The ISIHAC
One Song to the Tune of Another Page

Last Updated
18 Nov 2009

At the start of most editions of the BBC Radio 4 panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Humph makes explanatory introductions to the One Song to the Tune of Another round. Here are some of the teams' suggestions, along with some of my suggestions. If you have any ideas you would like included, please e-mail me here, and I will add the best ones (with full credit to you of course)

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Let's move on to a musical round now called One Song To The Tune Of Another. This is where the teams take a selection of songs and swop the tunes around, so I suppose it's a bit like swopping the price labels on items found in shops, before taking them to the checkout with the intention of paying a lower price. This isn't a practice I'm recommending of course. I suppose that technically it might be construed as illegal, although if by some chance a cheaper price label did become detached for some reason, and you were innocently to put it back on a more expensive item without realising that the latest state-of-the-art DVD player cost rather more than £2-99, then that would be an easy mistake to make. Besides, how would anyone know that the in-store closed-circuit TV camera was trained on them? If fingers are going to be pointed and accusations of attempted fraud bandied about, what about those sneaks who secretly film you in the first place? How do they sleep at night, knowing that they've spent their so-called working day like some professional peeping tom; and what kind of job is that anyway? Some brain-dead time server sitting all day staring blankly at a piece of equipment, the workings of which he can barely understand? Perhaps we'll get some insight when we hear Colin Sell at the piano... Hastings
17 Jun 2002
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. There can't be more than a small handful of people quite so irredemably dense that they're incapable of immediately understanding how this works. So what happens teams is that we take the words of one song away from its tune, and substitute them for the words that have been taken from another song. The obvious analogy is a bottle of wine at a blind tasting - it could be a chardonay or a riocca, perhaps a burgundy, but you mustn't get bogged down on what type of wine, teams, that's not important. So let's just assume it's an English hock from the Kentish vineyards. The wine could be poured out of the bottle leaving you with an empty, but still serviceable container, and I can see by the look of horror on your faces teams, that you're way ahead of me in thinking 'but if our English wine is poured away, what on earth are we going to use to top up our anti-freeze?' - but you're missing the point, because what we do is to refill the bottle with a different vintage, which is exactly what happens in One Song To The Tune Of Another, except of course that there's no wine involved. So no tasting, and no spitting...at least not until you hear the piano accompaniment of Colin Sell... Leicester
It's time for a musical game now, in which the teams sing One Song To The Tune Of Another - and even as those words crossed my lips, I could sense the teams thinking "sing one song to the tune of another - what on earth are we supposed to do here then?" Well if explained properly, this is actually much less complicated than it might seem. You see teams, although we say 'one song', that one song can actually be divided in two. I'm sorry to throw all these technical terms at you, but two is what's known as a 'prime number' as it is the integer that is the sum of one and one. As you know, one is also a prime number, but it is also a cardinal numeral. An integer is defined as a number that cannot be factorised into other integers but is only divisible by itself or one, whereas a cardinal is a butterfly of the genus 'pandoriana pandora', commonly found in the meadows of the temporate regions of Southern Europe. Now I can sense, teams, that you're eager to learn more. One plus two equals three, and the numbers one, two, three, usually expressed in that order by experts, are the factors of six, which is what's known as the first perfect number - and the only thing I know for certain about a perfect number is that we've never yet heard one from Colin Sell. It was back in 1972 that Colin first started to learn the piano. Within two or three weeks he could manage to tap out a few basic tunes with one finger; obviously his later career never fulfilled that early promise... 30th Anniversary Special
13 Apr 2002
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now in a round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. This is a concept of such elemental simplicity, you'd have to be cursed with the attention span of a goldfish to fail to grasp what's involved. So while Samantha changes the teams' water, let me explain. Most songs comprise two basic elements - the words, or lyrics, and the tune, or music. It might help to think of these two components as being like the engine and body of a car. It's possible to take the engine, or words, out of a car, and replace it with a new engine, or indeed a used item taken from a different car, or song. Or, if your car has a rusty body shell, or tune, you may wish to buy a new one and transfer your old engine, or words, into it. Now I can tell by the look of horror on the teams' faces exactly what they're thinking - "Has the governor gone Radio Rental? Is he feeling Sheridan Morley? Surely he's not suggesting throwing hard-earned sovs at some spanner monkey who might bodge the job?" Quite right. It's all too easy to end up with some back street, untrained cowboy messing things up. At the piano we have Colin Sell... Brighton
26 Nov 2001
[ OK, the teams are going to sing for us now in a round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. This is a concept of such elemental simplicity, you'd have to be cursed with the attention span of a goldfish to fail to grasp what's involved. As I can see the teams' jaws going up and down, let me explain. Most songs comprise two basic elements - the words, or lyrics, and the tune, or music. It might help to think of these two components as being like the engine and body of a car. It's possible to take the engine, or words, out of a car, and replace it with a new engine, or indeed a used item taken from a different car, or song. If your car has a rusty body shell, or tune, you may wish to buy a new one and transfer your old engine, or words, into it. Either way, the car can still be driven, or sung, in this context. Now I can tell by the look of horror on your faces, teams', exactly what you're thinking - "Has the governor gone Radio Rental? Surely he's not suggesting throwing hard-earned sovs at incompetent spanner monkeys who might bodge the job?" Quite right. It can be all too tempting to get the job done on the cheap by some back street cowboy. At the piano we have Colin Sell... Not broadcast] Wolverhampton Session 1
OK, let's try a musical round now called One Song To The Tune Of Another. Despite that deceptively cryptic title, this game may easily be mastered by anyone with a modicum of mental agility and the tiniest amount of musical skill. So teams, listen very, very carefully...Imagine that songs are like words which, as you probably know, are composed of letters. These letters can be rearranged to form different words, and indeed the letters of the very word 'words' can actually be rearranged to make the word 'sword' - the fighting implement used in fencing, although strictly speaking, that's a 'rapier', which in itself may be rearranged to form the words 'ear rip' - the action of ripping an ear off. Now, with all that sorted, I can guess exactly what you're thinking teams - when would you ever want to rip an ear off? Well, what you don't know yet is that we have Colin Sell at the piano... Norwich
25 Jun 2001
