Sunday 29 January 2023

Thank you for the days: Sunday

A new, seven-part series as a thiny veiled excuse to have something to write about: three songs that have a day of the week in the title. Not (just) in the lyrics but in the title. Today, part seven and our day of rest, as the series ends with Sunday, and perhaps the best trio of all.

Let's kick off with Blur and Sunday, Sunday, the third single from career-redefining (and career-saving) second album Modern Life Is Rubbish. Important to remember that all three singles from that album peaked in the chart mid-20s; a lot of the record-buying public still hadn't completely forgiven them for Leisure, and the omnipotence of Parklife was still a little way off. I'd forgotten how good this is when it kicks off at the 1:22 mark. Always fantastic live too.

It maybe isn't a massive leap from Blur back to The Small Faces, and Lazy Sunday. This hit #2 on release in 1968 (kept off the top by Louis Armstrong, of all people), and charted again in 1976 (I can't work out why that would be, just yet). And when was the last time you heard lumbago mentioned in a song? Anyway, all together now, "Wouldn't it be nice to get on with my neighbours..."

And so, finally, the twenty-first and final song to be featured in this little series. Sorry if you've had enough of SPM by now, or can't/won't separate artist from music. But this remains excellent, a career highpoint, and I'm not just talking about his solo career. Such a good video too, with the singer making blink-and-you'll-miss-em cameos in his own promo, whilst Lucette Henderson, Billie Whitelaw and Cheryl Murray (from Corrie, so I'm told) take the lead roles, along with Southend-on-Sea as the coastal town they forgot to bomb. Here's Everyday Is Like Sunday for those that still do. With bonus Charles Hawtrey!

Here endeth the series, probably.

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for this series Martin - simple but effective.

    I was thinking, Sunday Girl by Blondie or Spanky and Our Gang with Sunday Will Never Be The Same but a great selection here too. The Small Faces song was the theme tune to a show Annie Nightingale had on Radio1 on a Sunday afternoon for many years - reminds me of that time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Alyson. Sunday Girl is a definite if I ever run this series again.

      Delete
  2. The Man Of Cheese30 January 2023 at 09:59

    Some fine tunes and couldn't leave out Mozza for sure.
    I mention one song named Sunday I first heard some time back for no other reason than i thought it was excellent,it's by Bloc Party. Maybe a contender for series two!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! And there will definitely be a series two, as soon as I find the time to write it...

      Delete
  3. Sorry to have missed this series while it was happening, happy to have caught up with it now. Some fine tunes. Especially the last one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't worry, Rol, there will be a second round of the same, some time in February, as soon as I can find enough decent tune for Tuesdays and Thursdays! And the last song was never in doubt.

      Delete
    2. A few suggestions for T&T, Martin:
      Meet Me On Tuesdays: The Brilliant Corners
      Love You Til Tuesday: David Bowie (&/or Thursday's Child)
      Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning: Cowboy Junkies
      Thursdays Child: The Chameleons
      Thursday: The Fatima Mansions
      Thursday: Asobi Seksu

      Delete
    3. Thank you! These may come in handy.

      Delete