Holiday Soundtrack
You know how when you’re on a holiday you hear a song and it gets stuck in your head? These are the songs for me…
They’re either current tracks I’ve heard and have really liked, or they’re oldies which have come into my mind for more obvious reasons.
Place: Stockholm
Song: Live Forever
Artist: Magnus Carlsson
I loved this song before I arrived and was pleased when I got it stuck in my head in Stockholm.
Place: Stockholm
Song: Bells of Freedom
Artist: BWO – Pride Theme
The official song for Stockholm Pride. Keep an eye out for the Agnetha/Frida kissing sequence.
Places: Stockholm and Tallinn
Song: Cry For You (You’ll Never See Me Again)
Artist: September
As well as hearing the song in a number of locations, it’s also been a bit of a theme song. Just when I’ve wanted to do something slightly inappropriate or too touristy for words, I’ve thought… “They’ll never see me again”
Places: Stockholm, Tallinn, Riga and Paris
Song: Ella Elle L’a (official music video)
Artist: Kate Ryan
A song about Ella Fitzgerald that’s very catchy, sung in French. The video clip is also great.
Places: Tallinn and Riga
Song: Closer
Artist: Neyo
A great dance song with a catchy chorus.
Place: Riga
Song: Russian Reggae
Artist: Nina Hagen
This is a flashback song that kept coming into my head in Riga. It’s about the Soviet Union and stuff.
Place: Prague and France
Song: Voyage Voyage
Artist: Desireless
This is an oldie getting a new life thanks to Kate Ryan cover. I heard this, the original three times in Prague. I guess the DJ at Valentinos likes it.
Place: Prague
Song: No Stress
Artist: Laurent Wolf
Place: Amsterdam
Song: Rotterdam or Anywhere
Artist: Beautiful South
This is a song about the universality of modern life. “This could be Rotterdam or anywhere”. But of course there’s the obvious reference too.
Place: Berlin
Song: 99 Luftballoons
Artist: Nena
This needs little explanation, except to say that it was a hit song in the early 1980s about the time I visited Germany.
Place: Paris
Song: Degeneration
Artist: Mylene Farmer
I bought one of her singles many years ago, but David introduced me to her new album while travelling around the Loiret Valey. I especially love this song. The video clip is very sexy.
I’ll be updating this post has more songs come to mind.
Hey James,
Really nice idea to have this holiday soundtrack list ! I do love Magnus and Kate as well. However, in Kate’s case, the song is a cover of a major hit of France Gall that is already so great in its original version that I cannot really go crazy about the cover, even though it s quite catchy. The song is a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald so it s quite funny to watch Kate’s video, where Ella is apparently some kind of slutty flight attendant !! I will update your french music knowledge when you’re here ! Enjoy the Netherlands !
Thanks David for the info about the song. I found the video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQkB-WWzsbg and I think it’s great.
The Magnus Carlsson song sounds like it could do well in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Denys – the song was actually an entrant in this year’s Melodifestivalen, the lead up to Eurovision.