Paul Anka originally wrote the song for, and in the persona of, Frank Sinatra, claiming he'd "never written something so chauvinistic, narcissistic, in-your-face and grandiose."
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For more than 50 years, this ballad's haunting charms have proved irresistible to many of the world's leading musicians. Credits: Firefly Entertainment, Black Sheep Music, X5 Music Group, Manhattan Records, UMC, Mute/BMG, Sony Music Classical, RCA Records Label
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Songs can be mixed blessings. Screamin' Jay Hawkins' most famous one brought bliss to all who touched it - except its composer. Credits: AP MUSIC LTD, Universal Music International Ltda., Rhino
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The song crystallises a moment in time between the optimism of the Summer of Love and the darkness on the desert horizon. Cathi Unsworth explores its history. Credits: Boots Enterprises, Inc., 4AD, Columbia, Ever
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Joy Division's stripped-down sound signaled a new direction for music in 1978, but the lyrics to this song would prove horribly portentous. Credits: WM UK, London Records, Universal Music International Ltda, Palare, BBE
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Ian McCann charts the transformation of UB40’s number one hit, from Neil Diamond’s country ballad to iconic reggae ditty.
Credits: Virgin Records, Universal Music International Ltda, Sanctuary, Capitol Records, Authentic Jamaican Music, K-Licious Music
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The song that defined Fleetwood Mac's high water mark went on to be covered by country-folk and hip-hop artists
Credits: Rhino/Warner Bros, Charly Digital, Universal Music International Ltda, S4DK
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David Honigmann follows Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway' from its origins in a Welsh cottage to 'Wayne's World', the White House and bedrooms everywhere
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Prince wrote his song about partying in the face of nuclear threat during the cold war but it gets heavy rotation to this day
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This 1853 Christmas Carol, set to the melody of a 13th-century Nordic Hymn, has since fallen into the hands of Joan Baez, Tom Jones and Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple.
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Greg Lake died this week, and this track remains an enduring Christmas classic.
Credit: Syco Music, Universal, Decca, Symphonia
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Buddy Holly's 1958 London performance of the song inspired the young Mick Jagger to form his own band.
Credits: Universal, Not Now Music
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It's been the theme tune for the BBC's review series 'Film' since 1971, but Nina Simone's cover turned it into a civil rights anthem.
Credits: Universal, Eagle Records, Rhino Atlantic, Decca
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Gene Wilder died Listening to Ella Fitzgerald’s cover, but it was Judy Garland who brought “Over the Rainbow” to fame.
Credits: Spectra Records, Warner Bros, Blackbird, Documents 2
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Leonard Cohen's most famous song nearly wasn't released after being rejected by his record label. It is now among the most covered songs, with notable contributions from Jeff Buckley, John Cale and Rufus Wainwright.
Credits: Sony Music, UMOD, Syco Music, Columbia, Nonesuch
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“Yesterday” came to Paul McCartney in a dream one night in 1963. It’s now among the most covered songs in history, with efforts from the likes of Elvis, Marianne Faithful and Marvin Gaye.
Credits: EMI, TNA Records, RCA Legacy, Universal Music
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Snippets of Isaac Hayes' classic were used by trip-hop pioneers Portishead and Tricky. Richard Clayton tells the life of a sample.
Credits: Decca, Universal Music, Virgin EMI
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The origin of Deep Purple's 1971 hit is almost as famous as its instantly recognisable guitar riff.
Credits: Parlophone UK, Thompson Music P/L
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Peter Aspden deconstructs the creation of Bob Dylan's legendary song over the course of a single day in the studio.
This podcast was originally published in November 2015; it is republished in celebration of Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize for Literature.
Credits: Columbia/Legacy
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Originally sung by slaves, the spiritual became a jazz and blues hit in the 1960s, with a cover by the British blues-rock musician Graham Bond.
Credits: Repertoire Records, Isis, Edition Ahorn, UMC
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Fiona Sturges follows Patti Smith's lustful 1970s song of youthful abandon.
Credits: Arista, Columbia, Coqueiro Verde Records, Stun Volume
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Richard Clayton on how Tracy Chapman's searing ballad of low income life carried her to global acclaim.
Credits: Elektra, King Tubby's Music, Virgin EMI
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Boney M's unlikely disco ballad was a hit on both sides of the iron curtain but was banned by Soviet authorities. Harriet Fitch-Little explores its indestructible appeal.
Credits: Ariola Express, Century Media, Super Cassettes Industries, MCI
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Bruce Springsteen's bleak ballad of American life has been promoted by politicians from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump. David Honigmann examines the song's fraught relationship with power.
Credit: Columbia
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Janis Joplin achieved a posthumous No.1 hit with a rueful tale of love and loss, written by her old flame, Kris Kristofferson, which in turn helped launch him to stardom. Richard Clayton follows the song's bittersweet success.
Credits: Columbia/Legacy, UMC, Top Town Records, Rhino/Warner Bros, Play Digital, Ricordi
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Billy Holiday's secular hymn was born out of a blazing family row and its swaying melody went on to become a jazz standard, with versions by Tony Bennett and Sonny Rollins. Mike Hobart follows its history.
Credits: Jazz Moon, Saga, Columbia/Legacy, Island, Geffen Gold Mine
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Kate Bush retreated to a farmhouse to craft her richly layered song of love and insecurity. It reaffirmed her place as a pre-eminent songwriter and went on to feature in the London Olympics closing ceremony. Richard Clayton follows its history.
Credits: Noble & Brite, Beams, Frontiers Records, Elevator Lady, Italians Do It Better, Obsolete Media Objects
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Before Julie Andrews' famous film performance, John Coltrane had turned this Broadway number into an off-kilter jazz classic. Mike Hobart charts its history.
