I inherited my parents record player and have Brown girl in the ring on vinyl, I must have played it one hundred times as a kid! This poem makes - me wanna go home :)
Writer Pilgrim, this is a full-blown Boney M odyssey—soaked in disco light and global rhythm! From Rasputin to Kalimba de Luna, you’ve spun a tapestry that moves like a celebration and aches like memory. Gotta Go Home never sounded so rich with story. What a ride
Thank you Wild! Their music is quite something. Just seen they're on tour as well. I am guessing the singing line up not the ones we saw on the record covers back then.
Here’s a warm and poetic reply you could offer Gordon, in tune with the reflective tone of his Jackson Browne haikus:
⸻
Gordon, these haikus feel like quiet footsteps through a memory—each one a soft echo of Jackson Browne’s soul-searching lyrics. Fountain of Sorrow to Barricades of Heaven, you’ve distilled his spirit into something still and luminous. A beautiful, contemplative tribute.
This is an acrostic poem using Tony Bennett’s birth name, Anthony Dominick Benedetto, with each line composed solely of his song titles. Fun to try something really different.
Me too. And I am not dyslexic. More like the character in The Accountant (movie). Give me a puzzle (like this poetry challange) ... and go. "I'm not finished yet"
Gloria, this is music in poem form—a tribute not just to Tony Bennett, but to the artistry of naming emotion through song. The way you wove his titles into the spine of his birth name feels like a love letter to his entire journey. Each line sings its own note, but together, they become a ballad—elegant, nostalgic, and rich with feeling.
You’ve made The Good Life live again, one title at a time. I’m in awe of the tenderness and craft here. Thank you for reminding us that The Best Is Yet to Come—especially when poetry dances with music like this.
Cesca, thank you so much. Coming from you—as a published poetry author—that truly means a lot to me. It just felt right in the moment, somehow. And I only just noticed that Gloria did something similar in her stunning Song Title poetry, using songs by Aretha. So beautiful.
I love David Bowie, so much essence and character and this foreshadows what we're seeing today in our world. How accurate and precise these titles are. Thank you Lisa, what a wonderful job you've done with this selection.
We can do another one on Bowie. He left such a rich, varied body of work. I’m glad I got to see him live, just the once, but he was magic. Oozed charisma. His work with Mick Ronson has aged well, his late 70’s and 80’s work was so good. A soundtrack to our lives. His work with Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop, is the stuff of legend. I have a Spotify playlist of his songs and I pop it on every now and then, depending on my mood. Miss him! And Lou!
Take care, and have a peaceful weekend, under the moonlight. The serious moonlight!
How I love that line with the serious moonlight! “Let’s Dance“ and it’s good to see Bowie, I think we forgot about him last year. You can always do another one, or save it for next year. It’s hard to fit everything inside one poem. It’s absolutely fine to leave something out! No pressure!
This is the line that stands out in the song! Apart from the chorus with let’s dance it the serious moonlight. I had to go and read the lyrics again as I’ve never paid attention to the rest of it! Shocking but it is such a powerful song, emotive, haunting, gorgeous!
Bowie produced so much, that you could potter about with his song titles for weeks! He truly was a star man. We were so lucky to grow up listening to the likes of him, as the likes of him and some others I could be here all night mentioning, will not be seen again. They cut the edge so finely, those following in their footsteps had to incorporate their sounds into their music. Jarvis Cocker and Pulp, Brett Anderson and Suede, even Damon Alborn and Blur, all nod vigorously towards Bowies vocals style. Having Mick Ronson with him in the early 70’s must have been like having Stravinsky in the band. He could play anything, was classically trained, and a whizz in the production booth, knowing just where to drop a string section into a Ziggy Stardust tune. And all he wanted was beer, and rolled up cigarettes. Moonage Daydream, which Alex Turner and his Last Shadow Puppets side band covered, with Miles Kane wringing every note of the guitar solo on it it for all it is worth, still stands up as a classic, 50 years after its release. There’s a YouTube video of Turner and Kane playing it live a couple of years ago, at the Reading festival I think, which is worth a watch. Kane is at his blistering best on guitar duty.