We're going to move on now to a musical game called One Song To The Tune Of Another. That very title radiates such pure simplicity that nothing but the feeblest intellect would require further explanation...so what happens teams is this: We take a song and split it into its two main components; the words and the tune. Try to think of the song as an ordinary, everyday object like...oh, I don't know...a nuclear particle accelerator for example. This handy gadget is basically only two components - the linear cyclotron and the elementary betatron - and you hardly need me to explain what they do teams. As you know, these can be realigned in such a way that particle beams are split supra-segmentally, rather than by relativistic modulation. And I know exactly what you're thinking teams..."surely that configuration creates a proton synchronizer?" Exactly. Full marks. Well done. But there's another component we haven't touched on...anyone? Yes, that's right...the plug. How many times have you tried to use your particle accelerator, only to find you've forgotten to plug it in? That's why so many atomic research establishments take on someone whose sole job it is to perform that menial repetitive task requiring a minimal skill base and little or no training. Even then, there are those that fail the interview, and are forced into casual employment elsewhere. At the piano, please welcome Colin Sell... Sheffield
11 Jun 2001
OK, the teams are going to perform in a musical round now called One Song To The Tune Of Another - a concept which is well understood by everyone that keeps up with modern broadcasting techniques. So what happens teams is that we take a selection of songs and switch the words around between them. It might help to think of the songs as Grand Prix racing cars and their drivers. All the drivers could easily get out and swap cars in any combination, and it wouldn't matter which car with which driver - you'd still have the unrivalled spectacle of grown men dressed in romper suits driving mobile fag packets round in circles for two hours. And teams, I can almost literally hear you thinking "Surely the great man has overlooked something?" I wondered which of you would be the first to spot that deliberate mistake. Oh yes - what about Murray Walker? Surely this wouldn't be complete without a constant stream of mistakes made by some incompetent banging on incomprehensibly in the background?...At the piano, we have Colin Sell... Reading
28 May 2001
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in a game called One Song To The Tune Of Another. You'd have to be lacking even a basic knowledge of harmony and rhythm to fail to grasp this concept...so listen up Jeremy. A song is comprised of two main constituents - the 'words' and the 'tune' - a bit like a bottle of shampoo and conditioner in fact. The shampoo element can be envisaged as the words, cleaning the grease and grime from our hair, although obviously the words of a song don't literally do that. This is supported by the conditioner, leaving our locks shiny and manageable, and eliminating unsightly split-ends, in the same way that the tune supports the words, except that words don't suffer from split-ends. Now teams, I can see you've grasped the basics already, but yes there is one question that still needs an answer - What about dandruff? Well, even the best quality shampoo and conditioner won't always guarantee to rid us of an unsightly irritant that keeps coming back no matter how hard you try...at the piano, Colin Sell... High Wycombe
11 Dec 2000
The teams are going to sing for us now in a round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. It's a game of such pure simplicity that to offer an explanation would be an insult to the intelligent mind. So, teams, what happens is, you'll each be allocated a song from which you'll take the words and discard the tune. It might help to think of it as separating an egg. The shell is the song containing the 'words' or yolk, and the 'tune' or white. The yolk can be combined with milk, sugar and flour to make custard, a complete change of combination, but still food, while the white is thrown away, although personally I think that's a waste, and I like to use it to make a light, fluffy soufflé. Try it with grated fresh Parmesan or if you can't get fresh Parmesan, a hard Cheddar will do. And there you have it - two meals but very different, even though they come from the same shell. Now, I can see you're way ahead of me teams - you're thinking "What about the possibility of Salmanella poisoning?" Well, every egg based meal carries the risk of being spoiled by a stomach-churning, bowel-exploding little germ. Yes, there's always something to worry about, and we have Colin Sell at the piano... Coventry
27 Nov 2000
The teams are going to sing for us now in a round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. Now I can see from their look of puzzlement that the teams are anxious to know what in blue blazes this could be all about. Well, it's actually not nearly as complicated as it sounds, teams. You might like to think of your tune as a house, and the words as the interior decor, which of course can be changed - a sort of musical version of 'Changing Rooms' if you will. That's where two couples swap houses and redecorate them in the style of a Dutch brothel or Bombay public toilet. Now, I know what you're thinking teams: "Thank goodness that's all sorted out, except he's forgotten to explain where Handy Andy comes into this." Well, we don't need a Handy Andy banging away on his own in the background, trying to destroy a perfectly good piece of furniture...not when we have Colin Sell at the piano... Bournemouth
13 Nov 2000
It's time now for a game called One Song To The Tune Of Another - and I can guess what you're thinking teams: "What in the name of blue blazes can this be all about?" Well, I like to explain this round with the use of a metaphor. It doesn't have to be a metaphor of course - it could be an alegory or even some other sort of emblematical imagery employed specifically to symbolize a deeper alternative meaning than that apparently conveyed; and yes I know teams, I'm way ahead of you: you're quite right in thinking it shouldn't be a paradigm, because a lot of people mistake a paradigm for a paradox, and we don't want any unnecessary confusion creeping in. Oh no, a paradox is an absurd contradiction or anomaly, such as the expression: 'Colin Sell is your piano player'... South Bank
19 Jun 2000
Well it's time now for a musical round with One Song To The Tune Of Another. This is more or less explained by its title, but just in case you have any nagging doubts teams, try to imagine a song as a sandwich, comprising two mains parts - the bread, or 'tune', and the filling, or 'words'. The construction of any two sandwiches is very similar, but one might have a cheese filling in white bread and the other a ham filling in brown bread. They're both still sandwiches, but are completely different...except for the butter. Now, I can see by the teams' smirks, they think I've forgotten something: What about the triangular plastic both that so many sandwiches come in these days? Well, these boxes are designed specifically so that when you try to get them out, the sandwiches fall apart, and that's when the contents might get swapped over or, put differently, the words of one song get mixed up with the tune of another. Simplicity itself when it's explained properly. Well, one combination we can rely on never to change is Colin Sell and his piano...no matter how hard we try... Stoke-on-Trent
Let's move on to something that might be good - the round is called One Song To The Tune Of Another, and as you hear that teams, I know exactly what you're thinking - "What in the name of sweet baby Moses on stilts can this possibly involve?" Well, it's actually not nearly as complex as it sounds, as all of you who study the work of Sigmund Freud will appreciate. For the purposes of psychoanalysis, Freud divided the personality, or in our terns the song, into two components. As you know teams, these are the ego, comprising moral values, which is so obviously analagous to the tune, and the id, which unconsciously contains primitive emotions, and therefore equates exactly to the words. The personality, or song, steers between the two, trying to reconcile and balance their conflicting demands against the constraints of the real world. Now I can see something written across your faces, teams - yes indeed, Freud did prove that the ego and the id can be adjusted and modified through behavioural therapy, or in our terms literally by singing one song to the tune of another. However, I should point out that yes, Freud's theories also conclude that the repression of sexuality often leads to an infantile penis substitution fixation, or in our terms, Colin Sell is at the piano again... Bristol
