Song Stories

A minor Manchester collision, car insurance, Declan McKenna and the 192 bus became one of Blossoms’ strangest and catchiest songs

A shimmering collision of melancholy and euphoria, ‘When the Sun Hits’ became Slowdive’s defining song. Explore its meaning, sound and journey from shoegaze backlash to modern classic.

A flood of headlines, tragedy and modern anxiety held together by one stubborn piece of hope. Explore the meaning and story behind The 1975’s ‘Love It If We Made It’.

MGMT wrote ‘Time to Pretend’ while joking about becoming rock stars. Then it helped make them famous. Explore the meaning and strange story behind their defining anthem.

Joy Division still echoes beneath it, but ‘Age of Consent’ is the sound of New Order finding their own identity. Explore the meaning and story behind my favourite song by the band

How one of Oasis’ simplest songs became one of the most recognisable British songs ever written

Inside one of Jarvis Cocker’s darkest songs, where fame, paranoia and the comedown from Britpop collide

Alex Turner turns infatuation into one of his most theatrical and romantic songs

The song Caleb Followill nearly dismissed became Kings of Leon’s defining anthem, transforming a throwaway idea into one of the biggest rock songs of its era.

How Daft Punk turned disco samples, filtered house and pure euphoria into a song that helped define ‘Discovery’ and changed electronic pop forever

A song built around memory, nostalgia and letting go became Jungle’s breakthrough moment, turning the hazy world of ‘Volcano’ into a global hit.

Four simple chords became one of Tom Petty’s most enduring songs, using flight as a metaphor for uncertainty, grief, recovery and learning how to keep going.