I'm not famous enough to go on the show, however I've recently been thinking about what songs I would take with me if I was on desert island disks.
Strawberries by Hugh Masekela
Hugh Masekela, is the one of the Godfathers of Afro-Jazz, a South African Lois Armstrong. This song has haunting melancholy notes that hit you from the first few seconds and are hammered home by Hugh's trumpet this song has a very strong bitter-sweet feeling. The background vocals of the little girls chorus add a very African optimism and hope. The songs' tempo picks up and a very "Soweto-Sound" instrumental sound fills the background. The song was originally written for the Queen of South African Music - Mirriam Makeba by the legendary Harry Belafonte and this version was produced by Harry Belafonte for Mr Masekela.
Hugh is an unlikely member of my music collection however now that I have discovered him I could not do without him on my desert island. You Tube Version
Nothing Else Matters by Metallica
I first heard the notes to this very controversial Metallica song when I was 15 or 16 and at a camp by the Lake formed Mazvikadei Dam in Zimbabwe. A few friends of mine were hanging around when an old dude (he was probably mid twenties) started jamming on his guitar and I heard the opening sequence for Nothing Else Matters. I was immediately gobsmacked and asked him to show me how to play it and what it was, he tutored my unskilled hands until my lack of talent out weighed his patience... But he could not tell me whose song it was and what it was called.
Jump forward a few years and I was an Auditor at Deloitte and Touche. There was a thriving black market in MP3 and I'm ashamed to say I copied some Metallica from a friend. Whilst playing the music I heard the opening notes and was mesmerised yet again.
I am still a strong Metallica fan and understand why most fans do not like this song, and frankly I don't like it as a Metallica song but just as a song. The Arpeggio is a sequence in E minor and is very easy for a beginner to pick up, the basics of the song. What really strikes me about the lyrics is how vulnerable they are how the writer puts himself forward for hurt and pain but - Nothing else matters.
Note: Aged 24 I moved to England where I legitimised my entire MP3 collection over a few years of purchases and have subsequently bought many many more Metallica songs.
My Sacrifice by Creed
When you are with me, I'm free
I'm careless, I believe
Above all the others we'll fly
This brings tears to my eyes
My sacrifice
These lyrics set to the husky tones work for me, no ide why they just do.
Knights of Cydonia by Muse
House of the Rising Sun by Frijid Pink (Although I would take the Jimmi Hendrix Version)
This song is one of those songs where the guitar really speaks, in the opening sequence the strong lead guitar carries the tune with some very Ringo-esque drumming in the background. The lyrics are a remorseful warning against gambling by a ruined gambler, there is nothing particularly amazing about them however when Hendrix does his thing and adds his instrumental the song takes into its own.
Back in 2009 when I was on a secondment in South Africa and found myself in an environment where few people enjoyed my musical / artistic and literary tastes. Most of my peers were into rap and R&B and a lot of newfangled music, additionally I was not familiar with modern South African music and was met with vacant stares when I shared my passion for Hugh Masekela et al. When slaving away on my computer my concentration was ruined by a ringing mobile phone (cellphone to the rest of the world). The tone was House of the Rising Sun and I realised that one of my colleagues a guy called Theo had this as his mobile ringtone. Whenever his phone rang I would here this song and remember I was not "musically" alone in a foreign land.
Slither by Velvet Revolver
First of all let me say that this song features a strong guitar solo by Slash (the dude from Guns 'N Roses with a top hat). Slash - the guy who was rated #2 on Time Magazine's list of the "10 Best Electric Guitar Players of All-Time" . The song has a certain je ne sais quai element about it that makes it a rock anthem and one of those I keep handy at all times.
Alive by P.O.D
I first heard this song a short while before I emigrated to England. I was still in my early 20's and loving life I think there was some NLP and the song has become my "power song." P.O.D are an unknown group and I'm glad this song has never been a radio anthem, its my secret treasure.
Canon Rock by Jerry C
I was surfing the internet one Saturday morning when I stumbled upon the Jerry C video, it immediately became one of my favorites. Jerry's interpretation of Canon in D minor is dexterous, rocky, skillful yet it does not take itself too seriously.
Jerry C's website can be found at http://jerryc.tw/music I do not understand Chinese / Taiwanese so I take no responsibility for what else you may find there...