Gathania

Here's a song that featured on a lot of pop blogs last year. It's Blame it On You by the Swedish singer Gathania. Alas, it wasn't a hit. It only got to number 39 in the Swedish charts and it didn't seem to have been released in many other countries. If Blame It On You had been released in the 1990's it would easily have been a hit as it reminds me of all those dance pop hits of that decade. Do readers remember a time when 10 or 12 singles would chart every week in the UK and many of those songs in the top ten as well? It's a bit better in recent months but with less songs charting each week in the UK charts it's tougher for a music artist to have a hit single. The video for Blame It On You is the usual girls in a dance video that brings out my inner feminist so I'm just posting the song by itself. It would be fab if it got a re-release so who knows maybe second time round?

Bulletproof Cross

These days I tell myself that I have no interest in chart music anymore but last Sunday I listened to the UK singles chart countdown and I liked at least 5 of the songs in the top ten. I am going to post some of the songs I have liked this summer over the next few days. When it comes to posting new songs or videos I always think 'why post them' as most new singles are featured on other pop blogs but then I also remember that some of my Irish friends and readers often hear a song for the first time through my blog. Which is nice! Sometimes, songs take months or even longer for me to like. Such is the case with La Roux and Bulletproof. I don't remember much being written in the UK press about their success with the song on the Billboard chart when it got to number 8 recently. With so few UK acts doing well in the US I think songs like Bulletproof should be celebrated. I would also love to see a time when more UK acts did well in the US charts in general, it always makes it more interesting. Below is a mix of Bulletproof and The Gossip's Heavy Cross. The mix is by Robin Skouteris who is a real talent.

Something Happened Along The Way

Someday if I ever meet that someone there are of course a few songs that he has to like. One song is After The Love Has Gone by Earth Wind & Fire. It was a hit in 1979 and is a song that always takes me back to hearing it from that year onwards. Pop music is so important to me, I couldn't imagine not being able to share it with the person most important in my life but I have known many couples who have very different music tastes and it dosen't bother them at all. I guess the key is to also have friendships where a mutual love of music is part of how that bond came about.

Here's Earth, Wind & Fire and their glorious original version of After The Love Has Gone.

David Foster co wrote After the Love Has Gone with Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin. David Foster has produced or written dozens of songs that I love and below he introduces After The Love Has Gone which is sung by Brian McKnight and an excellent version it is too.