Earworms 19 August 2019

Gilmore and Roberts ‘Don’t do love songs’, except the above, which is a love song to a Sat Nav. Now, I love maps, I swore I would never buy a Sat Nav but in the end I gave in and actually (actually) it’s brilliant and has taken me places I’ve never been before. Usually in a good way. Apart from that car park up a one-way street in Halifax. I hope this playlist does the same for you – your songs about maps and other means of navigation. If you have an earworm you’d like to share, just send an .mp3, .m4a or a link to earworm@tincanland.com, together with a few words about why you’ve chosen it. Next week’s theme, by popular demand, will be Trains. Many thanks to all contributors.

The Housemartins – Step Outside – severin: Severin sent me this, I uploaded it three times and still managed not to include it in the playlist. And now I can’t access any of my gmail accounts so I don’t know what severin said about it. So … it always seems to be Sev’s that I f*ck up on so very soon he will be asking me to step outside and sort it once and for all. Apologies.

Tom Newton/ Thomas Newman – Compass and Guns – Ravi Raman: From the soundtrack of Shawshank Redemption, one of my all time fave movies. Played when Red (Morgan Freeman) gets out and goes to the tree to find the box. The shorter version.

Monsters of Folk – Map of the World – glassarfemptee: Monsters of folk were that unfashionable thing – a supergroup. Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, M Ward from She and him, and Jim James (My Morning Jacket). They disbanded after one album. But they stuck a few pins in the map meanwhile.

My Bloody Valentine – Map Ref 41°N 93°W – shoegazer: My Bloody Valentine’s fuzzy cover of the Wire classic.

R.E.M. – Stand – tincanman: If there’s a more earwormy band than R.E.M. please point me in their direction. And yes I am pleased with myself for that. Unlike Peter Buck and Bill Berry, who said years later this was the stupidest song they ever wrote.

Idlewild – I Don’t Have the Map – AliM: Also sent by Ravi. I have no idea what it’s about. But my other pick was Muse (also sent by Ravi) and I thought you’d all prefer this to Muse. Sadly.

Wall of Voodoo – This Way Out – tincanman: The always, um, creative Stan Ridgeway doesn’t seem to trust his navigator, and carrying a nuclear (I assume) payload does behove one to be accurate. “Check the map, you navigator sap/Or we’ll all end up with our heads in our lap.”

Plain White Ts – Map Of The World – Ravi Raman: Passed on by some blessed RR or ‘Spill grandee. Bit of a cheat as it isn’t about navigating geography at all.

K T Tunstall – Suddenly I See – AliM: ‘Her face is a map of the world / Is a map of the world / You can see she’s a beautiful girl / She’s a beautiful girl …’ Not really about maps either, but an interesting concept.

R.E.M. – Maps and Legends – glassarfemptee: R.E.M. at their enigmatic best, wondering if “Maybe these maps and legends – Have been misunderstood”. Perhaps they were reading Lord of the Rings.

Richie Havens – Follow the Drinking Gourd – MaggieB: Hello! I’ve not been around lately. I’ve been in and out of clinics to check if I had a melanoma – I haven’t, Phew ! Anyway, this pick needs some explanation: The song IS a map, in code. It’s a song of The Underground Railway, which was an underground movement that helped escaping slaves to get to the North. The drinking gourd is the constellation known as the big dipper (aka the plough in the UK) which of course points the way North. The old man mentioned in the song may refer to Peg Leg Joe – an underground railway guide.There are further explanations on Wikipedia or You tube. I picked this version simply because I’m a Richie Havens fan.

Wire – Map Ref 41°n 93°w – severin: Speaks for itself really!