The Playground
The Simply Music blog
How 2 songs became 1: Londonderry Air & Danny Boy
As most of us could agree Danny Boy is a legendary musical piece, possibly one of the most famous songs in the world. It is synonomous with all things Ireland and has made its way to being an unofficial Irish national song. But did you…
Seasons Greetings & Merry Gravy Day
From all of us here at Simply Music we wish the very best and a safe and happy holiday season … and a Happy Gravy Day Australia! Gravy Day you ask? The 21st of December has become synonymous with Gravy in Australia. Paul Kelly’s ‘How…
Mr Bojangles – Story (and Study) of a Song
Jerry Jeff Walker, who passed away recently at the age of 78, is remembered as one of the artists who brought country music out of the backwoods and into the mainstream. He was very prolific but he will always be remembered for one song: Mr…
Story of a Song – The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Music, like most art, is not as original as it may seem. With the new CGI animated Lion King coming to cinemas this summer, what better time to look at the creation and history of a timeless song, The Lion Sleeps Tonight? Join us as…
Story of a Song: Happy Birthday & How to Play It!
This month we celebrate a birthday of an unusual kind. You might call it the birthday of the right to properly celebrate birthdays. And surprisingly, it’s just a first birthday, because on June 30, 2016, after a very long and tortuous process, the most familiar…
Story of a Song – Summertime
A lot of music unites people. Occasionally it divides people. With its contentious depiction of racial stereotypes, the opera Porgy and Bess seems to have experienced the ebb and flow of acceptance over the years, but even its cultural detractors will recognise it as one…
Story of a Song – Po’ Lazarus
In our rush to idolise our favourite singers or composers, we miss some other great contributors to musical culture. One such unsung hero is the American ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax. Armed with a portable tape recorder, Lomax spent several decades from the 1930’s travelling the United…
Story of a Song – The Rite of Spring
This new occasional series is already contradicting itself in the first edition by discussing not a song but a full-length orchestral piece. Still, the 100th anniversary of one of the milestone events in music is worth commemorating. There are few if any genuinely unprecedented new…