Story songs was a best seller to rival anything that Dan Brown has produced. I've not seen a theme oversubscribed like that for ages. Thanks very much to everyone that got in touch and apologies for not getting round to yours.
Tomorrow night I'll be asking the question: What were you when you were a teenager? A punk, skin or maybe a glam kid? Did you spend the early eighties in frilly blouses with a white stripe across your nose? Teen Cults is our theme and while I might have experimented with a few when I was younger I have no idea about today's cults. What's an 'emo' when it's at home? Hopefully we'll find out tomorrow night.
From Avril Lavigne to Alex Salmond, I loved reading your suggestions for grumpy night. There was a great response and I suspect a much heartier response that we would have got if we'd plumped for 'happy and contented pop stars' as a theme.
Maybe I'm getting less grumpy as I get older as I found myself really enjoying the Belle and Sebastian song despite my reservations about their output. Recently I've also found myself singing along and really enjoying that new Noel Gallagher single which is a much more worrying development.
Tomorrow is another blogger's theme and its story songs. Expect some rambling epics as well as the artists who can cover all the essential points of the story in a three minute pop song.
Tonight's show took me back to my days as a professional holidaymaker and in particular the week I spent training as British Airways cabin crew. I enjoyed the whole experience and very quickly got into character. It's amazing that no matter how hard you try, as soon as you get the 'coming through the cabin serving you a selection of drinks from the bar' script, you have to adopt that particular sing-song voice beloved of chief stewards.
I was also taken back in time when I heard Suzy Boguss sing Outbound Plane as she was the very first artist I interviewed on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Scotland. It was one of several good tunes (Al Stewart was great) on what was a very busy night. Well done bloggers - your first theme was a hit.
Tuesday's theme is grumpy. It's your theme suggestion but allow me to suggest that we do famously grumpy pop stars alongside grumpy subject matter in song. So, grumpy pop stars, grumpy songs...just not grumpy bloggers eh?
We do appreciate everyone who has a go at coming up with theme ideas. Every single idea is considered and discussed at our weekly themes meeting but sadly they don't all make it to the show for one reason or another. We've had some good ones lately including some we've never done before which for us is the holy grail of themes.
Thanks in particular for the big a-z list of themes which recently appeared on the blog. Not quite sure who all contributed to that but we were mightily impressed. That's why the first four themes for this week are all taken from the list and we kick off tonight with air-travel. (Not 'space' in any form I promise!)
In my research for this theme I came across an internet forum for airline pilots, where in the style of the GIO bloggers they posted suggestions for their top air-travel songs.
Their choices included Leo Sayer's Endless Flight, John Denver's Leaving On a Jet Plane and anything by Led Zeppelin. There were also a few for I Believe I Can Fly - well you would hope that was the case.
Final boarding call is a ten past six on Monday night so make sure you get your suggestions in by then.
We've decided to change the theme for Friday night after regular blogger, Henri Hannah made the point that the sad death of songwriters Jerry Leiber and Nickolas Ashford this week hadn't really been covered on Get It On.
Therefore, Friday's theme will now be songwriting partnerships. As well as covering the best of Ashford and Simpson and Leiber and Stoller we will hopefully take in teams like Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Lennon and McCartney and Bacharach and David. We'll also include songwriting partnerships within bands and far be it from me to suggest that M*rrissey and M*rr would be an excellent example of this!
It should be an excellent theme providing some quality tunes for Friday night. Thanks bloggers for the wee nudge towards this one.
On Thursday night we are only on air for an hour as we are handing over to the Sportsound team so we can offer comprehensive coverage of the night's sporting action. So, in a effort to cram in as many tunes as possible, we are going to do 'short songs' as a theme. Anything under 3 minutes qualifies but if you bring 'em in around 2 then even better!
Studio discussion tonight:
Me: " I think Carmina Burana would be great..."
Producer Paul: " Whaaat - singing Mack the Knife?"
Just look at what I am working with here!
Tomorrow I'll be asking you to pitch your songs in the style of Dragons' Den and our 'dragons' will vote on which ones make it to the show. Use this as an opportunity for the rarely heard bands and the ones that don't fit in any other theme. All you need is a winning pitch so the dragons just can't say no.
Sir Harry Secombe doing If I Ruled The World was a wonderful addition to tonight's musical mix although I did take exception to Miss Babs lumping him in with her 'bizzare' artists like Joe Dolce! Fats Waller also sounded great at the end of the show.
Tuesday's edition of Get It On will also be known as 'the night of the living dead.' Glasgow is still looking like downtown Philadelphia and under the grip of Brad Pitt fever as filming continues for the zombie horror flick, World War Z. So, inspired by the horrifying goings on in George Square, I'm asking you to compile the perfect horror movie soundtrack.
Surely Michael Jackson's Thriller is a shoo-in, but what about Dusty doing Spooky, or perhaps you might want to suggest the music from Pyscho?
Thanks to everyone who let rip tonight and came up with good suggestion of the acts who, in the words of one texter, "Ripped ma knittin".
