Nick Clegg appeared on Desert Island Discs this morning, putting the worries of the world to one side and revealing his favourite tunes, reports Shamik Das.
What better way to wind down after a difficult week at the office, in which you’ve sacked 500,000 people, slashed public spending, made the poor poorer and seen your party sink in the polls, than to close your eyes, dream you’re on a far-away island (I don’t know, maybe Belize, the Cayman Islands or the British Virgin Islands – I hear some of Clegg’s Tory chums can fill him in on that) and spin some discs…
So the deputy prime minister did with an appearance on Desert Island Discs this morning, putting the worries of the world to one side and revealing his favourite tunes. His choice was a coalition of new, newish and old, of seventies Bowie and Cash and 19th-century Schubert and Chopin. And Shakira, Shakira…
But what songs and lyrics should Mr Clegg have chosen in light of the week’s events? As ever, Twitter has the answers, so here are some of the best #Cleggsongs tweeted today:
• It’s my party and I’ll lie if I want to (Lesley Gore)
• I would do anything for Gove (And yes, I would do that) (Meat Loaf)
• Blue is the colour (Chelsea 1970 FA Cup Final song)
• First cut is the deepest (Cat Stevens)
• Liar (Sex Pistols)
• Osborne to be my baby (Bon Jovi)
• Dirty deeds done cheap (AC/DC)
• Puppet on a string (Sandie Shaw)
• Loser (Beck)
• Tory seems to be the hardest word (Elton John)
• I like big cuts and I cannot lie (Sir Mix-A-Lot)
• If you tolerate this then your children will be next (Manic Street Preachers)
• Fake (Simply Red)
• Kill the poor (Dead Kennedys)
• Dedicated follower of Cameron (Kinks)
• Tell me lies, tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies (Fleetwood Mac)
And the best of all? Rick Astley’s Never gonna give you up, with Nick reprising his Rose Garden love-in to serenade Dave with the immortal lines:
“Never gonna give you up, Never gonna let you down, Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry, Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you…”
If you’ve got any new suggestions, leave them in the comments below or tweet #Cleggsongs, and we’ll update the piece with the best!
Update 1545hrs, 25/10/10
As promised, here are some of the best suggestions from the comments, Twitter and Facebook:
• Backstabbers (The O’Jays)
• We don’t get fooled again (The Who)
• Liar, liar, pants on fire (Chuck Brodsky)
• Gagged, shagged and bodybagged (Gorerotted)
• The cuts won’t work, they’ll just make the economy worse… but at least the liberals are in power again (The Verve)
• I’m in love with Margaret Thatcher (Notsensibles)
• Ring of fire (Johnny Cash)
• Broken promises (New Order)
• Money’s too tight to mention (Simply Red)
Finally, one of the best: “Anything on the record label HMV (His Master’s Voice)” Genius!
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40 Responses to “Clegg’s fave tune: Life on Mars – a barren, inhospitable world…”
Ellie Gellard
Best=I like big cuts & I cannot lie & If u tolerate this then ur children will be nxt RT @leftfootfwd: http://bit.ly/c0wDT9 best #Cleggsongs
Hot In Space
Clegg's fave tune: Life on Mars – a barren, inhospitable world… | Left Foot Forward
http://safe.mn/1abp
Wendy Maddox
RT @leftfootfwd: Clegg's fave tune: Life on Mars – a barren, inhospitable world… http://bit.ly/c0wDT9 the best #Cleggsongs by @shamikdas
Eddy Anderson
RT @leftfootfwd: Clegg's fave tune http://bit.ly/ckt95o (possibly the most scathing opening I've ever seen in the blogosphere!)
Bham Labour Students
http://bit.ly/bYDhI6 harsh but true. May blog a #CleggCover with full lyrics cos that's the way we roll