10 Dec 2001
I see it's time for the teams to play One Song To The Tune Of Another. Now, how can I explain this simply? Imagine, teams, that a tune is like a train, carrying the passengers who represent the 'words', although these days we have to call them 'customers'. The passengers, or customers, who are the words, might get off the train say, for example, to get on a bus, which we'll call another tune. So you can easily see that while the bus represents a different tune, it could still carry the same passengers, or customers, or in this case, the words. Now I can see by the expressions on your faces, teams, that you're wondering about the obvious question "What effect does transport privatisation have on this?" Well it means that it's actually become impossible to swap the passengers over, because now the bus leaves 10 minutes before the bloody train even arrives...And talking of carrying people who are going nowhere, I notice Colin Sell has arrived at the piano again... Woking
22 May 2000
It's time now for a musical round in a special version of One Song To The Tune Of Another. This is a firm favourite with listeners, some of whom send the teams possible combinations to try. However, would the certifiable lunatic who suggested they sing 'The Lords Prayer' to the tune of 'Auld Lang Syne' please stop pestering us in such poor taste. I have instead made a small selection of seasonal tunes recorded by the great man himself to create a round called We Wish You A Merry Cliffness. 1999 Christmas Special
25 Dec 1999
It's time now for the teams to sing for us, in a round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. Using the description of a game as its title is still quite a common practice abroad: In Italy, their name for "Grand Prix Motor Racing" means "drive like you do anyway"; in Finland, "Cross Country Skiing" translates as "what else do you expect us to do - surfing?"; and in Samoa, their word for "Rugby Football" literally translates as "fat blokes get muddy and punch each other's lights out". Meanwhile, all over Britain, the expression "Colin Sell provides piano accompaniment" is interpreted as "who's that banging away in the backgound?"... Greenwich
It's time to ask the teams now to sing One Song To The Tune Of Another, and they'd have to have been half asleep for the last twenty years not to know how this works. So what happens teams is that each of you is presented with a song from which the words have been omitted and replaced with the lyrics from a second song, from which the tune has been discarded. Still not clear? OK, well try to imagine you have two electric lamps, but in one of the lamps, the light bulb has failed. You could swap it over for the good one. It doesn't matter why one of them has failed, although it's almost certainly because you bought it cheaply from some dodgy market trader. Their light bulbs are certainly good value but they do have a habit of going out if handled badly. They're not built to withstand rough treatment such as putting electricity through them. To be fair, they probably work well enough where they come from - some sweat shop in Uzbekistan no doubt, where if the mains supply goes above seven volts they classify it as a power surge. Mind you, in those places, even a dead light bulb is considered something of a luxury compared with what they normally have. Now I know what you're thinking teams: "What could possibly be more dim than a dead light bulb?"...At the piano we have Colin Sell... Malvern
18 Nov 2002
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, because it's the round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. So pay attention teams - I'll only explain this once. In fact, you may care to take notes. By the way, when I say 'notes' I mean small aides memoir, not the series of signs on a stave that represent a musical sound, although now I come to think of it, those kind of notes do come into this, so you may care to take notes about notes. That's musical notes, of course, not bank notes. That's not to say you shouldn't care about bank notes as well. Don't just go stuffing them in the mattress. But I can see by the look on your faces teams, you're thinking even now: "Should I opt for one of the new tele-banking accounts, or stick with a traditional building society. And what about ISAs, TESSAs, PEPs and Unit Trust Bonds?" Well how the hell should I know - I'm not Vincent bloody Duggleby. So just try and concentrate for once and sing One Song To The Tune Of Another, and I'd better warn you teams, this isn't easy - you'll need the concentration of a chess grand-master to overcome the distraction caused by the piano accompaniment of Colin Sell... Milton Keynes
22 Nov 1999
We come to a musical round now teams. It's called One Song To The Tune Of Another, and I can almost hear you thinking as I said the words 'One Song To The Tune Of Another': "What's that all about then?", so let me explain. In 'One Song To The Tune Of Another' you take the words of one song - that's the 'one song' element of 'One Song To The Tune Of Another' - and sing them to a tune - that's the 'tune' element of 'One Song To The Tune Of Another' - which has been taken from another song. And when I said 'song' just then, I didn't mean the 'song' in 'One Song To The Tune Of Another', I was simply referring to an abstract 'song' for the purposes of clarifying 'One Song To The Tune Of Another', but I can guess what you're thinking now teams: "Which tune do we sing this abstract song to?" Well, actually you don't have to sing it, as an abstract song is one that exists only in theory - it's not anything worth worrying about, whereas something that is worth your worrying about is that piano accompaniment will be provided by Colin Sell... Nottingham
21 Jun 1999
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. This is quite simply where the words of one song are sung to the tune of a different song, so you'd need to be as dim as a Toc H lamp to require further explanation. So teams, perhaps the simplest way to understand this is to think of a song as a jam roly-poly, with the tune being the sponge, obviously, which is rolled up neatly to contain the jam, or words. It would be perfectly possible to unroll the sponge and scrape out the jam, which might be strawberry or raspberry, and to replace it with a different jam taken from a second roly-poly, perhaps a summer fruit compote or even orange marmalade, although obviously wou wouldn't want to use the thick cut variety as that would have lumps of peel sticking up through the sponge. But please don't get bogged down on fruit preserves, teams. The type isn't important. What you should be concentrating on is the state of the sponge pudding that's been unrolled: it would doubtless be damaged and possibly broken in places as a result of the unrolling and scraping. So I know exactly what you're thinking teams: "Where does a useless old pudding come into this?"... At the piano we have Colin Sell... Blackpool
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song To The Tune Of Another, and only the terminally slow would need further explanation than that...so, listen up teams. You may care to think of a tune as being like a large cardboard box containing a newly bought consumer item, which represents so obviously, the words. Imagine you take the item out of the box - it doesn't matter what it is, say a video recorder or DAB radio perhaps (whatever that is); if it were a DAB radio, which is unlikely, as it's no good the BBC telling me I've got to shell out three hundred quid on a fancy wireless set, just so I can get their so called 'new channels', churning out forty years old shows. I can get all the repeats I want on long wave...that is when it's not non-stop cricket reports of England being thrashed by every emergent nation. Having removed the radio, you could replace it with something different and repack the contents back into the box, and yes teams, there is a problem looming...that's right: the polystyrene packing. By now, you've a lounge floor strewn with enough white expanded plastic to make a half-scale model of the Andes, and it will never go back in the box. Why they provide a fourteen cubic metre box to hold an average size portable radio, I don't know. Can you imagine a more pointless waste of space?...At the piano we have Colin Sell... Sadler's Wells
