Current standings:
Rich: 11/22 correct, 29/120 points (24%)
Steve: 5/10 correct, 18/72 points (23%)
Steve's connection. Rich didn't get it.
The first four songs that were played at the beginning of Radar episode #1 (but in reverse order to make it harder):
- Charlotte Hatherley - Alexander
- The Jane Shermans - Young & Hungry
- Rilo Kiley - Portions For Foxes
- Julian Casablancas - Out Of The Blue
Rich's connection. Steve didn't get it. (Robin texted in with the right answer.)
Four songs recorded at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall (because today is St Piran's Day!).
- Muse - Sunburn
- Supergrass - Going Out
- The Stone Roses - Fools Gold
- Oasis - Bring It On Down
Steve hoped to trick Rich with a connection similar to another recent one, but Rich got it right away!
Four songs with music videos directed by Spike Jonze:
- Beastie Boys - Sabotage
- Weezer - Buddy Holly
- Tenacious D - Wonderboy
- Daft Punk - Da Funk
Steve's connection. Rich did not guess.
Vocalists who all appeared on the 2020 series of The Masked Singer (UK).
- Hot Leg - Heroes
- Justin Hawkins (Chameleon) in a non-Darkness side project
- The 1999 Manchester United Squad - Lift It High (All About Belief)
- This squad included Teddy Sheringham (Tree)
- Scissor Sisters - It Can't Come Quickly Enough
- Skunk Anansie - Rise Up
Steve's connection. Rich circled it but ultimately missed.
Four (plus a bonus fifth!) songs with music videos directed by Michel Gondry:
- Foo Fighters - Everlong
- Bjork - Army Of Me
- The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl
- Massive Attack - Protection
- Radiohead - Knives Out
Steve's connection. Rich did not guess (until he looked up the lyrics online, but it doesn't count!).
Four songs mentioning John F Kennedy (plus a fifth song which mentions him but not by name):
- Pearl Jam - Brain Of J
- Who's got the brain of JFK?
What's it mean to us now?
- The Postal Service - Sleeping In
- Last week I had the strangest dream
where everything was exactly how it seemed
where there was never any mystery
of who shot John F Kennedy
- Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire
- JFK
Blown away
What else do I have to say
- Guns N' Roses - Civil War
- And in my first memories
They shot Kennedy
I went numb when I learned to see
- Inspiral Carpets - Saturn 5
- Laying down the lifeless corpse of
President 35
The lady crying by his side is
The most beautiful woman alive
Rich's connection. Steve guessed it.
Four songs with lyrics that are popularly misunderstood.
- Babybird - You're Gorgeous
- A male photographer exploits female models - not a love song.
- REM - The One I Love
- Using people ("a simple prop to occupy my time") - not a love song.
- The Police - Every Breath You Take
- Obsession and jealousy of a possessive lover - not a wholesome positive message (but still about love, possibly).
- Lou Reed - Perfect Day
- A reverse-misunderstanding - Lou Reed says this is in fact the simple romantic song it appears to be, and isn't about love of heroin as many people assume.
Steve's connection. Rich guessed it.
Four songs with lyrics about excess consumption of alcohol:
- The Handsome Family - So Much Wine
- Weezer - Say It Ain't So
- The Beautfiul South - Old Red Eyes Is Back
- Santino Fontana - Greg's Drinking Song
Steve's connection. Rich did not guess it.
Four songs whose titles implied the event of Halloween on October 31.
- David Bowie - Hallo Spaceboy
- Foo Fighters - Weenie Beenie
- JJ72 - October Swimmer
- Little Jackie - 31 Flavors
Steve's connection. Rich guessed it.
Four songs from albums which feature dogs on their cover art.
- Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
- Tusk (the album) has a photo of a dog pulling at a trouser leg
- Blur - Magic America
- Parklife shows greyhounds racing
- Beck - Sissyneck
- Odelay shows a Komondor jumping over a hurdle
- Kate Bush - Cloudbusting
- Hounds Of Love has Kate Bush and two dogs on the cover
Steve's connection. Rich guessed it.
