seat on the Trans-Europe Express for an audio trip around our neighbours.
Listen here.
More music to your ears from our playlists…
More from our January issue…
Playlist | A Christmas Gift
Playlist | Simple Favourites
Playlist | Touch
Playlist | Splish, splash, splosh
From messing about on the river to under the sea, this is a soundtrack to joyful times in the water (yes, even the rain...)
Listenhere: Splish, splash, splosh.
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More from our Ausust issue…
Featured
Playlist | Sunshine and Moonbeams
As created by reader Louise Ashcroft, in response to our ‘Make us a mix tape competition’:
“This mixtape is called Sunshine and Moonbeams, because, in all the heartache, confusion, the isolation, the struggle, the surrender, the sun and the moon have been a constant. So, here's a playful playlist to soothe and inspire. Some songs are there to uplift and bathe in musical sunshine. Then there are songs like Upside down, The Man with the big sombrero and A moment to Myself , which are more about looking after yourself, making your own sunshine and tuning into your own groove. There are tracks that call for your best shimmy, jazz hands, finger clicks, and some that ask you to surrender to the groove. Then there are a few moments to catch a deep breath, a smile, a hug.”
Listen here: Sunshine and Moonbeams .
More of our playlists…
Playlist | Hop, skip and jump
Playlist Extravaganza
Some of our favourite The Simple Things playlists from over the years
For our special May ‘scrapbook’ edition, rather than creating a new playlist as we do every month, we thought we’d gather together a few of our favourites from past issues. We hope you enjoy them. You can listen to them all here:
A bounce in your step
Songs to make you smile
Morning songs
Songs to help you slow down
Songs of faraway places
Music that makes us dance
Spring cleaning songs
Songs from the movies
Flower songs
Tea and coffee songs
Sunshine and showers
Music to soak to
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More from our May issue…
More of our playlists…
Playlist | Songs about birds
Hoppin’ and a-boppin’ and singing his song.
Listen at thesimplethings.co.uk/blog/birdsplaylist
More of our playlists…
More from our April issue…
Playlist | a playlist about playlists
Listen here
We hope you enjoy our mixtape. Scroll down to enter our mixtape competition
Make ours a mix tape! Each song on March’s playlist has a story for a member of The Simple Things team. They all featured on much loved mix tapes, but which tunes soundtracked crushes, and which got us through our paper round? Read on…
‘Raspberry Beret’ by Prince
“A boy at school made me ten different Prince mix tapes – I only mentioned in passing that I liked one Prince song and thought it was weird he made me so many. I naively didn't think anything more of it…” Karen Dunn, Commissioning Editor
‘(You’re The) Devil in Disguise’ and ‘Suspicious Minds’ by Elvis Presley
“I've had one mix tape and that was from my partner, Udo, when we first got together. I was really touched until I got to songs four and five: ‘(You’re The) Devil in Disguise’ and ‘Suspicious Minds’…!” Joe McIntyre, Art Editor
‘Mr Wendel’ by Arrested Development
“This was on a mix tape that I used to play while doing my paper round when I was about 12 – I knew that when it came on I was almost done.” Karen Dunn, Commissioning Editor
‘Golden Hen’ by Tenor Saw
“When I was 16, my then boyfriend made me a dub/reggae mix tape. I loved this one song in particular and would often sing the lyrics when it played. My boyfriend never wrote down the titles of the songs, so I was mortified to find out – a couple of years later – that the song’s chorus line (and title name) was ‘My Golden Hen’ not ‘My Bowling Name’, as I’d sung it! Might explain why the guy didn’t last as my boyfriend.” Anneliese Klos, Art Editor
‘Accidently Kelly Street’ by Frente!