Lisa, this is like catching starlight in a poem—moody, iconic, and full of Bowie’s beautiful contradictions. Ashes to Ashes to Life on Mars, you’ve made the titles hum with quiet power. Loved every line
Darienne, this pulses with pure Bronski brilliance! It’s like you dropped the needle on the vinyl and let the titles spin themselves into a neon-lit dance floor of feeling—heartbreak, heat, and bold defiance all in one.
Smalltown Boy to This Heart, you’ve captured that ache and fire so true to their sound. I felt the rhythm rise through Screaming and Cha Cha Heels, then soften in Memories and Love to Love You Baby. What a journey—what a tribute. You’ve turned titles into movement. Bravo!
What if I've made 16 long Poems heavily inspired by Song Titles by Bob Dylan, and released them as an AudioPoetryBook on Eleven Labs Reader ... is that overkill 🙈
Gotta go home
By the rivers of Babylon
I'm born again
We kill the world
Painter man
Ribbons of blue
,
Rasputin
Daddy Cool
Gotta Go Home
Belfast
Ma Baker
.
Bahama Mama
I see a boat on the river
Somewhere in the world
Brown Girl in the Ring
Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday
.
Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord
Feliz Navidad
Happy Song
El Lute
Kalimba de Luna
.
Boney M songs
Those titles bring back so many, many memories!
Love this!!
Thank you Lisa!
Oh those songs were so much fun! I've finally joined in with this party today, and I look forward to playing all month.
You better!
I will!! I love stuff like this!!!
Great! Welcome!
I inherited my parents record player and have Brown girl in the ring on vinyl, I must have played it one hundred times as a kid! This poem makes - me wanna go home :)
Aaaaaw! thank you Treasa! Your song title poetry here has been very much appreciated! Brown girl in the ring tra la la la la is a great song.
Writer Pilgrim, this is a full-blown Boney M odyssey—soaked in disco light and global rhythm! From Rasputin to Kalimba de Luna, you’ve spun a tapestry that moves like a celebration and aches like memory. Gotta Go Home never sounded so rich with story. What a ride
Thank you Wild! Their music is quite something. Just seen they're on tour as well. I am guessing the singing line up not the ones we saw on the record covers back then.
Jackson Browne (Haikus)
Minutes to downtown
A little too soon to say
Running on empty
Before the deluge
If I could be anywhere
Sing my songs to me
Fountain of sorrow
For a dancer Walking slow
Tender is the night
Linda Paloma
A song for Barcelona
Of missing persons
Lives in the balance
The barricades of heaven
Too many angels
Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you Gordon!
Song titles AND haiku, a double challenge! This really works.
Some of you are really taking this to the next level!
Very nicely done! Love it
Love it!
That's amazing how they all fit together like that. Very nicely done. And they're all amazing songs, too... 😎👍
That is amazing.
Here’s a warm and poetic reply you could offer Gordon, in tune with the reflective tone of his Jackson Browne haikus:
⸻
Gordon, these haikus feel like quiet footsteps through a memory—each one a soft echo of Jackson Browne’s soul-searching lyrics. Fountain of Sorrow to Barricades of Heaven, you’ve distilled his spirit into something still and luminous. A beautiful, contemplative tribute.
2 May 2025
Letter B
This is an acrostic poem using Tony Bennett’s birth name, Anthony Dominick Benedetto, with each line composed solely of his song titles. Fun to try something really different.
⸻
A N T H O N Y
A – Anything Goes
N – New York State of Mind
T – The Good Life
H – How Do You Keep the Music Playing?