Four songs with titles which reference keys on a computer keyboard.
- Supergrass - Jesus Came From Outta Space
- Rupert Holmes - Escape (The Pina Colada Song)
- Super Furry Animals - Out Of Control
- The Bluetones - Slight Return
Rich's connection. Steve failed.
Four songs with names in which could match successive Conservative party leaders
- The Divine Comedy - Edward The Confessor
- Camera Obscura - Come Back Margaret
- David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing
- The Smiths - William, It Was Really Nothing
Steve's connection. Rich guessed it.
Four songs from bands which included Johnny Marr at the time of recording:
- The Cribs - Nothing
- Modest Mouse - Florida
- Electronic - Getting Away With It
- The Smiths - Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Rich's connection. Steve did not work it out.
Four songs chosen from the many used by Donald Trump, against the wishes of the artists, at his campaign rallies:
- Queen - We Are The Champions
- REM - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
- Adele - Rolling In The Deep
- Elton John - Rocket Man
Rich's connection. Steve got halfway there but ultimately failed.
The four songs were by bands whose names were literarily-inspired:
- Modest Mouse - Dashboard
- From the Virigina Woolf story "The Mark On The Wall" ("...even in the minds of modest mouse-coloured people").
- The Doors - Love Me Two Times
- Named after "The Doors Of Perception" by Aldous Huxley
- Belle & Sebastian - 3... 6... 9 Seconds Of Light
- Named after "Belle et Sébastien" by Cécile Aubry
- The Boo Radleys - From The Bench At Belvidere
- Named after the character Boo Radley from "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Steve's connection. Rich somehow missed it.
All four songs were from eponymous albums that are more commonly known by the colour of their cover:
- The Band - Across The Great Divide
- Album The Band is known as The Brown Album
- Metallica - Enter Sandman
- Album Metallica is known as The Black Album
- Weezer - In The Garage
- Album Weezer is known as The Blue Album
- The Beatles - Helter Skelter
- Album The Beatles is known as The White Album
Steve's connection. Rich got close but not close enough!
The four artists had numbers in their names. The sum of those numbers was 3+5+7+5+6+7+8 = 41, so the connection was the band Sum 41.
- Oui 3 - For What It's Worth
- Jurassic 5 - Jayou
- L7 - Pretend We're Dead
- The 5, 6, 7, 8s - Woo Hoo
Rich's connection. Steve guessed successfully.
All four song titles are related to Stanley Kubrick films.
- Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
- Radio 4 - Eyes Wide Open
- Blonde Redhead - Dr Strangeluv
- Badly Drawn Boy - The Shining
Steve's connection. Rich guessed successfully.
These acts all use slightly unusual punctuation in their names.
- Anderson .Paak - Heart Don't Stand A Chance
- The Go! Team - Huddle Formation
- Therapy? - Nowhere
- D:Ream - Things Can Only Get Better
Steve's connection. Rich sort of half got it.
Jessica Biel made some comments recently which were interpreted as being against vaccinations.
- Electric Six - Jessica Dresses Like A Dragon
- Elephant Stone - Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin
- Jessica Biel starred in The Sinner
- Ladyhawke - Vaccine
- The White Stripes - Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine
Steve's connection. Rich did not work it out.
The connection was a song which has superior adjectives to these four - "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk.
- Andrew WK - Party Hard
- Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc
- REM - So Fast, So Numb
- Crowded House - Something So Strong
Steve's connection. Rich did not work it out (but guest presenter Skye did).
- David Lindup - The Zodiac
- Alesha Dixon - Son Of A Preacher Man
- Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra - Do It With A Rockstar
- Simon & Garfunkel - America
Rich's connection. Steve guessed successfully.
- Midnight Oil - Put Down That Weapon
- Peter Garrett became a member of the House of Representatives in Australia
- Blur - Best Days
- Dave Rowntree stood for election as an MP, and has been elected a county councillor
- Longpigs - Dance Baby Dance
- Crispin Hunt stood for election as an MEP in this year's European Parliament election
- Nirvana - Serve The Servants
- Krist Novoselic is a political activist
Steve's connection. Rich did not work it out.
