Everyone's heard of the Billboard Hot 100, a time honoured encapsulation of the bestselling songs on the go at any given time. I've tweaked the format a little by considering my own Hot 100 and sitting down to compose a poem using those same song titles as headings.
I'm a music nut. I may well have mentioned this in passing from time to time but, being a McRenegade, I don't mind stressing that fact to press home a point.
From memory, the most recent title in the collection dates from 2011, so I've been sitting on it for quite a while. No particular reason for that other than the fact that my novel writing tends to take centre stage and the poetry was a bit of a distraction to keep my mind active in quieter moments. I'm delighted it developed into a long-running, themed project.
Not everyone will recognise the song titles, but let me just say that the poems rarely touch on the subject matter of the song. So, if I can somehow instil a certain curiosity and tempt the reader into investigating the original songs, I'll be a very happy music nut indeed. Over the years I've enjoyed nothing more than turning people on to the good stuff, the stuff that doesn't conform to the mainstream, the stuff that speaks for itself. Good music has been something of a lifeline to me over the years, almost as important as breathing. I wouldn't like to be without it.
Get yourself over to an Amazon outlet near you if you’d like to order a Paperback copy or download the Kindle version.
Angus Shoor Caan