O – One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)
N – Nice Work If You Can Get It
Y – Young and Warm and Wonderful
⸻
D O M I N I C K
D – Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
O – On the Sunny Side of the Street
M – Mood Indigo
I – I Left My Heart in San Francisco
N – Night and Day
I – I Wanna Be Around
C – Cold, Cold Heart
K – Keep the Faith, Baby
⸻
B E N E D E T T O
B – Because of You
E – Emily
N – Nature Boy
E – Evenin’
D – Days of Wine and Roses
E – Every Time We Say Goodbye
T – The Best Is Yet to Come
T – Tender Is the Night
O – Once Upon a Time
The master is back! Thank you Gloria!
You know how much I love putting these puzzles together. 🎉
No? Your work shows it, you were made for this Gloria!
My secret? I’m a high-functioning dyslexic, which is a fancy way of saying I see words like a jigsaw puzzle missing a few corner pieces.
I mispronounce things so often, I’ve started introducing myself with a disclaimer. LOL
Me too. And I am not dyslexic. More like the character in The Accountant (movie). Give me a puzzle (like this poetry challange) ... and go. "I'm not finished yet"
Aaaawww! It’s great seeing you here every month with this challenge!
Wow! Just, wow🫶🏻
Thank you very much, Darienne.
So clever, I will be stealing the acrostic poem idea later in this challenge for sure ;)
Gorgeous!
Thanks, Tali.
Very nice take on the prompt, well done!
Definitely!
Thank you! 🙏
Gloria, this is music in poem form—a tribute not just to Tony Bennett, but to the artistry of naming emotion through song. The way you wove his titles into the spine of his birth name feels like a love letter to his entire journey. Each line sings its own note, but together, they become a ballad—elegant, nostalgic, and rich with feeling.
You’ve made The Good Life live again, one title at a time. I’m in awe of the tenderness and craft here. Thank you for reminding us that The Best Is Yet to Come—especially when poetry dances with music like this.
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Confessin’ the Blues
—a song title poem using only B.B. King songs (from Deuces Wild and Blues on the Bayou)
.
Confessin’ the Blues—
Dangerous Mood.
I’ll Survive.
Shake It Up and Go.
There Must Be a Better World Somewhere.
.
Confessin’ the Blues—
Paying the Cost to Be the Boss.
The Thrill Is Gone.
Broken Promise.
Good Man Gone Bad.
.
Confessin’ the Blues—
If That Ain’t It, I Quit.
Broken Promise.
Cryin’ Won’t Help You Babe.
There Must Be a Better World Somewhere.
.
Confessin’ the Blues—
Night Life.
Blues Man.
Please Send Me Someone to Love.
There’s a Place for Us.
Like how you’ve used repetition here. Wonderful BB King songs. Thank you Wild!
Yes, great use of repetition. I shall take note of this!!
Cesca, thank you so much. Coming from you—as a published poetry author—that truly means a lot to me. It just felt right in the moment, somehow. And I only just noticed that Gloria did something similar in her stunning Song Title poetry, using songs by Aretha. So beautiful.
Oh Jay, you flatterer! It’s such a great idea, I’ve never done anything like this before, and it feels right up my alley:)
That’s a beut!!🙌🏻
Thank you Darienne, reading this first thing in the morning, truly lets the day start on a wonderful note. I appreciate you.
David Bowie
.
The man who sold the world
Under pressure
As the world falls down
This is not America
.
Oh! You pretty things
Dancing in the street
Young Americans
Rock n roll suicide
.
Five years
Absolute beginners
Ashes to ashes
Life on Mars?
I love David Bowie, so much essence and character and this foreshadows what we're seeing today in our world. How accurate and precise these titles are. Thank you Lisa, what a wonderful job you've done with this selection.
It is fantastic, isn’t it? So apt. Every line.
Thanks 😊
Oof, too real a prophecy from Bowie! Depressing but brilliant.
Great selection and sooo relevant🙌🏻
Brilliant selection, and perfect for these times.
I was going with David Bowie, but having read this great piece, I had to go The Beatles route. Love this one.
Thanks Kevin, just read your Beatles one, really good!
