Richard Elliott
@richardelliott.bsky.social
Writer, teacher and researcher based in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK). Author of books and articles about sound and music. I write the Songs and Objects newsletter at Substack (https://songstudies.substack.com/)
My last two essays on Substack have seen me returning to fado, the Portuguese song form I published a book about fifteen years ago. In this second one, I focus on Misia's 2001 album Ritual.
open.substack.com/pub/songstud...
open.substack.com/pub/songstud...
March 4, 2025 at 6:41 PM
My last two essays on Substack have seen me returning to fado, the Portuguese song form I published a book about fifteen years ago. In this second one, I focus on Misia's 2001 album Ritual.
open.substack.com/pub/songstud...
open.substack.com/pub/songstud...
My third 'Songs About Musicians' post travels along 'The Tim McGraw Chain'. It stars Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, W. Lee 'Pappy' O'Daniel and some younger fellows who like to sing about Taylor.
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
Songs About Musicians #3: The Tim McGraw Chain
What Taylor Swift got me thinking about musicians as proxies for memories.
songstudies.substack.com
February 11, 2025 at 10:10 AM
My third 'Songs About Musicians' post travels along 'The Tim McGraw Chain'. It stars Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, W. Lee 'Pappy' O'Daniel and some younger fellows who like to sing about Taylor.
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
The second of my Songs About Musicians posts focuses on songs about protest singers. Dylan/Guthrie, Guthrie/Jara, Bragg/Ochs, Kristofferson/O'Connor.
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
Songs About Musicians #2: Protest Singers
Guthrie, Dylan, Jara, Ochs, Bragg, Kristofferson, O'Connor. But who's singing about whom?
songstudies.substack.com
February 4, 2025 at 6:44 PM
The second of my Songs About Musicians posts focuses on songs about protest singers. Dylan/Guthrie, Guthrie/Jara, Bragg/Ochs, Kristofferson/O'Connor.
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
My latest Substack piece is the first in a series on songs about musicians. It focuses on Laura Veirs’ homages to Carol Kaye, Alice Coltrane and Judee Sill.
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
Songs About Musicians #1: Laura Veirs' Homages to Carol Kaye, Alice Coltrane and Judee Sill
I’ve written a lot in this newsletter about songs that take objects as their subjects.
songstudies.substack.com
January 22, 2025 at 10:31 AM
My latest Substack piece is the first in a series on songs about musicians. It focuses on Laura Veirs’ homages to Carol Kaye, Alice Coltrane and Judee Sill.
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
songstudies.substack.com/p/songs-abou...
My first Substack post of 2025 came out last week. It's about the lessons we learn from songs. Partly inspired by lines from a Robbie Fulks song: ‘If you’ve ever heard Hank Williams sing / then you know the whole blessed thing’.
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-whole-...
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-whole-...
The Whole Blessed Thing
What can we learn from songs?
songstudies.substack.com
January 22, 2025 at 10:22 AM
My first Substack post of 2025 came out last week. It's about the lessons we learn from songs. Partly inspired by lines from a Robbie Fulks song: ‘If you’ve ever heard Hank Williams sing / then you know the whole blessed thing’.
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-whole-...
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-whole-...
Anyone looking for a 100-track playlist of 2024 tracks, along with 6000+ words of liner notes? Thought not. Here it is anyway.
songstudies.substack.com/p/2024-in-re...
songstudies.substack.com/p/2024-in-re...
2024 in Review: The Year in Albums, Songs, LP Packages and More
Plus my 100-track end-of-year playlist and why its penultimate track means so much to me.
songstudies.substack.com
December 30, 2024 at 7:02 PM
Anyone looking for a 100-track playlist of 2024 tracks, along with 6000+ words of liner notes? Thought not. Here it is anyway.
songstudies.substack.com/p/2024-in-re...
songstudies.substack.com/p/2024-in-re...
Seconds. There are songs about the fleetingness of seconds, moments, instances. They speak of immediacy, of what has almost come or just gone, what needed to be captured and wasn’t. Or they don’t take time as a topic, but deal with existential matters through a brutal brevity: you suffer, but why?
December 26, 2024 at 2:01 PM
Seconds. There are songs about the fleetingness of seconds, moments, instances. They speak of immediacy, of what has almost come or just gone, what needed to be captured and wasn’t. Or they don’t take time as a topic, but deal with existential matters through a brutal brevity: you suffer, but why?
