There’s not a day goes by when I don’t listen to music at some point, usually on Spotify and quite often with a pair of JVC headphones clamped to my ears. I also have a pair of Skull Candy ear buds. I like them both, but my preference would be for the on ear listening experience. Whatever did we do before bluetooth?

I have a broad taste and I always keep my eyes (and ears) on the charts, but my go to era is late 70’s/early 80’s. That covers several genres, namely punk, new wave, synth-pop, two-tone, new romantic and even a bit of disco!

If I’m on my own I sing loud – and very badly – and I did that today while listening to one of my Spotify playlists. I’m not going to bore you with the whole playlist (over five hours), but I want to share 10 songs that had me belting out every word! So, in no particular order here they are…

“Hoorah, hoorah, hoorah, yeah, over the hill with the swords of a thousand men”. I was grafting hard this morning and this one really got my blood pumping, yep, it’s Tenpole Tudor and Swords of a Thousand Men.

“Here in my pocket I got the Story of the Blues”. If I was a to do a top 20 of all time it would change every week, but this one would always be in there, I love it! It’s Wah! – The Story of the Blues (Part One).

“I would like to climb high in a tree”. I went to see this band at Durham University in 1981 or 82 (I think, memory is a little hazy) and spent the whole gig thinking that Clare Grogan was looking right at me – she wasn’t! It’s Altered Images and I Could Be Happy.

“You keep me running round and round, well that’s alright with me, up and down, I’m up the wall, I’m up the bloody tree”. The funny thing is that while I was singing to this one I thought I sounded amazing, I started to convince myself that I could actually sing. Then I removed my headphones halfway through and realised I sounded awful, crap in fact! It’s Blancmange – Living on the Ceiling.

“If you ever think of me, I’ll be thinking of you, if you decide to change your views, I’m thinking of you”. Terry Hall reinvents himself again with this track, it’s The Colourfield and Thinking of You.

“Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down, letting the days go by, water flowing underground”. I will own up to forgetting some of the words for this one but it’s still a song that I sing along to, and I never tire of hearing it! It’s Talking Heads and Once in a Lifetime.

“The ice age is coming, the sun’s zooming in, meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin”. Another track that will always be in my top 20 tunes of all time, and the album of the same name is in my top 10 LP’s of all time. One of those albums where you like every single track – no fillers! It’s The Clash – London Calling.

“Candy on the beach, there’s nothing better, but I like candy when it’s wrapped in a sweater”. Love the lyrics and love the song, I had the 12″ version of this one, back in the days when you had to buy a copy of Smash Hits magazine to get the lyrics! Bow Wow Wow – I Want Candy.

“Look now, look all around, there’s no sign of life, voices, another sound, can you hear me now?”. I can remember where I was when I first heard this song, it was on the car radio on a Saturday morning and we were somewhere near Dawdon Colliery as my dad had refereed a game in one of the local football leagues. It’s also featured on the soundtrack of one of my favourite films – The Business. It’s Planet Earth by Duran Duran.

“Young man, there’s no need to feel down, I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground”. Everyone sings along to this one, don’t they? And not just when they’re pissed at weddings – when the dance is also obligatory! If I’d have admitted to liking this song when I was at school I’d have got some fearsome stick, but thankfully we live in more enlightened times now! It’s Village People and YMCA.

Music is definitely the answer, if pushed I’d choose it over the TV any day, and a good song can cheer me up in an instant! Right, that’s enough for now, not sure what I’ll be listening to tomorrow but I’m off to charge my headphones as I’m certain that I’ll be needing them at some point.