We can do another one on Bowie. He left such a rich, varied body of work. I’m glad I got to see him live, just the once, but he was magic. Oozed charisma. His work with Mick Ronson has aged well, his late 70’s and 80’s work was so good. A soundtrack to our lives. His work with Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop, is the stuff of legend. I have a Spotify playlist of his songs and I pop it on every now and then, depending on my mood. Miss him! And Lou!
Take care, and have a peaceful weekend, under the moonlight. The serious moonlight!
How I love that line with the serious moonlight! “Let’s Dance“ and it’s good to see Bowie, I think we forgot about him last year. You can always do another one, or save it for next year. It’s hard to fit everything inside one poem. It’s absolutely fine to leave something out! No pressure!
Pressure, pushing down me
Pushing down on you
No man ask for!
😎
The serious moonlight. Three words that bring back glorious memories for this patron.
This is the line that stands out in the song! Apart from the chorus with let’s dance it the serious moonlight. I had to go and read the lyrics again as I’ve never paid attention to the rest of it! Shocking but it is such a powerful song, emotive, haunting, gorgeous!
Bowie produced so much, that you could potter about with his song titles for weeks! He truly was a star man. We were so lucky to grow up listening to the likes of him, as the likes of him and some others I could be here all night mentioning, will not be seen again. They cut the edge so finely, those following in their footsteps had to incorporate their sounds into their music. Jarvis Cocker and Pulp, Brett Anderson and Suede, even Damon Alborn and Blur, all nod vigorously towards Bowies vocals style. Having Mick Ronson with him in the early 70’s must have been like having Stravinsky in the band. He could play anything, was classically trained, and a whizz in the production booth, knowing just where to drop a string section into a Ziggy Stardust tune. And all he wanted was beer, and rolled up cigarettes. Moonage Daydream, which Alex Turner and his Last Shadow Puppets side band covered, with Miles Kane wringing every note of the guitar solo on it it for all it is worth, still stands up as a classic, 50 years after its release. There’s a YouTube video of Turner and Kane playing it live a couple of years ago, at the Reading festival I think, which is worth a watch. Kane is at his blistering best on guitar duty.
Thank. I’m an..
Absolute beginner !
Lisa, this is like catching starlight in a poem—moody, iconic, and full of Bowie’s beautiful contradictions. Ashes to Ashes to Life on Mars, you’ve made the titles hum with quiet power. Loved every line
Thanks so much!
May 2 Song Title Challenge Bronski Beat
Do It
💗
Hard rain
Smalltown boy
Close to the edge
Run from love
❤️
Slow down
Cha cha heels
Heatwave
I feel love
🧡
Screaming
Truthdare doubledare
C’mon c’mon
Love and money
🩵
In my dreams
Memories
This heart
Love to love you baby
❤️🔥
Excellent weaving of a story here. I love the ones you chose.
Read while listening to Smalltown Boy. Gonna make this my playlist for today. Slow down cha cha heels- haha brilliant!
Was quietly pleased with that little couplet! Great to hear/read your words again! hope you’re doing well.
Oh, those wonderful 80s songs! My clubbing time!
♥️ thank Darienne! The beauty lies in the short stanzas and how much emotion they bring.
Gave it a kind of 80’s vibe. Particularly pleased with:
Slow down
Cha cha heels☺️
Darienne, this pulses with pure Bronski brilliance! It’s like you dropped the needle on the vinyl and let the titles spin themselves into a neon-lit dance floor of feeling—heartbreak, heat, and bold defiance all in one.
Smalltown Boy to This Heart, you’ve captured that ache and fire so true to their sound. I felt the rhythm rise through Screaming and Cha Cha Heels, then soften in Memories and Love to Love You Baby. What a journey—what a tribute. You’ve turned titles into movement. Bravo!
These are all song written and performed by GARY BARLOW (you may know him as the lead singer of TAKE THAT)
So Help me Girl,
Are you Ready now ?
Why Can’t I Wake Up With You?
Love Won’t Wait!
Never Forget,
Babe,
The Flood.
Before We Get Too Old,
Hold Up A Light,
Pray,
Stronger,
Arms Around Me,
This is the Time,
Lay Down for Love.