16 Dec 2002
It's time for a musical round now, called One Song To The Tune Of Another, a concept which is almost too simple for words. Without a trace of ostentation and offering no more than plain, uncomplicated straightforwardness, the difficulty of the round lies only in finding Les Mots Juste to describe its lack of pretention and complication, or the ease and clarity which embrace its artless elementalism. Indeed, it's this very lack of convoluted ramification that makes excessive detailed description not only unnecessary, but also superfluous to a point bordering on the tautological. It's impossible to describe its lack of advanced over-contrived complex compound structure, or its total avoidance of extravagently woven sophistry in mere words. These conventional catalysts so expeditious to verbal facility that allucidate conceptual comprehension succinctly and without recourse to extraneous elaboration...if only everything in life was so simple. And here's something even harder to explain...Colin Sell at the piano... Plymouth
And now to a complicated round called One Song To The Tune Of Another, in which team members are asked to sing one song to the tune of another. That means they should sing the words of one song to the tune of another. Words of one...tune of another...sing them. Takes some time to explain, but it's just as well to get the hang of it before we start. And as we're the guests of the Buxton International Festival Of Music, it would be a wasted opportunity not to take advantage of the many world-class orchestras and accompanyists currently performing...but what's one more wasted opportunity, so at the piano here's Colin Sell... Buxton
14 Nov 1992
OK let's rush on to the next round which is called One Song To The Tune Of Another, which means each team member singing one song to the tune of another. It's not to be confused with one song and a tuneless nutter, which means pub karaoke night. According to the rules, teams, you're to be accompanied by Colin Sell. That means he'll be playing the piano while you sing. Tough, but rules are rules, I suppose... Chichester
19 Dec 1992
OK now we're going to play a round called One Song To The Tune Of Another, but don't worry teams, despite the title this really couldn't be much simpler. Our first requirement for this is lots of songs, and we find these by popping along to the nearest record library. Now I should explain when I say 'record library', I don't mean a library that's 'a record' in that it's, say, the smallest or largest in the world. The smallest would be no good anyway, because presumably it has very little in it, and the largest library in the world is in Sao Paulo, so that's out under the 'nearest' rule. That is unless, of course, you happen to live in Sao Paulo, in which case it could be on your doorstep. Who knows, you might even work at the library and already play this game in the staff room during your break, in which case it could hardly be nearer. In passing, may I also congratulate you on your command of English language songs. Now I can guess what you're about to ask teams, as per usual you're thinking: "Where are we going to find a bilingual Brazilian librarian in Guildford at this time of night?" Well we don't have to, because anyone can play One Song to the Tune of Another - you really don't need to be a musical genius, and to prove the point all too graphically, we have Colin Sell at the piano... Guildford
24 May 1999
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now. The game is called One Song to the Tune of Another, a concept of such glaring simplicity it takes but a second to explain. Each player has in front of him a song sheet from which the music has been removed. This can be done by obscuring it with a felt-tipped pen, but in fact we use Tippex. I say Tippex, but any good quality correction fluid will do. There are several reputable brands available at most office equipment shops and high street stationers, although by the term 'high street', we really means any retail site marketing fast moving consumer goods. If they're out of stock and can't suggest an alternative local supplier, ask them to give you a mail order address. We in fact get ours from the fourth floor stationery cupboard. I say 'fourth floor', but every floor has one, except the eighth of course, because that's where the canteen is. Now teams, at this point I know what you must be thinking: "Where does the canteen manager get her Tippex from?" Well, she doesn't need Tippex, because her staff don't play One Song to the Tune of Another. Birmingham
28 Dec 1998
OK, well we have a musical round now, in the guise of a game called One Song to the Tune of Another. Now teams, even to the uninitiated amateur, One Song to the Tune of Another will instantly be recognised as an obvious construct, and only complete idiots of the first order of total incompetence would fail to grasp the basics. So let me just run through it again for you. A song is comprised of two elementary components, the 'tune' and the 'words'. You might imagine the 'tune' to be akin to a 'shelf' of the type commonly found on domestic walls. This is supported by the 'brackets', or in this case, the 'words'. Some shelf units might store household items such as toilet rolls and firelighters. These are like songs we don't hear very often. Others are like popular songs we like to enjoy frequently, and might display souvenirs, such as novelty teaspoons, or Coronation mugs are another possibility, although I often wonder who that happy, smiling woman is pictured on the 1953 Queen Elizabeth II edition. Well I can sense the teams are getting bogged down on the details of shelf usage - that's not important, for if the shelves are to be supported by brackets, they need firm wall fixings in the form of good strong screws set in Rawlplugs, but it's not just shelves that need securing. Kitchen units, vanity mirrors, and even the essential dado rails are all the same. "But", I hear you thinking "Where can one find a specialist who can be relied upon unfailingly to screw everything up for us?" At the piano we have Colin Sell... Darlington
26 May 2003
OK, time for a musical round now which is a revised version of the popular One Song to the Tune of Another. They do say the best ideas are the simplest, so how, you may ask, could this simple concept possibly be improved? Well, several alternatives were market-tested by the Radio 4 Panel Game Music Round Focus Group. This is a representative body of listeners selected personally by the Controller of Radio 4 to respond accurately with the programme profile exactly matching the requirements of...the Controller of Radio 4. They decided that after 27 years of continuous usage, the listeners still quite liked One Song to the Tune of Another, and there was no valid reason for a change...which is why they've come up with a replacement. It's called Only Connect The Words Of One Song To The Tune Of Another But Without It's 'King Stupid Words. However, one element the Controller decided couldn't possibly be improved is the piano accompaniment of Colin Sell... Cardiff
14 Dec 1998
We're going to have a musical round now called One Song to the Tune of Another, a game that really couldn't be much simpler, except that one shouldn't be confused by the use of the word 'one'. That's 'one' as in 'one song', not 'one' as in 'one shouldn't be confused'. The teams take two songs, and that's 'two' in the sense of the number 'two', not the teams take 'to songs' as a 'duck to water'. In fact, now I think about it, the teams don't take to songs like a duck takes to water, nor do they take to two songs any better, and I say 'to two' as in 'towards the number', not as in 'tutu' the ballet skirt or South African bishop. Not that they often sings songs about Archbishop's skirts anyway - let's hope they never do. I couldn't face having to explain their taking to Tutu's two tutu songs. So, with that all sorted out, all we have to do is introduce our accompanyist, who really does take to water like a duck...takes to the piano - Colin Sell! Glasgow
30 Nov 1998
