I've always liked Billy Bragg's music [[hence my user name) and he's long been known as a lover of Motown music.

But I didn't realise 'Stoned Love' was one of his musical favourites until reading this recent interview today.

"It's a great title. It's a great song.
Motown was a huge influence on me when I was young, when I didn't have a record player, I had a reel to reel tape machine. I went around to my friend's house and taped all his big sister's albums. Mostly it was either Tamla Motown or Simon and Garfunkel. I've got loads and loads of that stuff.

'Stoned Love' is a particularly special song for me because it's one of the handful of songs that I turn to in my moments of greatest anxiety.

I am what you might call an apprehensive flier. I'm not afraid of flying, because I do it all the time, but I'm always happy coming down. It's one of those things I have to steel myself to do, and I'm really helped by music in that.

Early on, I used to take off to the Ode To Joy from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, that was pretty good.

'Stoned Love' has a particular memory for me. I was flying in the Soviet Union, which is like the next level up [from a] fairground ride, because they're all military pilots. They don't really do anything like gradually come down. When they see the airport, they just turn and dive into the airport. The plane shakes, everything shakes.

I looked across at one time coming into East Berlin, I was pushing myself back in my seat because we were coming in so steeply, and I looked across and there was a big guy sitting opposite to me and he was crossing himself. I was like, 'Oh dear, what do I do?'

Music allows you to momentarily transcend your surroundings, whether you're playing it or listening to it. 'Stoned Love' is one of those tracks that I fumble for to get me out of that place. Another one would be 'Baba O'Riley' by The Who.

It's just one of those things that you do when you're trying to make yourself feel like you're somewhere else. The sweeping baselines in 'Stoned Love', the joy in 'Stoned Love', [allows me to] un-grit my teeth and relax. It's self-medication."


https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/music...field/13605540