My Desert Island Discs x

For a mini task at college this year I had to come up with some 'desert island discs' based on the radio programme of the same name. I came across mine the other day so decided I'd upload them :)

Desert Island Discs

Growing up in a household full of music, this has deemed a much more difficult task than I expected. This is mainly because there is so much to choose from! I have done my best to narrow my choices down to 8 tracks which, if stranded on a desert island would fulfil my musical needs.

My first choice is New York, New York by Frank Sinatra. As a young child, my dad would sing it to me at bedtime; my parents tried everything, but it was the only song that calmed me enough to sleep. Whenever I hear this song, it calms me and reminds me of childhood.

Somewhat cliché, I have chosen I will survive, by Gloria Gaynor. It’s a song about empowerment, and it’s a great track, to inspire. If I were stranded on an island, it would be a fantastic piece to keep me going and make me feel like I could conquer anything thrown at me.

Another song would be Feeling Good, covered by Muse. I find that this is comforting in times of solitude. The lyrics make me feel like there is always tomorrow; if something isn’t right, there’s always a new day in which to sort things out.

Wake the sleeper, by Uriah Heep. Since I had been listening to their music for years, it seemed only right that this was the first gig I went to.  I could have chosen any of their songs but I chose this because it was the name of the tour. This would prompt memories of my family as I went to the gig with my parents.

Mozart, Requiem would be my next piece as it reminds me of my first trip abroad with the school dance band. We went to Austria and visited the Mozart museum in Salzburg. I went with all of my friends and made new ones. So whenever I hear the piece it reminds me of this trip and therefore of my friends. Despite the mixtures within this piece, I do find that it can calm me if I’m angry.

I think that as one of my pieces, I would definitely have to choose Holding On by Alex Day. As a Youtube musician, his music always makes me smile because it reminds me that if you keep working at it and follow your dreams you can be who you want. As he used to live in the area, the music would also remind me of home. Also, thinking of YouTube would make me think of world as a whole, because it’s a worldwide site. This would then prompt me to realise that there are people worse off than me at the time, therefore providing reassurance.

I would take Birdland by Weather Report as it has never failed to uplift me, even as a child. It has so many parts and differing tempos, there is normally at least one element which makes me sit up and take notice. Every time I listen to it, I hear something new so as well as cheering me up, I will never be bored!

As my final piece I would take The Logical Song by Supertramp. I chose this because despite having somewhat cynical lyrics, it’s almost reassuring because it makes you realise that whenever you’re feeling down, there’s normally someone else feeling the same way. Also, the words are given a more uplifting tone, when put with the bouncy tune.

I think my luxury item would be my ukulele (am I allowed to take a tutorial book as my additional book, does that count?!). Being stranded on an island would mean that I could learn how to play it properly, without any distractions; it’s a shame there’d be nobody around to hear it though!