On Monday we are doing songs about being the boss and taking control. The fact that it's also the day that Miss Babs returns from holiday is entirely co-incidental!
What a fantastic response to tonight's theme of 'songs you remember from car journeys'. The stories were even more enjoyable than the songs and in case you missed them there are plenty to see on our Facebook page as well as here on the blog.
Tomorrow night, I want you to make a selfless gesture and request the song you don't like but everyone else does. Who are the artists that make you exclaim, "I just don't get it?"
My list would be topped by The Beach Boys, Belle and Sebastian and I'm sorry to say it bloggers, but Pink Floyd. They are not artists I particularly dislike, it's just that I don't get why everyone else thinks they are the best thing since sliced bread.
So, who does it for you?
Thursday's theme was suggested by Dom who is one of the team who look after all our callers on the show. As the holiday season is coming to an end he was inspired by memories of childhood trips. "I always remember my parents piling my brothers and me in the car with all our clobber and heading off on adventures" says Dom.
" There were a couple of albums we always listened to. On hearing songs from these albums I am reminded of my childhood trips away. I always remember my dad listening to Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms or my mum listening Bon Jovi's Crossroads. Meanwhile
My brothers always listened to Sash - It's My Life.
"There was a massive mix of music on our car journeys and I'm sure it was the same for the listeners too."
I think he's right so get in touch and let me know your Datsun ditties and Cortina classics...
Tomorrow's Get It On is a chance for you to review the year so far and tell about the best things you've heard. This theme has come about following the very successful show we did a couple of months ago where I asked you to get in touch with your recent discoveries.
Producer Richard suggested that it was something that we could do on a more regular basis. What do you think of the idea of a 'new music Monday' every so often?
Obviously we can't do 'new music Monday' tomorrow so it's more a 'what's new with you Wednesday'!
Your suggestion doesn't have to be something brand new this year as it could be a classic album reissued or maybe a favourite band that have re-merged onto the festival circuit. All that I ask it that it was released or appeared at some point this year.
What a show to kick off the week. 'Happy Monday' was a delight of a show to work on. I think they playlist should be sent out to doctor's surgeries and then blasted out in the waiting room. Guaranteed it will have at least some of the patients cured of whatever ails them. Mind you, Ray Steven's Everything is Beautiful might have some of them reaching for the sick bucket!
As there will be thousands of small children (and traumatised parents) getting ready for their first week at school, I thought we would do 'firsts' as a theme tomorrow. First Cut Is the Deepest, Do You Remember the First Time or Love in the First Degree? Let me know what would be your first choice...
We certainly had our fill on tonight's Get It On. We nibbled so much during the show that I don't think I can manage my tea when I get home. The musical menu was equally satisfying tonight so thanks to everyone who contributed.
Some good jokes as well especially Brian on the text who said he would invite Dean Martin round for dinner and serve him eel. When Dean asked what kind of eel it was, he would reply "that's a moray"!
First theme of next week is 'happy Monday', the songs that never fail to cheer you up.
Look out your apron and recipe book and dust down your crystal glasses bloggers, as tomorrow on Get It On you're hosting a Come Dine With Me style dinner party. Which pop star would you like to invite round, and what would you cook?
Tell us the name of the artist, the song you would like them to serenade to you across the dinner table, and the dish you would serve up.
It should be a bit of Friday night fun and hopefully we will get an interesting musical menu as well.
Here's the great list of closing lines submitted by Get It On regular, Patrick McCafferty. He's promised to send us the answers tomorrow so in the meantime see how many you can figure out.
Tomorrow it's pleasure and pain - we'll do one pleasure followed by a pain so feel free to suggest one of each.
I'm sure the following 20 last lines will bring you both pleasure and pain tonight.
1."the pump dont work cause the vandals took the handles"
2."gimme me gimme me gimme me gimme me fried chicken (?)"
3."he's a liar and i'm not sure about you"
4."most of all i like loud speakers"
5."maybe it will prove that we were right or it will prove that i was wrong"
6."close my eyes and drift away"
7. "some of us are gonna try"
8."that was my mother's name"
9."I wish I could sing like that..yeah I do"
10. "something going wrong around"
11. "you can keep my things, aint gonna take me home"
12."please turn me over"
13."he went to bed and covered his head and he wouldnt get up in the morning"
14."got my 45 on so i can rock on"
15."gonna take some time to do the things we never have"
16."...while the big band used to play"
17."they're all wasted"
18."no he'll never never fight over you"
19."cute, cute in a stupid ass way"
20."great favourite & wonderful performer of all of us here j arthur rank on gong"
We had a huge range of 'musical manifestos' suggested tonight and some inspiring songs most of which seemed to want to encourage us to live life to the fullest.
No matter how you live your life I thought Morag's suggestion of Beth Neilson Chapman's How We Love, summed up how I'd want to feel at the end. I found it really moving and as she memorably put it: 'All that matters in the end is how we love'.
If tomorrow's show was a competition then surely the bookies would stop taking bets on Springsteen. His "town full of losers, I'm pulling out of here to win" crops up on most people's lists of the best closing lines of all time. It also uniquely crops up on the best opening lines lists as well.
