Artists have always tried to go one better than Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, the song that arguably defines the holiday season like no other.
A song doesn’t have to have a message in order to change society. Race relations, gender equality and identity politics have all been shaped by music.
Heavy metal and horror have co-existed with one another since the music’s inception. One could say that metal has been macabre since its very first notes.
The subject of evil will remain one of interest to songwriters, no matter how controversial & unsettling. The Devil does indeed get some of the best songs.
Who wrote the first ever blues song and what was the first ever recorded blues song? We dig deep to find out the fascinating history of recorded blues.
Despite the claims of many in a streaming world, the album isn’t dead. Taylor Swift and Sam Smith are just a few artists keeping it alive.
Every year, critics and so-called experts ask: is rock music dead? Not with a new breed of young talents aiming for legendary status.
The power of the protest song looks set to be exploited as politics takes center stage again. That music is used as a means to raise awareness and share a common goal looks set to continue.
Mass-marketed music for the X-Factor generation promoting attractive, clean-living male singers to teenagers looking for romance from their pop idols is not actually a new thing.
A question of boundaries lays at the heart of music censorship, but artists have always pushed back, fighting for the freedom to express themselves.
LGBTQ musicians haven’t always benefitted from today’s attitudes towards sexuality, but many pioneers fought for LGBTQ rights in the mainstream.
Gospel music has always had a major influence on R&B, with many of the biggest soul singers having started their vocal careers in gospel church choirs.
Rock clubs come and go, but there was only one CBGBs, the hallowed club for the New York punk scene that spawned many major music superstars.
The notion of DIY music stretches back to 19th-century flutes made from bird bone, through punk anarchy and the digital revolution.
Great songs are a compelling soundtrack to our inner worlds, and any list of key singles will be personal rather than definitive, but the 45 45s in our playlist still inspire and delight.