“My best friend in fifth form, Sally, put this on a mix tape for me when we were 15. It’s cheerful and sunshine-y and was one of only approximately three songs that they ever played in Harold’s café in Neighbours, which we thought was hilarious. Sally still makes me a mix tape nearly every year at Christmas, though she moved to CD a while ago. I’m a cultural vacuum, so I always look forward to musical education. And Frente! still always makes me smile.” Iona Bower, Editor-at-Large
‘Hey! Get Out of My Way’ by The Cardigans
“I put this on a mix tape I made myself to celebrate summer. It was about the time I was old enough to actually enjoy a bit of freedom, but not old enough to actually have any responsibility. Every time I hear it, it takes me back to blue skies and suburban parks and the feeling of possibilities.” Frances Ambler, Deputy Editor
‘Kooks’ by David Bowie and ‘Father and Daughter’ by Paul Simon
“My best friend made a lovely mix tape for me when I had my first daughter. The songs included ‘Up All Night’ by Razorlight, and these two choices.” Liz Boyd, Picture Researcher
‘Short People’ by Randy Newman
“An old colleague gave this to me, just before I started a new job. I’m quite short and when I listen to the lyrics, I’m never quite sure if he meant it affectionately or…” Frances Ambler, Deputy Editor
‘XO’ by John Mayer and ‘Hold Me Now’ by Johnny Logan
“As a kid, I was obsessed with the Irish Eurovision entry 'Hold Me Now' by Johnny Logan. I remember holding my tape player close to the TV and recording it off of TOTP several times (in the days before the repeat function), so that I could hear it again and again. I remember the recording also caught my sister walking into the room shouting, ‘Not again!’ on it. Nowadays, I have a much more ordinary playlist, but my eldest has started downloading some of my songs onto her playlists – our current favourite is this song by John Mayer.” Abbie Miller, Sub Editor
‘The Whole of the Moon’ by The Waterboys and ‘It’s the End of the World As We Know It’ by R.E.M.
“Many moons ago, my husband (then boyfriend) used to make me mix tapes. One of the songs that I discovered through them was ‘The Whole of the Moon’ by The Waterboys. Some 30 years later, I can still hear in my head the starting chords to the song that followed it… ‘It’s the End of the World As We Know It’, by R.E.M.” Louise Gorrod, Wishlist Editor
‘Romantic Type ‘by The Pigeon Detectives and ‘Just a Song About Ping Pong’ by Operator Please
“My mum’s friend owns an antique shop – and has a son. My mum and her friend got talking about how we both liked gigs. We communicated with each other for about a year, solely through mix tapes, passed to each other through our parents. These are both from tapes that he gave me.” Olivia O’Connor, Subscription Manager
‘The Real Thing’ by Tony Di Bart
“When I was about 12, I got one of those CD and tape players that let me record onto tapes – so the first time I could record from the radio. At the time, this was number one, and I kept trying to record it – with the deft art of stopping before the DJ starts talking. I think there were a few belters on that first tape, such as ‘Swap Thing’ by The Grid and ‘Mr Vain’ by Culture Beat. If ‘The Real Thing’ gets played (which is rare) it takes me straight back to that time and place.
Rob Biddiss, Commercial Director
Competition! Now you make us a mixtape!
We want you to make us a mix tape! It can be themed, or perhaps biographical, or simply introduce us to some great music – it’s up to you. Just put together around an hour’s worth of music on Spotify, send us the link or the track listing, along with a couple of sentences on the story behind your playlist to thesimplethings@icebergpress.co.uk. We’ll need it by 23 March. And we’ll feature our favourite in a future magazine.
More of our playlists…
More from our March issue…
Playlist | Songs to put a bounce in your step
Listen at thesimplethings.co.uk/blog/bounceinyourstepplaylist.
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More from our February issue…
DJ Frances Ambler
Playlist | Songs by Scottish bands
A dram and a dance for Burns Night on 25 January.
Listen to the playlist here.
More of our playlists…
More from our January issue…
DJ: Frances Ambler
Playlist | Christmas Number Ones
Image: Shutterstock
Playlist | Cosy
Goes down well with a mug of something hot.
Listen at thesimplethings.com/blog/cosyplaylist
