Certain Songs

Listen to I'm On Fire Amongst one of the most diverse and wide-ranging back catalogues to ever exist, ‘I’m On Fire’ sticks out like the subtlest of sore thumbs within Bruce Springsteen’s arsenal of fire-powered rock and roll hits. Released in February 1985, it was the fourth single to be taken from the wonderful ‘Born in the USA’. Peaking at number five in the UK Singles Charts, it is a brooding, lustful pine to a female that is out of bounds. Even on a record as bombastic as ‘Born in the USA’, it is ‘I’m On Fire’ which lingers far longer in the memory than the more obvious ear worms like the title track or ‘Dancing in The Dark’. Springsteen has always captured the insecurity behind male bravado with a knowing ease but has not done so before or since more perfectly than ‘I’m On Fire’. For all the braggadocio (“Can he do to you the things that I do? I can take you higher”), he still subtly admits his insecurity and incapacity to do anything about it (“At ni...

Listen to God Only Knows “I may not always love you…” ‘God Only Knows’ by The Beach Boys is the most perfect pop song ever written. A bold statement perhaps, but one that I’ll stick by until the day I die. From the grandiose opening to its wonderful melody and that killer hook, there are fewer greater listening experiences than getting lost amongst its sheer beauty. “But long as there are stars above you..” Though not a big hit in their home country of the United States, the track peaked at number two in the UK singles charts, but the legacy it has left has transcended time. Having topped a whole range of “best of” polls over the years, it is evident how much this song means to people, including none other than Paul McCartney who has frequently referred to it as his favourite song of all-time. The BBC used it to launch their BBC Music service with a range of musicians sharing the song’s iconic lyrics, and it has also been covered by a wide range of artists fro...