Let's move on to a musical round now with One Song to the Tune of Another. This concept is of such basic simplicity, I often wonder why I bother to explain it, but there are those who can be a little slow on the uptake teams, so pay attention! A song is comprised of two elemental components, the 'tune' and the 'words'. The obvious and simplest analogy would be a cooking pot or saucepan containing food in the process of being cooked. The contents are like the 'words', and these are contained within the pan, much in the same way that the 'tune' carries the words. Just as there are many varieties of 'tune', so there are an infinite variety of pots and pans, and each type can contain all manner of different foodstuffs, or 'words'. These can vary from simple fare such as baked beans or soup, through to quite complex dishes like stews or coq au vin, and they can be cooked, or sung, in two different ways. One involves the boiling water of the classical style, the other, the hot fat of a more contemporary interpretation. However, beware, for the latter has it's incipient dangers. Now, teams, I can sense by the look of anticipation in your eyes, you're keen to hear more, so let's move on to health & safety aspects. As you are no doubt thinking, "Isn't there some precaution we can take in the event of one of these pots catching fire?" Quite right. As every safety conscious cook knows, it's vital on these occasions to keep handy a huge wet blanket. At the piano we have Colin Sell... Buxton
09 Jun 2003
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song to the Tune of Another. The most obvious analogy to the concept of song construction must be a letter in an envelope: the 'envelope' represents the 'tune' which carries the letter, and the 'letter' represents the 'words', and is comprised of one or more sheets of notepaper containing a message of some sort. But I sense the teams are missing the point here, as there is another vital element - the 'stamp'. A postage stamp to the correct value must be attached - that is if you define 'value' as paying 28p for a one in four chance of having your mail lost. The postage stamp represents that third essential component - a musical instrument - and must be stuck in exactly the correct position. Fortunately, we have with us someone who knows exactly where he can stick it...at the piano, Colin Sell... Torquay
23 Jun 2003
The teams are going to sing for us now in a round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. Now I can see from their look of puzzlement that the teams are anxious to know what in blue blazes this could be all about. Well, it's actually not nearly as complicated as it sounds, teams. You might like to think of your tune as a house, and the words as the interior decor, which of course can be changed - a sort of musical version of 'Changing Rooms' if you will. That's where two couples swap houses and redecorate them in the style of a Dutch brothel or Bombay public toilet. Now, I know what you're thinking teams: "Thank goodness that's all sorted out, except he's forgotten to explain where Handy Andy comes into this." Well, we don't need a Handy Andy banging away on his own in the background, trying to destroy a perfectly good piece of furniture...not when we have Colin Sell at the piano... ISIHAC 7, Side 4
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song to the Tune of Another. The most obvious analogy to the concept of song construction must be a letter in an envelope: the 'envelope' represents the 'tune' which carries the letter, and the 'letter' represents the 'words', and is comprised of one or more sheets of notepaper containing a message of some sort. But I sense the teams are missing the point here, as there is another vital element - the 'stamp'. A postage stamp to the correct value must be attached - that is if you define 'value' as paying 28p for a one in four chance of having your mail lost. The postage stamp represents that third essential component - a musical instrument - and must be stuck in exactly the correct position. Fortunately, we have with us someone who knows exactly where he can stick it...at the piano, Colin Sell... ISIHAC 8, Side 2
OK, well we have a musical round now, in the guise of a game called One Song to the Tune of Another. Now teams, even to the uninitiated amateur, One Song to the Tune of Another will instantly be recognised as an obvious construct, and only complete idiots of the first order of total incompetence would fail to grasp the basics. So let me just run through it again for you. A song is comprised of two elementary components, the 'tune' and the 'words'. You might imagine the 'tune' to be akin to a 'shelf' of the type commonly found on domestic walls. This is supported by the 'brackets', or in this case, the 'words'. Some shelf units might store household items such as toilet rolls and firelighters. These are like songs we don't hear very often. Others are like popular songs we like to enjoy frequently, and might display souvenirs, such as novelty teaspoons, or Coronation mugs are another possibility, although I often wonder who that happy, smiling woman is pictured on the 1953 Queen Elizabeth II edition. Well I can sense the teams are getting bogged down on the details of shelf usage - that's not important, for if the shelves are to be supported by brackets, they need firm wall fixings in the form of good strong screws set in Rawlplugs, but it's not just shelves that need securing. Kitchen units, vanity mirrors, and even the essential dado rails are all the same. "But", I hear you thinking "Where can one find a specialist who can be relied upon unfailingly to screw everything up for us?" At the piano we have Colin Sell... ISIHAC 8, Side 3
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. This is quite simply where the words of one song are sung to the tune of a different song, so you'd need to be as dim as a Toc H lamp to require further explanation. So teams, perhaps the simplest way to understand this is to think of a song as a jam roly-poly, with the tune being the sponge, obviously, which is rolled up neatly to contain the jam, or words. It would be perfectly possible to unroll the sponge and scrape out the jam, which might be strawberry or raspberry, and to replace it with a different jam taken from a second roly-poly, perhaps a summer fruit compote or even orange marmalade, although obviously wou wouldn't want to use the thick cut variety as that would have lumps of peel sticking up through the sponge. But please don't get bogged down on fruit preserves, teams. The type isn't important. What you should be concentrating on is the state of the sponge pudding that's been unrolled: it would doubtless be damaged and possibly broken in places as a result of the unrolling and scraping. So I know exactly what you're thinking teams: "Where does a useless old pudding come into this?"... At the piano we have Colin Sell... ISIHAC 8, Side 4
I'm going to ask the teams to sing for us now, in the round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. Now, this isn't a concept that's at all difficult to grasp teams, as the basic construction of a 'song' mirrors almost exactly that of a 'spacecraft'. The 'tune' is just like the rocket motor driving the 'capsule', or 'words', up through the stratosphere and out of the Earth's ecliptic orbit, and once free of gravitational pull, the two can be separated, just as the 'words' can be removed from the 'song' and set to a different 'tune', or, in the case of the capsule, can dock with another space vehicle. Personally, I've never seen the point of space travel. Oh yes, you can point to all the spinoff benefits such as non-stick digital watches and a biro that writes upside-down, but what's the point of that anyway? If you want to write upside-down just turn the page round when you've finished. Of course, they've proved the moon has zero atmosphere, but Swindon has zero atmosphere, and we don't all spend millions of dollars going there to see for ourselves. Now teams, I sense that you think I've missed something here - yes, what about the black hole, that strange area of space that's so densely compressed it absorbs everything that goes near it. How does that fit in - a body that is both dense and sucks?...At the piano we have Colin Sell... Winchester
17 Nov 2003
