The “Queen of Disco” is dead - rest in peace Donna Summer.
Of all glittery female stars of the 70s, Donna Summer was maybe the most unlikely to be. Being born into a strictly religious family might not be the best starting point for a worldwide career as sexy Disco Vamp - but despite that Donna Summer managed to be one of the most successful stars of her era.
“Love to Love You Baby” - her lubricious collaboration with german producer Giorgio Moroder sparked a career that came equipped with an image of the female star that had a major influence on virtually all following women in Pop, be it Madonna, Beyonce or Lady GaGa. From that starting point Donna Summer jumped from peak to peak of an outstanding musical career, scoring five Grammys and countless number one hits like “Mac Arthur Park”, “Hot Stuff” or “Bad Girls”.
Her collaboration with Moroder also marked a turning point in music evolution with “I Feel Love” being the first prominent production exclusively made with electronic instruments like synthesizers and drum machines. All we can say is: Long live the Disco Queen.
It’s that special time of the year again. People from far away countries dress up in silly costumes, cheer and scream until their lungs collapse and celebrate the amazing talents of their national bests. NO, we’re not talking about soccer! Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Baku, Aserbaijan on the 26th of May. So we dived into the history of the former Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson and found treasures of international format - click on the pictures to listen to them! (It’s more than free)
France Gall
You might remember french songstress France Gall from her international 80s hit “Ella elle l’a“ or her rather lubricious duett “Les sucettes“ with Serge Gainsbourgh. She won the contest with another Gainsbourgh composition (“Poupée de cire, poupée de son“) in 1965 – for Luxembourg!
Celine Dion
No, you’re not mistaken. Miss Dion is certainly not european. She’s canadian, but that didn’t prevent the world from witnessing her win the contest for Switzerland in 1988. Please don’t ask about the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest – they have been chaged thousands of times and actually don’t make much sense.
ABBA
Winning Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with “Waterloo“ sparked swedish Über-Pop-Group ABBA’s world career. If you’re into little obscurities – Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid recorded amazing versions of the song in swedish, german and french too. That’s quite european…
Katrina & The Waves
As if the revenue for 80s radio hit “Walking On Sunshine“ wasn’t enough, Katrina & The Waves returned to the big stage in 1997. They won Eurovision Song Contest with “Love Shine a Light“.
Toto Cutugno
The great Toto Cutugno won in 1990 with his biggest hit “Insieme: 1992” - a song celebrating European unity. We’re tempted to post the lyrics on this page.
Happy Mother’s Day! It’s time to celebrate your moms. We mean it! If your beloved Mama is allergic to roses or daffodils - here is the alternative to flowers: our top five songs about mothers.
Click on the pictures to listen to the artists’ station and share them with your mom!
The Shirelles – Mama Said
First thing you should thank your mom for: good advice. Forget Billy Joe – you deserve something better.
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
Sometimes your mom might be a little worried about you. But you’ll only have to play her this song and she’ll know: whatever you are doing – it can’t be as bad as what the guy in the song is doing to his poor mother.
The Pharcyde – Ya Mama
This song might not be very respectful towards other people’s Mamas. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time listening to it together with your mom. An unpayable bonding experience. “Ya mama look like she’s been in the dryer with some rocks“ …
Danzig – Mother
Good advice; episode 2. Reverse The Shirelle’s model and you get this song. The incredible Glenn Danzig giving your mom the best pedagogy lesson ever turned into a song. “Mother, tell your children not to walk my way“. Right said Glenn. But if our children started a band like The Misfits we wouldn’t tell them to stop.
Dee Dee Sharp – My Mama Said
If you believe the background chorus Dee Dee Sharp’s Mama only said things like “Lalalalala“ and “Oh Yeah“. But as always in Pop there’s a lot more hidden in the subtext of the words than you might think. This song is an elaborated piece on equal relationships. “You better watch out“ - that’s what her Mama said. Dee Dee Sharp and her mom – that’s mutual understanding.
