Good evening, and welcome to your selection of songs about months of the year.
If you have an earworm you’d like to share, please send an .mp3, .m4a or a link to adempster73@gmail.com, together with a few words about why you’ve chosen it. Next week’s theme will be Songs from Local Bands (or similar) – who might we catch playing a pub/open-air/block party near you? As suggested by DebbyM, whose birthday is coming up this week. Worms should reach me by close of play on Sunday 21 January.
Many thanks to all contributors. Keep calm and carry on!
Martin Carthy – The January Man – Suzi: All the months of the year are in this song, written and first recorded in 1970 by Dave Goulder. I’m torn between this version and Bert Jansch’s, but Carthy’s voice, uncluttered by any instrumental accompaniment, is just mesmerising.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio – January – glassarfemptee: Abahachi introduced us to the wonders of the Marcin Wasilewski Trio. Touring a new album now.
Philip Henry and Hannah Martin – January – Suzi: Hannah sings a cappella about the month that ‘looks both ways.’
Unthanks – The Month of January – severin: There’s something about folk/traditional songs and the months/seasons of the year. I also have a June Tabor version of this song and an Unthanks song for several other months. This version is from the most recent Unthanks album Sorrows Away.
Complete Mountain Almanac – February – shoegazer: The Dessner brothers (The National) with their sister, and Rebekka Karijord from Norway.
Simon and Garfunkel – April Come She Will – Fintan28: Other than that Sedaka song it’s hard to come up with a song that mentions so many months. Fully half the year is featured chronicling a love affair from first bloom to its crumble to ash. Six months? With all apologies to Mr. Simon I can recall periods of my youth when it only took 6 days (or less).
Airborne Toxic Event – April is the Cruellest Month – tincanman: This is your three-month weather report from Mikel Jollett, who has his heart broken in novel ways in most of his song. This time he thought she was April to him but she was more March rains in October.
Beach Bunny – April – severin: One of my Festive ‘Spill picks back in 2020. Still sounds good to me.
Prince – Sometimes it Snows in April – tincanman: Shoehorn warning: This haunting finale to the soundtrack of his poorly received gigolo movie, Under the Cherry Moon, is not the prancing Prince we expect, but it does draw me in.
Bellowhead – One May Morning Early – Suzi: A song also known as The Birds In The Spring, which is what it’s all about, unless there’s some folky double-entendre going on here, which is just possible.
Oysterband – Hal-An-Tow – Suzi: A song sung on the morning of Flora Day in Helston, Cornwall, welcoming in the month of May and celebrating the beginning of Summer. Mock battles are staged between the forces of Good and Evil, as represented by young people dressed as the characters mentioned in the song.
Steeleye Span – Rosebud in June – Suzi: June is probably the month when most sheep-shearing gets done in the UK, after which the lads and lasses will celebrate with singing and dancing on the green grass, according to this lovely bit of a cappella.
Jillian Edwards – July and June – glassarfemptee: A ‘twofer” from Jillian Edwards, off her debut album.
Megan Nash – Another Silent Night – DebbyM: Wishing it were July.
Low – July – tincanman: Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker take slowcore to new highs. Or lows.
They’ll be ready by July. Or August. Maybe September… definitely by December.
Broken Bells – October – Fintan28: Other than a mention of Autumn we’ll have to take at face value this is about a certain October. No matter. It’s a fine tune.
Bert Jansch – October Song – Suzi: ‘The birds fly out behind the sun / And with them I’ll be leaving.’ Lovely.
Brian Eno and Harold Budd – Late October – severin: Instrumental from their 1984 album, “The Pearl” .
Mazzy Star – Flowers In December – Fintan28: I just love the images in this. That it mentions a month is just an added bonus.
Zaz – La Pluie – DebbyM: A rainy afternoon in December.
Main playlist, blurbs above:
YouTube playlist, blurbs below: (you can add to it, here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqxz-zGCy09owi96AamB4ij5IDyBl540K&si=0wchHvIE-EQN7ktx )
Christy Moore – January Man – MaggieB: I think I’ve posted this before, but it’s worth repeating?
Journey – Winds of March – AliM: There seems to be a lack of over-blown rock songs this week, so I thought I’d oblige.
P J Harvey – A Child’s Question, August – AliM: From her 2023 album, I Inside The Old Year Dying.
James Melton – September in the Rain (1937) – AliM: My mum had this, as sheet music. Same as the picture in the accompanying video. I’m afraid I never did it justice on the recorder, but I do remember it, so I must have been able to approximate the melody, at least.
Steve’n’Seagulls – November Rain – AliM: I’m guessing one over-blown rock song from me is enough, so here’s a gentle cover of the Guns’n’Roses classic. And that’s all the months covered.
The 'Spill 