Our next game has the title One Song To The Tune Of Another. This is a cunning musical game that cleverly combines the music of one song with the words of another, such that the teams appear, as if by magic, to be singing two songs at the same time. The game originated on the occasion that Ireland first won the Eurovision Song Contest. At the celebration party, Ireland's lovely entrant Dana got carried away, jumped on stage, and delighted revellers by doing All Kinds Of Everything with Paddy McGinty's Goat; and providing musical accompaniment we have the master of unusual combinations...(you haven't seen them! I did in the dressing room)...at the piano, Colin Sell... Southsea
25 May 1998
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the round known as One Song To The Tune Of Another. Anyone having trouble grasping this concept may care to consider a 'song' to be like a 'tree'. The 'leaves' represent the 'words', which occasionally fall off, to be replaced later by new 'leaves', or different 'words'. Obviously, the discarded words don't form a slimy layer on top of your lawn like leaves do. That's why they should be swept up and placed in a heap to be burnt on bonfire night to the accompaniment of loud bangs as the hedgehogs explode. Now I come to think of it, there's no record of a few song lyrics ever causing an express train to sit outside Tunbridge Wells station for 9 hours at a time. Not that you'd think leaves on the rails would have been much of a problem these days...so few trains seem actually to stay on them. Now teams, I can guess what you're thinking - "What kind of species of tree is this? Is it an elder? Is it an ash?" You could try asking a so-called expert, but in all likelihood, he wouldn't know his ash from his elder... At the piano, Colin Sell... Eastbourne
01 Dec 2003
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. This is a remarkably easy concept to grasp, teams, as luckily a song is constructed in much the same way as a shoe. The 'tune' is represented by the leather 'upper', and this is connected to the 'sole' or 'words'. However, after a while we may tire of the 'words' or 'wear the sole out', and take away the 'words' to replace them with new ones, or 'resole the shoe'. While we're doing this, we may also take the opportunity to have some keys cut, although why shoe repairers think they're all qualified locksmiths, I can't imagine. I could have been stuck outside in the cold for hours with that set of badly cut keys. Luckily my neighbour is a qualified engineer who owns a heavy industrial machine lathe...so we used that to smash the door down. Now teams, I can sense you may be missing the point here, because you've clearly failed to spot that if we're all going to have our footwear constantly resoled, there'd be a huge increase in demand for experienced shoe repairers hammering away. Personally I don't know if I have the stomach for a noisy load of old cobblers... At the piano is Colin Sell... Leeds
22 Dec 2003
Right, it's time now for an old favourite called One Song To The Tune Of Another, a game which neatly combines both its title and its name in one. Using the description of a game as its title still goes on in some countries, particularly in China. Literally translated, the Chinese for 'snooker' is "use thin rod to clear table of coloured balls"; 'skating' is translated as "catch frostbite while falling off metal shoes"; 'darts' as "fat blokes get drunk"; and 'rugby' as "push face into buttocks of man in front", which coincidentally is also the title of the new BBC management training manual. OK teams, I shall now introduce a series of implausible musical combinations, starting with the first and most implausible...Colin Sell and a Piano... Leeds
11 May 1998
It's time now for a game called One Song To The Tune Of Another, which despite the title, isn't too difficult when explained logically. In one composition there are two elements, A the tune, and B the words. Taking a second composition, let's call the tune T, and for ease of working, the words Q. Selecting two songs at random - song S and song P - we take B away from S, leaving just A - the tune. From song P, we subtract T leaving the words Q. With everything now split into its simplest form, we can either recombine T with B to form a new S, or A with Q to make a revised P. Well, I see the teams' faces light up with the realisation now that they have a choice - go with the TSB or join AQ for another P... Windsor
27 Apr 1998
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the game we call One Song to the Tune of Another. Probably the easiest way to understand this is to think of a song as supermarket shopping. The tune is represented by the trolley, holding together and transporting the goods, or words. If you had a shorter song, then it might be just a hand-held basket, in which case you may qualify for the speedier Nine Items Or Fewer checkout. Not that that should make any difference. No one who works in a supermarket can add up anyway. Present them with two dozen checkouts and they think they can be staffed by four people... Rhyl
13 Jun 2005
[ Stretching the English language to its limits, Not broadcast] it's music time now, with One Song to the Tune of Another, and this will be a rare treat for music lovers everywhere. There's no radio games like this one...wait a minute, I'll read that again... a rare treat for music lovers, everywhere there's no radio. Games like this one require a certain special kind of talent. To swop the words of one song with those of another takes the ability to ignore all the conventional rules of musical composition, harmony and melody. Fortunately, we have a world-class expert, in the shape of Colin Sell... Oxford
27 Jun 2005
OK, I'll ask the teams to sing for us now (fool that I am), in the round called One Song to the Tune of Another. This is the round in which the teams are challenged to sing the words of one song to the tune of a different song. Actually, they'd be challenged to sing them to the right tune, but that's another story. The principal of One Song to the Tune of Another is very much like washing socks. Dunking them in soapy water and giving them a good scrub freshens them up and provides them with a new lease of life, just as tunes are revitalised by new words. But I hear you thinking teams, "Won't the song sheets become soggy and liable to fall apart?" Well, there is a traditional machine we could use to squeeze them dry, but why bother, when we've got Colin Sell to mangle our tunes for us... Edinburgh
01 Sep 2005
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song to the Tune of Another. This is a well established concept requiring explanation only to anyone who's slept through every show for the last thirty-odd years...so I'll be interested to read this. The construction and flow of a song is very much akin to a clock. The numbers around the face represent the words, while the hands sweep round like the tune, carrying the melody along. This analogy obviously only works with the traditional timepiece, as digital clocks don't have hands, so in your mind's eye, teams, you should have a picture of a clock, perhaps perched by your bedside, and as you visualise this scene, I know exactly what you're thinking - what about the annoying little tick in the background? At the piano we have Colin Sell... London Palladium
14 Nov 2005
OK, with that glossed over, we'll move on to a musical game called One Song to the Tune of Another. This is a concept of such breath-taking simplicity, it needs only the briefest of explanations, so, teams, try to think of a song as a clothing store mannequin. The clothes represent the words, while the model represents the tune, supporting the words and displaying them to their best advantage. Songs can, of course, be given different arrangements, just as the mannequins can have limbs swopped around, striking different poses to suit different types of apparel. But, I hear you thinking teams, isn't there a danger of putting the wrong arm in the wrong socket? And what possible use would there be for a dummy with two left hands? At the piano we have Colin Sell... Brighton
28 Nov 2005
