I suspected we might be listening to The Beatles in this episode. Instead I got Blondie and The Monkees, neither of which were expected… both of which put a big smile on my face!

Welcome to another episode of All About The Music, where I’m joined by Samira Ahmed — broadcaster, journalist and author – whose interest in music is every bit as great and varied as you’d expect from a presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Front Row.

From her first album – Blondie’s Parallel Lines – via piano lessons and Claude Debussy, to the bizarre brilliance of William Shatner covering Pulp’s Common People, Samira and I chat our way through many times in her life and find music at the heart of all of them.

I absolutely loved picking apart the simple poetic magic of Nick Drake with someone who adores his work. And it’s always a pleasure to discuss how much better The Monkees are than many people assume!

Follow Samira Ahmed: https://twitter.com/SamiraAhmedUK

Find the Spotify playlist of all Samira’s selections here. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1zesdmdIW0rheIt2Jkm96q

Featured artists & tracks:

Blondie, “One Way or Another”, “Heart of Glass”

Nick Drake, “At the Chime of a City Clock”, “Parasite”

Claude Debussy, “Arabesque No.1”

The Monkees, “The Girl I Knew Somewhere”

Frank Sinatra & Betty Garrett, “Come Up To My Place”

Pulp, “Babies”

William Shatner, “Common People”

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