I like to create playlists of music from the country I’ll be visiting. This autumn, it’s the Best of England tour. I already have all sorts of English singers/bands in my iTunes, from the Beatles to the Stones, from Kaiser Chiefs to Keane, from Petula Clark to Adele. (I even have Scooch. I am not proud of this fact.) Throw in some Oasis and a metric ton of ‘80s stuff and I’d have a playlist to last for days.
What I’d really like to include is more traditional music from England, and by “traditional” (which is not really the right word but I can’t think of a better one) I don’t mean 'Greensleeves' and 'Scarborough Fair.' I’m looking more for songs that English people are practically born knowing. The kind of thing that’s sung at the football or at a wedding. That song that comes on the jukebox in a pub or wherever and people will start singing along. A tune that means England to you.
I’ll probably also throw in a little classical … a bit of Elgar or something like that. Other suggestions are welcome. I’m also happy to add songs that aren’t necessarily English themselves or even sung by an English person (e.g., Sinatra singing “A Foggy Day”) but which evoke England.
Thanks. I’ve received great recommendations when I’ve asked this same question for other countries and am hoping I’ll get some terrific ideas for England too.