So 'best closing lines of all time' is the theme and If Thunder Road is a given what else is going to make it to your list?
It was great to be back on air tonight and always nice to have a busy one to kick the week off. But what happens tomorrow? Things Can Only Get Better? Surely not It's All Over Now?
I am thinking we might get a few inward looking suggestions for tomorrow as I am asking you to dig deep and pick a song that sums up your outlook on life. Will it be the Python's incredibly annoying riff on positivity or will one of Morrissey's gloomiest tunes sum you up? Tune in tomorrow for your fellow blogger's musical manifestos.
After a week off I am back in charge on Monday and looking forward to a good week of themes. After sunning myself in Mallorca for a week, hablo un poco de español. Which neatly leads me onto Monday's theme which is all about the artists who dip into a foreign language to help create a bit of exoticism and make themselves appear much more sophisticated.
The theme has been suggested by Omar from edinburgh and he mentions Lady Gaga's Bad Romance includes the random line: 'J'ai ton amour et je veux ton revenge' . There's always 'deperir a gris, deperir a gris' from the opening to Fade To Grey and many more. I'm not looking for songs entirely in a foreign language, just the ones that use a line here or there to make a point. So, whether it's Michelle or Psycho Killer, get in touch with your suggestions.
Get on the blog or send us a tweet if you like, and as we say in Spain, iqué tengas un buen fin de semana!
Tonight was total blast, so huge thanks to you all for sharing my birthday with me & suggesting your own personal 'Dancefloor Fillers'. They were all superb, but I'd go for David Bowie, Dandy Livingston, The Jam, Al Wilson & The Cult as my personal favourites if I'm honest.
Friday is my last shift doing GIO while Bryan's away. I've had a great time, and I hope you've enjoyed the chat and nonsense between the songs that you've chosen. I wanted a real barn-stormer of a theme to end the week... and the GIO team have delivered. And then some. You probably know I'm a champion of local music, so for me the show's going to be a cracker. For 2 hours, it's going to be 'Scottish Artists Only' spanning generations and genres. Think about it for a second and you're away, as this country has produced so many talented people over the years. Who's your favourite & who would you like to hear? KT Tunstall? Biffy Clyro? King Creosote? Paulo Nutini? Franz Ferdinand? Jimmy Shand? Annie Lennox? Mogwai? Calvin Harris? The list goes on... From singer-songwriters to rock bands to electronic artists to famous twins in specs, we've got them all!
Get your requests in and we'll furnish your ears with a spectacular show to set you up for the weekend!
I just knew you salty old dogs would trawl the depths for some great 'Songs of the Sea', but tonight you went overboard! Ahem... Thanks folks.
Tomorrow its an age-old theme for any radio show or DJ set - 'Songs that Get you on the Dancefloor'. A poll recently conducted with 2000 festival goers and dance fans crowned James Brown's 1970 iconic 'Get Up (I feel like being a) Sex Machine' the greatest dancefloor filler of all time. I wouldn't argue with that - it quite possibly is the funkiest song of all time. But what gets you on the floor, cutting some rug, shaking your tail-feather and doing the mash-potato? Is it a drunken wedding classic like ABBA's 'Dancing Queen' or Dee-Lite's 'Groove is in the Heart'; a 2-tone ska knees-up like Madness's 'One Step Beyond' or guilty pleasures like Bon Jovi's 'Livin' on a Prayer'? The choice is all yours!
Tuesday's 'Pass it On' theme was a massive success. It always pleases me how many people want to contribute to the show, and what good taste you have. Thank you all. It was great to play some unearthed gems and a few favourites, especially when there is a personal story attached to the track.
Wednesday's theme is 'Songs of the Sea' so have a think and leave your suggestions below. You could go for 'Fisherman's Blues' by the Waterboys, 'Waves' by Blancmange or 'Sailing' by Rod Stewart? You could choose something by Seasick Steve, Groove Armada or A Flock of Seagulls for that matter... Whatever you decide on, make sure it has some kind of link to seas, oceans, and the big blue out there. Keep it aquatic or mention our fine, sea-faring friends and relatives!
Ooh-arr me hearties... get on board and help this show make a big splash.
After some low-down good-times with 'Basslines' on last night's show, Tuesday night's theme is 'Pass it on'. On my weekly Monday night show, here on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Scotland, I have a feature where we ask our live session guests to pick a track that's near and dear to them. Something that they'd literally like to 'pass on' to the listeners. Sometimes an artist chooses a friend's band, or something that has influenced them personally when writing music. They always rise to the occasion and do the show proud.
We thought we'd expand it into a whole theme for GIO, so I want those tracks that mean something specific to you and would only be recommended by yourself. As ever it can be in any style or genre, modern or classic. Maybe it's the song that you're famous for... Whenever you get a chance to choose the music at a party, you always play that particular one! Is it something odd, unusual or underated, or is it a total 'banger' that just HAS to get an airing? I can't wait to hear what you suggest.Give it the personal touch and 'pass it on'...
