BBC Radio 2 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced Light Programme.

BBC Radio 2

Radio 2

Russell Davies

Music: Easy Listening, Soundtracks & Musicals

BBC Radio 4 Extra

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama. With recent favourites from BBC Radio 4.

Russell Davies celebrates the art, craft and inspiration of the popular song

Russell Davies: 18/11/2012

18/11/2012

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Russell Davies, 18/11/2012

Russell's main theme tonight is songs that reveal a location, like 'The Girl From Ipanema'

Russell's theme tonight is songs that reveal a location, such as 'The Girl From the Piano Bar'. Matt Monro's 'Love Is a Many Splendored Thing' is played in tribute to Han Suyin.

Russell opens the show with tracks from two new releases - one featuring Nat King Cole, the other by his lesser-known brother, Freddy.

Russell proceeds to take a lead from the second song - The Girl From The Piano Bar - to search for more songs "about person X from locality Y". We hear Cher's version of The Girl From Ipanema, Millicent Martin singing Sondheim's comic The Boy From..., and Dubin & Warren's She's A Latin From Manhattan, in a period recording by Victor Young's orchestra. 

There are also two airshots: The Lady From 29 Palms and The Lady In Red" (both written by Allie Wrubel); Rube Bloom's riotous The Man From The South and (after a divergence about cigar-smoking 'drummers' from The Runaway Train), Peggy Lee's You Came A Long Way From St Louis. 

The writer of that song brings up Where Flamingos Fly in a newly re-released version by Dakota Staton, after which Russell reminds us of a different song of the same title sung by The Ink Spots.

A short tribute to author Han Suyin comes in the shape of Matt Monro's Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing and the show is rounded off with one more "from" song - Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia, by The Boswell Sisters.

Amazing music. Played by an amazing line up.

Radio 2: Amazing music. Played by an amazing line-up. The home of great music, entertainment and documentaries

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Russell Davies

18/11/2012

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