- Jesus Jones - Right Here, Right Now
- "A woman on the radio talked about revolution
when it's already passed her by
Bob Dylan didn't have this to sing about
you know it feels good to be alive"
- Frank Turner - I Am Disappeared
- "I keep having dreams
Of pioneers and pirate ships and Bob Dylan
Of people wrapped up tight in the things that will kill them
Of being trapped in a lift plunging straight to the bottom
Of open seas and ways of life we've forgotten"
- "Posters of Dylan and of Hemingway
An antique compass for a sailor's escape"
- "I'm by the roadside with my thumb out
A car pulls up, and Bob's driving"
- The Who - The Seeker
- "I asked Bobby Dylan
I asked The Beatles
I asked Timothy Leary
But he couldn't help me either"
- Counting Crows - Mr Jones
- "I wanna be Bob Dylan
Mr Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky
When everybody loves you
Ah son, that's just about as funky as you can be"
Rich's connection. Steve guessed successfully.
- Snow Patrol - Ask Me How I Am
- Gary Lightbody played a Bolton soldier and sang "The Bear And The Maiden Fair" in season 3.
- Sigur Ros - Stormur
- The band were musicians at Joffrey's wedding in season 4, and recorded a version of "The Rains Of Castamere" for the show.
- Coldplay - Don't Panic
- Will Champion played a drummer at a wedding in season 3.
- Ed Sheeran - Wayfaring Stranger
- Ed Sheeran played a soldier and sang "Hands Of Gold" in season 7.
Steve's connection. Rich guessed successfully.
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Albert Goes West
- Billy Bragg & Wilco - Hot Rod Hotel
- Mexrrissey - El Primero Del Gang
- The Strokes - One Way Trigger
Rich's connection. Steve did not work it out.
- OneRepublic - Love Runs Out
- Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic co-wrote "Rumour Has It" with Adele
- Tobias Jesso Jr - How Could You Babe
- Tobias co-wrote "When We Were Young" with Adele
- Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul
- Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) co-wrote "River Lea" with Adele
- Bob Dylan - I Want You
- Bob Dylan wrote "Make You Feel My Love", famously performed by Adele
Steve's connection. Rich guessed successfully.
- Grinderman - Depth Charge Ethel
- Radiohead - The Bends
- Hundred Reasons - Drowning
- Gruff Rhys - Shark Ridden Waters
Rich's connection. Steve guessed successfully.
- Terry Hall - Chasing A Rainbow
- Terry appears on the single "911" by Gorillaz & D12
- Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side
- Lou appears on "Some Kind Of Nature" (Plastic Beach)
- Gruff Rhys - Drones In The City
- Gruff appears on "Superfast Jellyfish" (Plastic Beach)
- Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street
- Bobby appears on "Stylo" and "Cloud Of Unknowing" (both Plastic Beach), and "Bobby In Phoenix" (The Fall)
Steve's connection. Rich guessed successfully.
- Ben Folds Five - Theme From Dr Pyser
- Space - Theme From "Baretta Vendetta"
- Blur - Theme From Retro
- The Divine Comedy - Theme From Casanova
Steve's connection. Rich did not work it out.
- The Handsome Family - Far From Any Road
- Theme tune from season one of True Detective
- Leonard Cohen - Nevermind
- Theme tune from season two of True Detective
- Cassandra Wilson - Death Letter
- Theme tune from season three of True Detective
Steve's connection. Rich guessed successfully.
- Sheavy - Automaton
- Jamiroquai album: Automaton (2017)
- Junior Senior - Dynamite
- Jamiroquai album: Dynamite (2005)
- Prince - Planet Earth
- Jamiroquai album: Emergency On Planet Earth (1993)
- Kacey Musgraves - Space Cowboy
- Jamiroquai album: The Return Of The Space Cowboy (1994)
