Sincerity or self-branding: what defines millennial music?
Sincerity or self-branding: what defines millennial music?
From the unstoppable rise of hip-hop to the 'millennial whoop', what does today's new music sound like? And how has soci... Read more
20 Apr 2018
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21mins
Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights
Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights
When "Wuthering Heights" was released 40 years ago this year, it became the first song written and performed by a woman ... Read more
15 Mar 2018
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26mins
1968: The Year that Music Changed
1968: The Year that Music Changed
Set against a backdrop of protest and upheaval, the songs released in 1968 represent a turning point in music. FT pop wr... Read more
23 Jan 2018
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28mins
The best Christmas music: a definitive guide
The best Christmas music: a definitive guide
What makes a good Christmas song? Should it be cheesy or serious? And why do millennials love them? FT pop writers disc... Read more
19 Dec 2017
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19mins
The Life of a Song: Strange Fruit
The Life of a Song: Strange Fruit
Billie Holiday’s 1939 'Strange Fruit' was called 'the first significant protest in words and music, the first unmuted cr... Read more
17 Nov 2017
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22mins
The Life of a Song: Make You Feel My Love
The Life of a Song: Make You Feel My Love
From Bob Dylan to Adele, the song that was first called 'a spare ballad undermined by greetingcard lyrics' is now a kara... Read more
19 Oct 2017
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15mins
The Hits that Shook the World
The Hits that Shook the World
In a special episode to mark the publication of The Life of a Song book, FT pop critics Helen Brown, David Cheal and Lud... Read more
15 Sep 2017
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36mins
The Life of a Song: Wild Thing
The Life of a Song: Wild Thing
It achieved distinction in an era of elemental riffs, and journeyed effortlessly to and fro across the Atlantic. It also... Read more
14 Aug 2017
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17mins
The Life of a Song: Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel
The Life of a Song: Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel
The singer’s old label boss called the song ‘a morbid mess’, but it shot to number one in the US. Ahead of the 40th anni... Read more
18 Jul 2017
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18mins
The Life of a Song: Radiohead's No Surprises
The Life of a Song: Radiohead's No Surprises
Twenty years after they headlined Glastonbury, Radiohead return to the British music festival. FT pop writers Ludovic Hu... Read more
13 Jun 2017
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20mins