What music inspires you?

[Libby Davy]

Getting all multimedia around here. Just added two songs that really bring out the passionate activist in me.

Was playing Franti's freaky people as I rode along the seafront the other day, after a really positive meeting. We're planning to work with marginalised folk to teach blogging and social media - helping them see how it benefits personally and politically. "All the Freaky people make the music of the world." Love it. Wear my freakdom with pride.

Billy Bragg - Waiting for the Great Leap Forward. Always gets me going. What a song. My daughter Bea (7) demands: "Play the save the world song Mummy." We got her over the railings right up front for Billy's gig at Glastonbury last year. Choice family moment. Very stirring music.

What get's your activist heart beating? Let's hear it. You can upload MP3 and share them here.

[Biff Birkin]

Fugazi for me.
Lyrics range from the political, the positive, and the existential:

"How many times have you felt like a book case
Sitting in the living room gathering dust
Full of thoughts already written
How 'bout now?"

...from the song 'Furniture'

I'm with you on the Braggster. Saw him in Barcelona last year and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
'Accident Waiting To Happen' always gets me going...

"And if you choose to waste away
Like death is back in fashion
You're an accident waiting to happen"

Awesome!

[Libby Davy]

Any chance of uploading these tracks Biff Boff? Just been listening to your Arvo with me Moom (got in yesterday). She was hoping it was the Speigel im Speigel... and t'was indeed! Promptly fell asleep jetlagged on the day bed. Probably not a rousing, Braggesque type then...

[Biff Birkin]

ayup Libby

mmmm....Arvo Part is perfect for jetlag.
I'll have a look into uploading my tracks for y'all.

Nice one on the School of Everything feature. Proper ace!

[Beth Granter]

For empowering women -

L7 - Fast and Frightening: "...got so much clit she don't need no balls"
L7 - Shirley: " What's a beautiful girl like you doing racing in a place like this? - Winning."

Haha that's hilarious, my browser just told me 'clit' was a typo, and I had to add it to my dictionary.

[Libby Davy]

Well I am very glad to know it is in there now my dear! Some words really matter - and that is surely one of them Shirley! Any chance of uploading these tracks?

[Beth Granter]

Here's Fast and Frightening by L7 (upload). I don't have Shirley on this PC but here's the link to it for now:

Shirley by L7 on Last.FM

[Ruth Harper]

Oooh, I'm seeing Billy Bragg at Camp Bestival this year. I'm *so* excited...
"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune BUT THIS IS REALITY SO GIMME SOME ROOM!"

For a bit of zwee, nothing beats 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song' (Flaming Lips) and 'Don't Give Up' by The Noisettes...
"The Last Time" By Gnarls Barkely is a good 'un, and "Bird's Lament" by Moondog is genius (famously remixed by Mr Scruff but I prefer the original).

The Flaming Lips 'Do You Realise?' is great if you're feeling a little bit bruised and need your sense of perspective restored...

[Randy J. Hunt]

There was a great cover EP of Billy Bragg songs by a Florida band I used to listen to in high school...oh the memories. They're called Discount and the record is called "Love, Billy." Bragg with female vocals is super-good.

"President" by Wyclef Jean is a good recent one:

"If I was President,
I'd get elected on Friday,
Assasinated on Saturday,
Burried on Sunday, then go back to work on Monday."

[Biff Birkin]

OOh yeah. We have that at our house. I like their cover of Accident Waiting To Happen.

[Biff Birkin]

Take the first lady for a drink on Tuesday
We were making love by Wednesday
etc. etc.

[Graeme Sutherland]

For me, it has to be Levitation's downtempo housey classic "More Than Ever People"


You can be more than ever, people!

[Tessy Britton]

Well Libby it tends to be a bit embarrassing doesn't it? For some of us at least....

I have apparently listened to Sing It Back by Moloko 1166 times since I downloaded iTunes on the 14th March.