Credits: RCA, FourMatt, Hallmark, EMI, Decca, Universal.
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Rising above personal tragedy, Edith Piaf wrote a defining classic for post war France.
Helen Brown follows its path, as read by Anna Metcalfe.
Credits: The Restoration Project, Marianne Melodie, Universal Music Group International, Thousand Mile Inc, Naïve
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It took Wilbert Harrison a long time to get traction with his ode to fidelity, but it became a hit for him, Canned Heat and later Bryan Ferry. Richard Clayton traces its progress.
Credits: The Restoration Project, Marianne Melodie, Universal Music Group International, Thousand Mile Inc, Naïve
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Bob Dylan’s cryptic number is one of the signature songs of the 1960s, signalling a shift in his career. It helped launch The Byrds to stardom and was pivotal in the development of indie rock. Richard Clayton follows its history.
Credits: Columbia, Legacy, Spectrum, Naxos
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The grand hymn of redemption took a long path to its current stature in American spirituality, from John Newton’s original lyric to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Ian McCann follows its turbulent history.
Credits: Rhino Atlantic, Marathon, Ameritz Music, Bandleader Recordings, UMC
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Sam Cooke's political lament, released after his untimely death, went on to become a civil rights anthem. Sue Norris charts its history.
Credit: Universal Music Group International, Rhino Atlantic, Time Life Music, RCA
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What drew jazz musicians like Miles Davis and Chet Baker to a twinkly tune from Disney's 'Snow White'? And what became of the child star who first sang it? Lilian Pizzichini traces its history
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Bobbie Gentry's understated ballad was reworked by jazz musicians, the 'rebel-country' movement and Motown - and even parodied by Bob Dylan. Ian McCann traces its history
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Written for The Shirelles in 1960, Carole King and Gerry Goffin's song nailed the insecurities of a new generation of women. Helen Brown looks at a classic of the female singer-songwriter canon
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Jimmy Webb's mournful ballad became one of the most-covered songs of the 20th century. Sue Norris explores its appeal for artists from Nick Cave to Isaac Hayes.
Credit: Imperial, Capitol, Mute, Enterprise
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Before becoming one of the most sampled tunes in music history, "Apache" was an unexpected UK number 1. Richard Clayton tracks its journey.
Credits: Wrasse Records, EMI, Puzzle Productions, Open Records, Sepia, Sanctuary
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How is music streaming changing the experience of listeners? Are the algorithms that guide us through this new world an adequate replacement for DJs, critics and knowledgable record shop owners? Could endless choice paradoxically be making us more conservative in our tastes? Lorien Kite discusses these questions with Spotify's Will Page and FT pop critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney.
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"I Feel Love" by Donna Summer changed the future of music, paving the way for today's EDM. David Cheal tracks its incredible influence.
Credits: UMC, Vanilla OMP, Warner Music TV, RCA
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Written in a log cabin when Bon Iver had all but given up, "Skinny Love" was an unlikely pop hit. Richard Clayton investigates its rise, from covers by Birdy and Ed Sheeran to X Factor hopefuls the world over.
Credit: 4AD, Atlantic, Elle, Sunbiz Sessions, X Factor
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Ben Lerner is one of the most highly praised and unconventional writers of his generation. The 37-year-old recently met John Sunyer, a commissioning editor on FT Weekend, to talk about why he's 'doomed to write more novels'. Here, he reads one of his favourite poems.
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Miles Davis' "So What" is one of the most famous compositions in jazz. Ian McCann explores its many incarnations, from Ronny Jordan's funk hit to Smiley Culture's musings on racial unrest. Credit: Not Now Music, Columbia/Legacy, Universal-Island Records, Universal.
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Is the abundance of information in the age of Google and Facebook storing up problems for future generations? Richard Ovenden, who as Bodley's Librarian is responsible for the research libraries of the University of Oxford, talks about the opportunites and concerns of the digitisation of memory with John Thornhill, the FT's innovation editor.
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"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison's Bret Michaels was the last popular flourish of transvestism in rock. Ludovic Hunter-Tilney discovers what inspired the classic power ballad. Credit: Capitol Catalog, Hollywood Records, Kidz Bop, BMB/Poor Boy Records
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Before "Everything I Own" became a reggae classic, it was an ode to paternal love by Bread's David Gates. Ian McCann traces the history of one of the 1970's greatest romantic ballads. Credit: Rhino, Parlaphone UK, Sanctuary, Atlantic Records
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The coolification of Phil Collins is among pop's most curious turnarounds. Richard Clayton explains what the song owes to gangsta rap, "gated reverb" - and a drumming gorilla. Credit: Rhino, Atlantic, Def Jam
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Tim Buckley's ode to doomed love has exerted a siren-like attraction for artists including This Mortal Coil, Robert Plant and John Frusciante. David Cheal examines its enduring power. Credit: Rhino, Warner Brothers, Chrome Dreams, 4AD, Virgin EMI, Parlaphone UK, Virgin UK
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Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" has been used in the campaigns of George HW Bush, Obama and, most recently, Bernie Sanders. Richard Clayton investigates the colonial overtones and contested legacy of America's alternative national anthem.
Credit: Smithsonian Folkways Recording, Daptone Records, Delta, North Face and Jib Jab.
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Jethro Tull's prog rock hit rejected the hippy idealism of Swinging London. Ian McCann explores its influence on musicians from Maynard Ferguson to Francis Dunnery. Credit: Parlophone UK, Wounded Bird Records, Rak, Warner Music.
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