Joan Armatrading

I wasn't really interested in like how many notes can I sing or how many...

Can I do what my fascination was, was like, how can I perform histories? And so my teachers were Nina Simone, Bill Withers, Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, like these people who could suspend time and like bring memories back.

You also mentioned Sun House.

And when I think of Sun House, the great bluesman, I think of a song like John the Revelator with its kind of, you know, this religious, spiritual imagery.

Go ahead, have your fall

It's Joan Armatrading.

Two won the Capital Countdown.

Five, four, three, two, one.

were 4 with Release Me, up 4 from 8.

Poison were 3 with Unskinny Bop, up 2 from 5.

And Joan Armatrading was 2 with More Than One Kind of Love, up 2 from 4.

Okay, gang boss tune, here we go.

That's Walking Down Your Street.

Before that, certainly not new to the scene, on her 10th album, that was Joan Armatrading with Kind Words and a Real Good Heart.

That comes from Sleight of Hand, a fantastic album.

Big Country with Look Away from The Seer.

So the music already exists.

It's using the music of an artist called Joan Armatrading, who was huge in the 70s and 80s.

Her fame has since, I think, dwindled slightly, but the music is stunning.

And I encourage everyone to kind of go and discover Joan Armatrading.

And actually, she's from the UK.

She's from Birmingham.

So we open Smash Hits with Bits, and Bits is like a bit of a gossipy page.

Now there's nothing of Joan Armatrading's got a new album out, but I want to draw your attention, Dave, to the bottom left corner because this is Star Style, and Smash Hits has called this the most repulsive passport photograph ever taken and what an embarrassment it is as well.

Who's that, do you think? For the benefit of you who aren't looking, it looks a bit like a cross between someone who was part of Charles Manson's family.

Family.

The days are starting to warm up and we can look forward to the warmer months ahead.

We're going to start the show with a beautiful track from Joan Armatrading.

This one is called City Girl.

You came into town with your big ideas.

Phyllida Lloyd is directing, who I, uh, think is amazing.

Uh, and it's music by Joan Armatrading.

Joan Armatrading.

I read about this.

And I, uh, again, it was one of those moments of, like, pinch me, like, I love my job, is like, um, they were doing a workshop here in the National Studio, and there was these actors brilliantly, beautifully singing, uh, some of her music.

And I was literally sitting in front of Joan Armatrading.

I was, like, going, "Oh, yeah, I've got a good job.

This is great." So doing those two.

Elvis.

I saw the Joan Armatrading record.

Well, I don't

really...