Merry thoughts from me and my Christmas cough.
December 25, 2024 at 10:50 AM
Merry thoughts from me and my Christmas cough.
Latest Substack post, with free seasonal fun included.
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-deep-t...
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-deep-t...
The Deep Time of Song
The following post is part of a Seed Pod collaboration about time.
songstudies.substack.com
December 16, 2024 at 4:18 PM
Latest Substack post, with free seasonal fun included.
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-deep-t...
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-deep-t...
Should I offer feedback?
December 10, 2024 at 11:20 AM
Should I offer feedback?
The final post in my three-part series on Richard Dawson's songs discusses the listing of objects as proxies for memory in 'Nothing Important' and 'Museum', and the listing of objects as critique of consumerism in 'Fulfilment Centre' and 'Boxing Day Sales'.
open.substack.com/pub/songstud...
open.substack.com/pub/songstud...
Nothing but Things
The final post of my three-parter on Richard Dawson songs.
open.substack.com
December 9, 2024 at 5:24 PM
The final post in my three-part series on Richard Dawson's songs discusses the listing of objects as proxies for memory in 'Nothing Important' and 'Museum', and the listing of objects as critique of consumerism in 'Fulfilment Centre' and 'Boxing Day Sales'.
open.substack.com/pub/songstud...
open.substack.com/pub/songstud...
Saturday evening moment.
December 7, 2024 at 6:32 PM
Saturday evening moment.
My robin chum again yesterday: ‘I’ll keep you company in exchange for worms’.
December 7, 2024 at 6:31 PM
My robin chum again yesterday: ‘I’ll keep you company in exchange for worms’.
At a time when so many are listing the songs they loved from this year, and a few are listing those they thought were overrated, here’s Dale Watson from back in 1997 telling us about the songs he hates.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll8...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll8...
I Hate These Songs
YouTube video by Dale Watson - Topic
www.youtube.com
December 5, 2024 at 9:52 AM
At a time when so many are listing the songs they loved from this year, and a few are listing those they thought were overrated, here’s Dale Watson from back in 1997 telling us about the songs he hates.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll8...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll8...
Merle Haggard - If We Make It Through December (1974)
YouTube video by jan novák
www.youtube.com
December 3, 2024 at 11:48 AM
Bob Dylan reading canned food labels: opening example from last December's three-parter on the musicality of lists.
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-musica...
From 1:20 in this clip.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhkC...
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-musica...
From 1:20 in this clip.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhkC...
Bob Dylan Goes Food Shopping
YouTube video by mickmook
www.youtube.com
December 3, 2024 at 8:50 AM
Bob Dylan reading canned food labels: opening example from last December's three-parter on the musicality of lists.
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-musica...
From 1:20 in this clip.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhkC...
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-musica...
From 1:20 in this clip.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhkC...
It's listing season again, so here's a piece from last December on how lists sound.
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-musica...
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-musica...
The Musicality of Lists Part 1
In which Bob Dylan reads canned food labels, Edwards Lear and Gorey get abecedarian, and Robert Wyatt riffs on Bob Dylan.
songstudies.substack.com
December 3, 2024 at 8:33 AM
It's listing season again, so here's a piece from last December on how lists sound.
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-musica...
songstudies.substack.com/p/the-musica...
My latest post at Substack is the second of a three-parter on the songs of Richard Dawson. This one is a response to 'Joe the Quilt-Maker', from the 2013 album The Glass Trunk.
substack.com/home/post/p-152059384
substack.com/home/post/p-152059384
The Quiltmaker
Part 2 of my exploration of Richard Dawson's songs.
substack.com
November 30, 2024 at 5:37 PM
My latest post at Substack is the second of a three-parter on the songs of Richard Dawson. This one is a response to 'Joe the Quilt-Maker', from the 2013 album The Glass Trunk.
substack.com/home/post/p-152059384
substack.com/home/post/p-152059384
From a recent visit to Sin É, Cork.
November 30, 2024 at 10:03 AM
From a recent visit to Sin É, Cork.
A great selection of protest songs to get into your ears, compiled by Ellen from Endwell from suggestions by Music Substackers.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Favorite protest songs of other Substack writers passionate about music
My ongoing series on (and fascination with) protest songs
substack.com
November 28, 2024 at 6:01 PM
A great selection of protest songs to get into your ears, compiled by Ellen from Endwell from suggestions by Music Substackers.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...