Ft Life Of A Song

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fiona Sturges follows Patti Smith's lustful 1970s song of youthful abandon. Credits: Arista, Columbia, Coqueiro Verde Records, Stun Volume  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.