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song to the Tune of Another. Probably the best way to think of a song is to imagine it as a nation. The 'tune' is represented by the country itself, providing somewhere for the population, or 'words' to live. But population can change. Over time, different people, or 'words', come and go, subtly altering the national characteristic, or the sound of the song. Now I can sense the teams racing ahead of me here, and thinking: Isn't shifting people around the world a job for the CIA? Yes indeed it is, and as I can see the teams bursting to ask: When these people arrive in their new country, doesn't the CIA have them greeted by some evil operator of an instrument of torture? At the piano we have Colin Sell... Harrogate
19 Dec 2005
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the game called One Song to the Tune of Another. This is where the teams change songs by substituting different words, but this subtle modification can only be detected thanks to the keen sense of hearing possessed by humans. Early man believed he could improve his hearing by piercing the earlobe to hang a weight, thereby opening the auricular tube. This is where the practice of wearing earrings came from, when a tribal chief would require his entire colony to have their ears pierced by a sharp point sterilised in a flame. Now, I know what you're thinking teams - who could possibly convince several hundred people they'd be better off having red hot needles stuck in their ears? At the piano we have Colin Sell... Bristol
22 May 2005
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the game called One Song to the Tune of Another. This is the game in which the teams sing the words of one song to the tune of a different song. It's a bit like making a pot of tea. The hot water represents the tune, in which are immersed the leaves, or words. However, different leaves, or words, may be used, such as Earl Grey, or English Breakfast but with the same water, or tune. Now I know what you're thinking teams - when you pour the tea from the spout, don't you find there's an annoying, persistent little drip? At the piano we have Colin Sell... Birmingham
05 Jun 2006
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the game called One Song to the Tune of Another. You'd need to have been cut off from normal life for the past thirty years not to know how this works by now...so teams, listen up. A song is rather like a microscope. The vertical tube represents the tune, which carries the lenses, or words. These are assembled with precision to enable us to see the object, or hear the song. However, a song can be broken down into its component parts by separating the words from the tune, just as a microscope can have its lenses prised from the tube with pliers. I know what you're thinking teams: Wouldn't that be a case of wanton vandalisim inflicted on a delicate instrument? At the piano we have Colin Sell... Halifax
19 Jun 2006
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song to the Tune of Another. Although you think that title is obvious enough, I can see by the look of abject bewilderment in the teams' eyes, that I'd better provide a simpler explanation. A song operates on a very similar level to a power drill. The machine itself carrying the lyrics, or drill bit in its chuck. The drill bits, or words, can be removed and replaced by different drill bits for different jobs. Now, I know what you're thinking teams: Do we need hammer action and vari-speed facilities? Well, that's not important. Although the Black and Decker KD960 model is a good one for general use. However teams, with Health & Safety very much in mind, you should wear both ear defenders and eye protection because there will be an irritating pollutant filling the air. That's right, piano accompaniment is provided by Coiln Sell... Southport
13 Nov 2006
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song to the Tune of Another. That title is largely self-explanatory, but just to clarify the modus operandii, it might be helpful, teams, to imagine songs to be peanuts. The tunes are analagous to the shells which carry the peanuts, or words. The shells can be opened up, and the peanuts, or words, [ can be Not broadcast] removed. Now, I know exactly what you're thinking teams: Are there not health hazards associated with peanuts? Well spotted, because in certain circumstances peanuts, or words, can cause an allergic reaction or stick in the throat. Words such as "Colin Sell is at the piano..." Victoria Palace
27 Nov 2006
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song to the Tune of Another. How can I best explain this simply? Oh, I know. A song is very much like a garden lawn. The words are represented by the blades of grass, which are supported by the soil, or tune. However, over time, a lawn may become worn out, so the keen gardener may care to returf the lawn with new grass, or in our terms, put different words to the old tune. Now, I know what you're thinking teams, what happens to the redundant turf that's been stripped off? Well that's a good point, because you do inevitably end up with some useless sod...At the piano, Colin Sell... Sunderland
11 Dec 2006
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. The most obvious way to explain this is to imagine that a song is a washing machine. The washer itself represents the tune which holds the clothes, or words. Once the clothes, or words, have been washed, or sung, the clothes, or words, may be removed to be replaced by another set of washing. However, these might not be clothes, as they could be bed-linen or even woollens. Now, I know what you're thinking teams: surely woollen garments are too delicate for a machine wash. Well, yes they are, so why were you thinking of putting them in there? It's not as if they've got anything to do with One Song to the Tune of Another. Also you're no doubt thinking: which is the best machine - a top loader or one with a side door? I'd recommend avoiding the top loader, because if you let someone who doesn't know what they're doing lift the lid, you're in for a terrible mess. At the piano, Colin Sell... London Coliseum
04 Jun 2007
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the game we call One Song To The Tune Of Another. Probably the easiest way to to understand this is to think of a song as a pair of trousers. The trousers represent the words, which are carried along by the legs, or tune. Periodically, the trousers, or words, [ are removed from the tune, or legs. This can be for a variety of reasons. It may be cleaning or ironing, and even as I say that, I sense the teams asking themselves: Who on earth in this day and age irons their legs? Do try to keep up. It's perfectly obvious from my syntax that it's the trousers that are ironed, not the legs. Sometimes you make me wonder! Alternatively the trousers, or words, Not broadcast] might be replaced with a different pair, and this is the clever part teams, because often they aren't the same length, and then the words don't quite fit the tune. But, I hear you retort, isn't there extra material at the hem which can be used to add length? And how far can you go? Could you extend a pair of football shorts to the ankle? You could, but it would be the biggest let down ever. At the piano, Colin Sell... Cardiff
18 Jun 2007
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the game called One Song To The Tune Of Another. This may require a short explanation. By far the most obvious analogy is to think of a song as being a market stall. The stall represents the tune, carrying and displaying the goods, or words. When all the goods have been sold, or sung, they can be replaced with fresh goods, or words. [ Now, I know what you're thinking teams: What sort of market stall is this? Fruit & veg., or clothing? Well, that's not important unless you need a new jumper, in which case a pound of sprouts isn't going to do you much good. Not broadcast] But if you're going out to buy goods from a market stall, make sure you don't get conned into buying imitation designer-label stuff that's smuggled in from abroad, where it's often made by child labour in sweat shops. Yes indeed. What kind of heartless fiend would exploit innocent members of the public by making money from an appalling racket. At the piano, Colin Sell... Wimbledon
02 Jul 2007
