Crucial Track for 28 May 2025

"Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles

Listen on Apple Music

Your browser does not support the audio element.

What song makes you think of your childhood home?

When I was in my early teens I would have spells of insomnia where for several days I'd spend most of the night lying awake. I'd lie in bed with my ears hooked up to a pocket radio tuned to the overnight show on local station Cool FM. As I remember it (we're talking thirty-something years ago), the playlist for that show leaned heavily on radio classics, and I remember "Black Velvet" being one that came up regularly. It works well at 3 am when you'd rather be asleep.

Decades later, it's a song that I still find very comforting to listen to.