One thing I enjoy doing is creating fun playlists that tie songs together with common threads that are a little more fun than "Dance Music" or "Stuff to Listen to While I Exercise."
For instance, I am an avid tea drinker. I was raised on tea, thanks to the influence of my grandfather, whose parents immigrated to the US from Scotland in the 1920s. As I grew older and developed my love for what is usually termed "classic rock" I became enamored with British bands and came to discover many songs that were about tea, or at least mentioned tea in the passing. And so I have created a rather lengthy playlist of such songs. But rather than bore you with the entire list, here are just 5 great songs about or mentioning tea, for your enjoyment.
"Have a Cuppa Tea" | The Kinks -- I thought I would begin with the obvious choice. This Kinks classic, from the 1972 album Muswell Hillbillies, boasts of the benefits of drinking tea, from its apparent cure-all magic to its power to unite people despite class or political differences. This bouncy song includes the clever chorus of "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Rosie Lea." To the unknowing listener, this may seem an odd interuption in a song about tea, until one realizes that the name Rosie Lea is actually cockney-rhyming slang for tea. Tea is a topic mentioned in many a Kinks tune; another great song is "Afternoon Tea" from Something Else By the Kinks.
"Tea & Theatre" | The Who -- A more recent track from a great old band, this song from the 2006 album Endless Wire is a bit of a tear jerker. Its a song of memory and loss and a search for comfort, which happens, in some part, to come in the form of a good old cup of tea. This is the first Who track to feature the drink in its title, but not the first mention of it in song. Just one example is on 1971 Who's Next; the song "Going Mobile" featured Townshend singing "make the toast and tea." How English.
"Tea for One" | Led Zeppelin -- There's no mention of tea in this song's lyrics whatsoever, but who doesn't love a 9.5 minute Zeppelin rocker? Jimmy Page's guitar work on this track is phenomenal on this bluesy number, and John Bonham's slow, clear drumming is sure to hypnotize the listener. Presence is worth the buy just for this song alone.
"Lost in the Supermarket" | The Clash -- The London Calling album is a collection of many amazing songs, and this is perhaps my second favorite track. Our tea track here comes from the second verse, in which the narrator claims that he "save[s] coupons from packets of tea." Not only does this line speak of immense "Englishness" but also of class politics. You're not saving coupons unless you need to save a bit of dough on your groceries. This song is a great nostolgic classic which looks at class politics and superficialiaty.
"I'll Be Late for Tea" | Blossom Toes -- I honestly never heard of this band or knew of this song until I happened upon it from a cd included with an issue of Mojo magazine. And I still don't know anything about the band other than this song, but I must say, I quite enjoy it. Featured on the band's album We Are Ever So Clean, it's a trippy song with lyrics that don't make much sense and border on a dream-like state of consciousness, but it's also very up beat and very sixties.
So start building up a nice tea playlist of your own to play in the mid afternoon as you relax with a nice cuppa and perhaps a scone.
" | The Kinks -- I thought I would begin with the obvious choice. This Kinks classic, from the 1972 album Muswell Hillbillies
, boasts of the benefits of drinking tea, from its apparent cure-all magic to its power to unite people despite class or political differences. This bouncy song includes the clever chorus of "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Rosie Lea." To the unknowing listener, this may seem an odd interuption in a song about tea, until one realizes that the name Rosie Lea is actually cockney-rhyming slang for tea. Tea is a topic mentioned in many a Kinks tune; another great song is "Afternoon Tea" from Something Else By the Kinks
.
" | The Who -- A more recent track from a great old band, this song from the 2006 album Endless Wire
is a bit of a tear jerker. Its a song of memory and loss and a search for comfort, which happens, in some part, to come in the form of a good old cup of tea. This is the first Who track to feature the drink in its title, but not the first mention of it in song. Just one example is on 1971 Who's Next
; the song "Going Mobile
" featured Townshend singing "make the toast and tea." How English.
" | Led Zeppelin -- There's no mention of tea in this song's lyrics whatsoever, but who doesn't love a 9.5 minute Zeppelin rocker? Jimmy Page's guitar work on this track is phenomenal on this bluesy number, and John Bonham's slow, clear drumming is sure to hypnotize the listener. Presence
is worth the buy just for this song alone.
" | The Clash -- The London Calling
album is a collection of many amazing songs, and this is perhaps my second favorite track. Our tea track here comes from the second verse, in which the narrator claims that he "save[s] coupons from packets of tea." Not only does this line speak of immense "Englishness" but also of class politics. You're not saving coupons unless you need to save a bit of dough on your groceries. This song is a great nostolgic classic which looks at class politics and superficialiaty.
" | Blossom Toes -- I honestly never heard of this band or knew of this song until I happened upon it from a cd included with an issue of Mojo magazine. And I still don't know anything about the band other than this song, but I must say, I quite enjoy it. Featured on the band's album We Are Ever So Clean
, it's a trippy song with lyrics that don't make much sense and border on a dream-like state of consciousness, but it's also very up beat and very sixties.
