Peter Aspden on 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', the melancholy 1967 Procol Harum song whose melody was 'sparked by Bach' and which set off a legal battle that went all the way to the House of Lords. Credits: ANM, AP Music, DLG Digital, Demon Music Group

 

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From heartfelt but humble song to all-conquering power ballad, Peter Aspden tells the ultimately tragic story of 'Without You'

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ludovic Hunter-Tilney looks back 50 years to the time of the British Invasion and Petula Clark's evocation of Anglo-Americana. Credit: Sanctuary Records/BMG; Universal

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a heavy metal hit to its use in the Abu Ghraib tortures, Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ strikes some sinister chords with Ludovic Hunter-Tilney. Credit: Elektra

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Billy Paul’s adulterous original in 1972 to Amy Winehouse's gender-bending twist on the song 30 years later, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney gets to grips with 'Me and Mrs Jones'. Credits:Philadelphia International, 143, Island

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ludovic Hunter-Tilney looks at 'It's the Hard Knock Life' from Broadway's musical Annie and its influences on Katy Perry's 'Roar' and Jay-Z's 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)'. Credits:Columbia, Roc-A-Fella, Columbia

 

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ludovic Hunter-Tilney reveals the Old Testament legacy in popular music: from Robbie Williams' 'Kiss me' to Perry Como's 'Song of Songs' and Kate Bush's 'The Song of Solomon'. Credits:Chrysalis, Noble And Brite, RCA Victor

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ludovic Hunter-Tilney uncovers the back story of Vanilla Ice’s hit Ice Ice Baby. Credits:Ultra, EMI

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Cheal tells the tale of the Burt Bacharach penned classic 'I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself', from the 1964 soul of Dusty Springfield to its 2001 raw-rock treatment by The White Stripes. Credits: Philips, Stiff, Elephant

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Cheal traces the journey of ‘Guantanamera’, from a 19th-century Cuban national hero to a 21st-century recycling campaign, via Celia Cruz and the peace movement of the 1960s. Credits: RCA Victor, Bravo Hit, Universal Music AB, Columbia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.