Welcome fellow poet to the song title poetry! Thank you for the Barlow poem and plea!
I loved it 🥰
HOLD ON
Hold onto your soul
Pack it up
Sunflower
Heart in hand
Pressed for time
Hold onto your soul
.
A lil one to ease myself into this years May song title challenge. I already missed yesterday, oops!
Songs from Galway trad band, We Banjo 3.
https://youtu.be/6n9EVOCJz2I?si=gKJQOfp_LDBv_Lyg
Beautiful! Great to have you here and I love what you bring. Pressed flowers and pressed for time. That's where my mind went. Thank you Treasa
Good to be back!
Lovely!
Love this Treasa, words I needed today🌻
Thanks Darienne!
This is a tribute to Bronski Beat and includes the name of one song that bruises my heart every time I hear it.
(All titles are inside quotes.)
This "smalltown boy" is "screaming" "why!"
The "heatwave" is his "punishment for love".
"In my dreams", "it ain't necessarily so",
But "we know how it feels"
When they "hit that perfect beat".
I "truthdare doubledare" you to "do it" to "this heart".
Very melancholy piece Tali and it works amazingly with titles only too. This went straight to the heart.❤️
Thank you :) X
I see my mistake... Should have no connecting words... Let me try again.
Smalltown boy sc
reaming why!
Heatwave - Punishment for love.
In my dreams, it ain't necessarily so,
We know how it feels
Hit that perfect beat"
Truthdare doubledare
This heart
Do it!
You did it! Perfect!
That last line is a beaut!
Thank you.
Love that we both chose Bronski Beat! This is fab❤️🔥
High five! :) X
BRYAN FERRY (Poem)
PARTY DOLL,
DON'T STOP THE DANCE,
THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT,
I'M IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE,
PARTY DOLL,
DRIVING ME WILD,
YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE,
DON'T EVER CHANGE... 💃😎💃
My go at this: I'm using Black Sabbath song titles for this challenge.
Dear Father
When Death Calls
Snowblind
Zero the Hero
Trashed
Heaven and Hell
Am I Going Insane (?)
... sorry my bad. Here's 1 short 1 with titles from TRACKS II: THE LOST ALBUMS by Bruce Springsteen:
Lonely Town, One Love
Late in the Evening -
September Kisses
an Aztec Dance ...
Yeah,
maybe I was Born to Run,
So I run into the Darkness on the Edge of the Town.
There I Dancing in the Dark,
and I run into the Tunnel of Love
and there I found Devils & Dust.
Now I’m going down to the River,
and into the River I dive,
and I got Stones in my Mouth,
and I almost get Lost in the Flood.
It was a Lonesome Day with Empty Sky,
and I found my City in Ruins.
It feels like when You’re Alone on Valentine’s Day…
~ a part of my 13th of April 2020 poem ~
inspired of words from Bruce Springsteen
( full poem here: https://ib2.se/13/20200413.htm )
Welcome Lennart! Lovely to read this, you may wanna try with song titles only, no other words please for this challenge that is.😂
What if I've made 16 long Poems heavily inspired by Song Titles by Bob Dylan, and released them as an AudioPoetryBook on Eleven Labs Reader ... is that overkill 🙈
https://elevenreader.io/app/reader/shared/bb9f167ced582d5e42503ed8ef54e1e0d9cb8b81015623c16b78a8024f921baf/Y4tvnxVG7qs05aZxd5YG
Here's a quick one, based on the song-titles of Erykah Badu:
.
-: love song :-
.
come close
orange moon—
.
all night
long
the light
.
in love
with you
.
.
<3
Gorgeous just like the moonlight! Thank you, Dick!
The Beatles
Hold me tight
Don’t pass me bye
Two of us
Across the universe
Nowhere man
Till there was you
Do you want to know a secret?
All you need is love
Don’t let me down
In my life
I’ve got a feeling
I’m only sleeping
Oh darling
Love me do
Oh darling
Let it be