Ft Life Of A Song

Which song links a Haile Selassie UN speech with a Bob Marley vamp and the moment Sinead O’Connor was booed by 20,000 Bob Dylan fans? David Honigmann discusses “War”. Credit: Sony Legacy, 1992 Island Records, Rastafari Records, Keltia Musique  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The quintessential grunge anthem, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ hinted at the racial politics, school shootings and ennui which entangled America’s Generation X. David Honigmann traces the song’s evolution. Credit: Universal Music TV Campaign Division, Columbia, UMC (Universal Music Catalogue), Rhino Atlantic  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Hobart explores the history of Chic’s "Good Times", a last-gasp salute to disco inspired by the Great Depression and Harlem Renaissance. Credit: Atlantic Records, Sanctuary, Castle  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A pocket symphony, “Surf’s Up” was written by Brian Wilson at the peak of his creative brilliance. David Cheal discusses the Beach Boy who didn’t surf, and how he caught the wave of emerging 1960s counterculture. Credits: Capital Catalog, Smog Veil Records  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How did a dirge-like song about a serial killer written by a Marxist playwright and a left-wing composer become a swinging jazz classic and global commercial success? David Cheal follows a trail not yet gone cold. Credits: Naxos; Decca Music Group Ltd; Not Now Music; Delta  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An unforgettable track whose lyrics emerged from an all-night writing session, “Sunshine of Your Love” has been covered by Jimi Hendrix and Ella Fitzgerald. David Cheal seeks the source of the song’s primal brilliance. Credits: Legacy Recordings; Polydor Ltd; LRC Ltd; Groove Merchant Records  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A ballad as much about reunions as separations, Auld Lang Syne can signify everything from the year's end, to closing time in Japanese department stores. David Cheal explores the many incarnations of this sentimental Scottish song. Credit: Culburne Records; Lismor Recordings; Anti/Epitaph  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This much-loved Christmas Carol uses words published by Cecil Sharp in 1911. But to what extent did he graft Christian elements onto a very different original? FT arts editor Jan Dalley traces the gender shifts which define the song’s evolution. Credit: Universal-Island Records Ltd; Warner Classics  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A new short story for the holidays, from the winner of the 2013 Man Booker International Prize. The reader is Christine Spolar  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It was written for Otis Redding but he never sang it, became a hit for the Bee Gees and covered by numerous bands in various genres but who was the unlikely inspiration for 'To Love Somebody'? Ian McCann tells the story. Credits: Bee Gees/Reprise; Ace Records; Sanctuary; London Records  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

John Leyton's 1961 "death disc" was born out of a séance and banned by the BBC but still reached Number 1. Cathi Unsworth tells the song's eerie tale and follows the trail of tears it left behind. Credit: Puzzle Productions/DMI; Goldenlane Records; Caribe Sound; EMI  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This year’s carol was specially commissioned by the FT with the help of Nicola Clase, Sweden’s ambassador to the UK. Jane Owen talks to Clase about the piece, which was composed by Johan Hugosson and features lyrics adapted from medieval Scandinavian rune poems. It is sung by the choir of Stockholms Musikgymnasium conducted by Bengt Ollen.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David Cheal explores how Lou Reed got prostitution, transvestism, oral sex and drugs past the BBC commisariat with a group of white English 'coloured girls'. Credits: RCA/Legacy, Spectralite, Sony BMG Music Entertainment  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David Cheal investigates the roots of an explosive song often cited as the first ever rock 'n' roll record. Credits: Charly Records, Gralin Music, Famous Flames Recording Company, Proper Box.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jan Dalley tells the story of the aria that united opera and football fans alike in a strange example of the power of posh music. Credits: ZYX Music, Naxos, Monument, Arista.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michael Jackson's first foray into rock helped dismantle barriers of genre — and race — in the early 1980s music business. Maria Crawford tells the story. Credits: Epic, Mercury Records.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From the origin of the "grapevine" itself, through Motown and Marvin Gaye to The Slits' punk reinvention, Hilary Kirby charts the evolution of a classic. Credits: Motown Record Company, Motown Records, Island Def Jam Records.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Going back to the roots of Lamont Dozier's 1977 hit, David Cheal uncovers TV inspiration, Woodstockian vibes and a question mark over the authorship of that famous guitar lick. Credits: Warner Music TV, Rhino/Elektra, Marathon Media International, Orlando Julius Afro House of High Life.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

First recorded in 1934 by Lead Belly the 'Homicidal Harmoniser', David Cheal follows the waltzing lament of 'Goodnight, Irene' through interpretations by the Weavers, Ry Cooder and Bryan Ferry. Credits: Hallmark, H&H Music, Rhino/Warner Bros, Virgin Germany.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David Cheal follows Modest Mussorgsky's dramatic 19th-century composition from orchestral standard to Disney classic and floor-filling disco anthem. Credits: Disney Records, Masterworks Jazz, Bee Gees/Reprise.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.