First kiss, first date, first love: click on the pictures to listen to the loveliest teenage love songs, in a mix of joy, drama and hormones.
Sam Cooke – Only Sixteen
The story about unrequited love Sam Cooke tells in this 1959 evergreen might be a little tragic – but somehow sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Boy falls in love with girl, they “laugh and sing and do little things, that make his heart glow” but the girl just likes to play around. But even if poor Sam never gave his heart so fast again afterwards – somehow you have to thank the nameless girl for the inspiration to this wonderful little teenage love song.
Tiffany / Tommy James & The Shondells – I Think We’re Alone Now
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„Children behaaaaaaave“! Square grown ups can be a pain in the arm for young lovers. It doesn’t matter if you prefer Tiffany’s 80s Pop version of the song or the Beat-era original by Tommy James & The Shondells – this is an anthem that will help young lovers to stand their ground.
Magnetic Fields – The Book of Love
“The book of love is long and boring/ And written very long ago/ It’s full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes/ And things we’re all too young to know but/ I… I love it when you sing to me and/ You… You can sing me anything”: *sigh*…
M83 – Graveyard Girl
Ever noticed that most songs about teenage love never mention that this special someone is an oddball? Even though being, or at least feeling like one is pretty common when being young, it’s a theme rarely heard in songs. But then there’s M83’s dreamy ode to a girl who is “the dirty witch of her high school” but secretly has a “heart made of bubble gum” and “dreams of a sister like Molly Ringwald”. This is perfect indie romance!
The Get Up Kids – Anne Arbour
Oh Anne Arbour! What did The Get Up Kids do to deserve this?! You went away and all they can say is: „I still wear your heart around my throat/ With barely the air not to choke.“ Every chord and every line of this 90s Emo-classic is just heartbreaking. Thanks Anne
Do you sometimes wake up with your mouth full of fur? Yes? Then you’re propably a cat owner and your lounge leopard slept on your face again. Living with a cat can be hard sometimes but a purring furball warming your cold feet will surely make up for every inconvenience your elegant flatmate may cause.
Pop culture’s cat lovers know what we’re talking about as you can see in our top 5 list of songs about cats. Well, as always these songs may not be exclusively about the main subject. Click on the pictures to tune in to each artist’s station!
The Cure – The Love Cats
Rumour has it that a gruesome scene about drowning kittens from a Patrick White novel inspired The Cure’s mastermind Robert Smith to write “The Love Cats”. Nothing gruesome came out. This sweet little kitty cat of a song purrs and meows just the right way.
The Weakerthans – Plea from a cat named Virtute
A beautiful sad song with catty lyrics written from Virtute the cat’s perspective, who’s fed up with her owners depressions. “Why don’t you ever want to play?/ I’m tired of this piece of string./ You sleep as much as I do now/ And you don’t eat much of anything. I don’t know who you’re talking to/ I made a search through every room/ But all I found was dust that moved/ In shadows of the afternoon.” You like that? The Weakerthans also made a sequel songs called “Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure”
Johnny Cash – Mean Eyed Cat
Somehow you get the feeling Johnny Cash doesn’t like his wifes “Mean Eyed Cat”. But in the end, after his woman ran away and he brought her back they all curl up on the sofa. Nice picture.
The Coasters - Three Cool Cats
Ok, these three cool cats aren’t really cats – it’s guys who get tamed by three cool chicks. Still it’s a great song! The Beatles recorded a wonderful version of it during their Decca Studio auditions 1962 too.
David Bowie – Cat People
Bowie wrote this tune together with Giorgio Moroder as theme song for the 1982 trashy horror-movie with the same title. Guess what it’s about: “Werecats”! Ha!
We love prizes! Especially if they’re more than just one.
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Our thanks go out to all at Pioneer Europe and North America. To all our users who aren’t in one of the eligible countries: don’t worry. Competitions for you are coming soon!
