Playlist: Songs that strike a chord | Paul Capsis

5 Oct 2021

It’s time for Paul Capsis to face the music! Get ready for some big songs as the legendary performer hits all the right notes with 5 songs that have struck a chord. Listen on the Spotify playlist below.


IMAGINE – John Lennon.1971, I have recently added this to my repertoire as I think its one of the greatest songs even written by the one and only John Lennon. What a man, what a song. A song for the world. This is as close to religion or philosophy for me. Kills me to sing it every time.

BALL AND CHAIN – Sung by the great Janis Joplin and written by Big Mamma Willie May Thornton. Janis Joplin singing this at the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967 is one of the greatest performances in the history of Rock n Roll. She stomps and rips into the song like her life depends on it…. Shivers.

CABARET – By Kantor and Ebb from the 1968 Musical CABARET. The best rendering of this would have to be Liza Minnelli but I’m very fortunate to have seen the late great Natasha Richardson perform it on Broadway in the late nineties – heartbreaking.

STRANGE FRUIT –  Performed by the extraordinary Billie Holiday. Written by Abel Meeropol. Holiday first recorded it in 1939. This song is so powerful, honest and political, it contains all that is important to me in a song. Nina Simone also performed it.

I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY I LOVED YOU – by Aretha Franklin, one of the greatest singers who ever lived. Aretha recorded this song in 1967. She gives soul and gospel flavour to this moody song. ‘Your no good, heartbreaker, your a liar and your a cheat, and I don’t know why I let you do these old mean things to me”…… go girl, say Aretha, tell it….. YES!!!


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