Thank Frida it’s Friday.
That can only mean one thing: it’s time for another music competition to get you through the weekend.
This week I want to know: What’s your favourite song by a Scandinavian artist?
Here’s mine.
Reply below to be in with a chance of winning a prized €20 voucher redeemable at Currys PC World.
The winner will be chosen by my laptop repair man.
Please include video links if possible.
Lines MUST close Saturday 11am.
Nick says: Good luck!
Earlier: Last week’s winner
The votes are in.
Last week, with a Currys PC World voucher worth 20 big ones on offer, I asked for your favourite song whose title or lyrics contain a reference to Spring?
You answered in your dozens.
But there could be only one winner.
Third Place:
Spring Cleaning by Fats Waller
Liam Deliverance writes:
‘’ll polish the leaves, make them green again
Shake out the trees, change the scene again
Spring cleaning – gettin’ ready for love”‘A wonderfully upbeat little number for these dark days.’
Runner-up:
Les Fleurs by 4hero
axelf writes:
“For all of these simple things and much more a flower was born
It blooms to spread love and joy faith and hope to people forlorn”‘That’s springy enough for me.’
Winner:
The Colour of Spring by Mark Hollis
Fergalito writes:
“Hands down winner or no damned justice in this world.”
Narrator: There was justice in this world.
Nick says: Thanks all.
Last week: Win Nick’s PC Voucher
The votes are in.
Last week, with an electrifying €20 Currys PC World gift voucher on offer, I asked you to name your favourite song featuring phones or phone calls. This was mine.
You dialled in in your dozens.
But there could be only winning caller.
Third Place:
Telephone Road by Steve Earle
Charger Salmons writes:
‘The first time I heard this I was driving down a two-lane blacktop in a big fat old Buick just as dawn rose on a big sky Texas. I had a fresh pack of Winston, a big steaming cup of black coffee and the future Lady Charger asleep in the passenger seat.This track just made perfect driving music.I particularly love the wailing Hammond organ.
I was delivering a car from upstate New York to the West Coast.The company involved gave you five days to make the trip, a certain mileage to do it in and the first tank of gas. Didn’t cost me a thing except the gas to get across and cheap roadside motels. It was the cheapest way to cross America on someone else’s dime. It was only later that I found out the real Telephone Road was only a few hundred miles away in the same state.’
Runner-up:
Answering Machine by The Replacements
Stephen Moran writes:
‘Yes the technology may be defunct but the sense of desperation is timeless .Singing into the void of the answering machine static, Westerberg bleeds out with just guitar in hand over the voicemail. “How can you say I’m lonely to an answering machine” showing that regardless of the communication medium, life remain the same: full of heart and heartbreak.’
Winner:
I’ve Got Your Number Written On The Back Of My Hand by The Jags
Muchacho Gordo-Delgado writes:
‘This is how you used to remain in touch with someone you “met” on a night out.’
Nick says: Thanks all.
Last week: Win Nick’s Voucher
As one door closes, another one opens…
This is the first music competition sponsored by our gracious new voucher host: Curry’s PC World.
To celebrate, the question this week is: What’s your favourite song featuring phones or phone calls?
Here’s mine.
The winner will be chosen by my repair man and sent a €20 Currys PC World gift voucher (yes, twenty big ones).
Please include video links if possible.
Lines close SATURDAY 11am.
Nick says: Good luck.
Earlier: Nick’s Gone All PC
This afternoon.
Broadsheet music editor Nick Kelly bids a fond farewell to his voucher sponsor since skinny jeans were last in, thriving record store chain Golden Discs.
Currys PC World will take over voucher sponsoring duties later this afternoon.
Nick says: Thanks to Sinéad and everyone at Golden Discs. It was beautiful.
SAGE Barista Express, the best-selling coffee machine during Lockdown at Currys PC World
This month.
Currys PC World commissioned a survey to find out what appliances people couldn’t live without during lockdown.
Lia Stokes writes:
With 74% of people saying they attempted to bake during lockdown and 59% saying they drink 2-4 cups of coffee per day, there’s no guessing when it comes to the appliances we’ve been relying on this year.
When it came to lockdown in March this year, it seems people were relying heavily on their coffee machines with more than a quarter of respondents saying it was their hero appliance during this time!
Other close contenders were the humble kettle, as well as the dishwasher – possibly the top argument-saving appliance in the home. Some rather unexpected lockdown heroes included a sous vide and a pet hair hoover!
Caffeine was king during this period with 65% of people saying they have and use a coffee machine and 59% saying they drink between 2-4 cups per day.
There’s no doubt many of us embraced our inner baker this year with a whopping 74% of people saying they tried their hand at it. Although banana bread was undoubtedly the internet’s favourite food this year, just 29% of people admitted to whipping up a batch of their own.
Cakes were in fact the preferred choice, with 34% of people claiming to have created their own showstoppers. 28% of people opted to bake their own bread (including Brian O’Driscoll!) during lockdown including sourdough, brown bread and focaccia and not a single respondent used a breadmaker to assist their efforts! However, stand mixers accounted for 34% of the efforts while electric hand mixers made up 46.5%.
G’wan the massive telly.
This afternoon.
Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
Black Friday shoppers at Currys PC World, Ireland’s largest electrical retailer for its biggest-ever Black Friday sale.
Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland