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. This requires no explanation, except to say that a song is exactly like a bank or a building society. The bank itself represents the tune, while the cash which is held in its vaults represent the words. However, it's possible to take out your cash and deposit it with a different bank, or put another way, sing one song to the tune of another. Now, I can guess what you're thinking teams: What if there's been a run on my bank caused by them overreaching their liquidity due to expansion in the U.S. sub-prime mortage market and overreliance on high-geared derivatives? And you're quite right to think that way. Your hard-earned savings may be going down the toilet even as we speak. If you don't get there soon your next bank statement might be your last - and can you imagine any statement more likely to panic an audience into leaping from their seats and out into the street? Colin Sell is at the piano... Croydon
12 Nov 2007
The teams are going to sing for us now, in the game called One Song To The Tune Of Another, and even as those words left my lips, I could sense the teams thinking: What in blue blazes is that all about? Well, fret not, as it's all relatively simple if given a proper explanation. If you think about it, a milk bottle is almost exactly like a song. It's wide at the base, but tapers to a small diameter opening at the top which is sealed with a foil cap to prevent spillage. But that's not what makes it like a song. No, because the bottle contains milk which is exactly like the words. The milk, or words, may be poured from the bottle, or song, and then the bottle can be returned to the milkman to be refilled with different milk, or words. Just like singing one song to the tune of another. But, I hear the teams collectively gasp under their breath, what about garden birds? Yes, there is the danger as your milk sits on the doorstep, that the foil cap might have holes pecked in it, allowing the ingress of contaminent, and rendering the milk unpalatable. Sadly, things are liable to go sour, thanks to an unwelcome little tit. At the piano, Colin Sell... Manchester
26 Nov 2007
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the game called One Song To The Tune Of Another. This is a concept of such pure simplicity you'd need the intellect of a three year old to require an explanation, so teams, try to think of a song as a cargo ship. The song is represented by the vessel sailing the oceans transporting the words, or cargo. Every now and again the ship, or song, comes into port and unloads its cargo, or words, and takes on a fresh cargo, and thereby one song is sung to the tune of another. Easy peasy lemon squeezy so far, but teams let me pre-empt your next question. Yes indeed, what about fog? Surely the captain would have trouble finding the right berth in a harbour shrouded by fog, with the inevitable consequence that he might collide with the dockside? And the last thing you want is someone blindly bashing quays... At the piano, Colin Sell... Peterborough
10 Dec 2007
Why don't you sing One Poem To The Tune Of A Song? {???unreadable} One Song to the Tune of Another. You're right - easier said than done. Hang on, I need to give it some long and in depth thought. Ah yes! I've got it! You see a song is very much like a box of matches. The {???unreadable} the tune which carries the matches which in turn represent the words. Because songs have an average content of 48 words and are Finland's biggest export. You can empty the matches out of the box, possibly to glue them all together to make a small model of one of our great national buildings, although not Tower Bridge of course, because that won't be built for another twenty years, so no one's ever heard of it yet. OK so far? And while we're talking about the match manufacturing industry, I expect you're wondering what might prompt someone to want to reduce a fine piece of timber to matchwood, and then set it alight. At the piano, Colin the rabbit... Humph In Wonderland
25 Dec 2007
OK, the teams are going to sing for us now, in the round known as One Song To The Tune Of Another. Anyone having trouble grasping this concept may care to consider a 'song' to be like a 'tree'. The 'leaves' represent the 'words', which occasionally fall off, to be replaced later by new 'leaves', or different 'words'. Obviously, the discarded words don't form a slimy layer on top of your lawn like leaves do. That's why they should be swept up and placed in a heap to be burnt on bonfire night to the accompaniment of loud bangs as the hedgehogs explode. In One Song to the Tune of Another, the teams mix up the words of one song with the tune of another. This might be considered a difficult challenge, until they hear the piano accompaniment of Colin Sell...when it will be rendered well nigh impossible... ISIHAC 9, Side 2
We're going to play now a rather complicated game called One Song To The Tune Of Another, which may need some explanation. In it, teams, we take a song, or tune, and remove the lyrics, or words, from the tune, or song, and then, and this explains why we call it One Song to the Tune of Another, we take the lyrics, or words, away from another tune, or song, and get you to sing the words with the tune from the first song, without the lyrics, but with the music. And if this were not challenge enough, teams, accompaniment will be provided by Colin Sell at the piano... Brighton
27 May 1995
We're going to play now a rather complicated game called One Song To The Tune Of Another, which may need some explanation. In it, teams, we take a song, or tune, and remove the lyrics, or words, from the tune, or song, and then, and this explains why we call it One Song to the Tune of Another, we take the lyrics, or words, away from another tune, or song, and get you to sing the words with the tune from the first song, without the lyrics, but with the music. And if this were not challenge enough, teams, accompaniment will be provided by Colin Sell at the piano... ISIHAC Classic Repeat
27 Apr 2008
We're now going to move on to a complicated round called One Song To The Tune Of Another, in which the tune of one song and the words of another are brought together and combined as if they were both one song. It's hard to get your head round that at first, but if you try to think of it as one song without the tune, but with the words, to the tune of another song, but without the words, it may help. Teams, to accompany you, I'm sure you'd all like to welcome our brand new pianist...but until he's provided, we'll just have to make do with our old one... ISIHAC Classic Repeat
16 Jun 2008
I'm going to ask the teams to sing for us now, in the round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. Now, this isn't a concept that's at all difficult to grasp teams, as the basic construction of a 'song' mirrors almost exactly that of a 'spacecraft'. The 'tune' is just like the rocket motor driving the 'capsule', or 'words', up through the stratosphere and out of the Earth's ecliptic orbit, and once free of gravitational pull, the two can be separated, just as the 'words' can be removed from the 'song' and set to a different 'tune', or, in the case of the capsule, can dock with another space vehicle. Personally, I've never seen the point of space travel. Oh yes, you can point to all the spinoff benefits such as non-stick digital watches and a biro that writes upside-down, but what's the point of that anyway? If you want to write upside-down just turn the page round when you've finished. Of course, they've proved the moon has zero atmosphere, but Swindon has zero atmosphere, and we don't all spend millions of dollars going there to see for ourselves. Now teams, I sense that you think I've missed something here - yes, what about the black hole, that strange area of space that's so densely compressed it absorbs everything that goes near it. How does that fit in - a body that is both dense and sucks?...At the piano we have Colin Sell... ISIHAC Classic Repeat
30 Jun 2008
The teams are going to sing for us in a round called One Song To The Tune Of Another. This simple and well-known concept will require explanation only to someone who's been out of touch and living in a cave for the last 35 years, so, teams, this is how it works: A song is made up of two basic elements - the 'tune' and the 'words'. I'll put this more simply. The two elements are like a lock and its key. The 'lock' represents the 'tune', providing security for the 'words' to be inserted, just like the key to open up a world of musical wonderment, but [ there's a possibility that we've so far overlooked: Not broadcast] not all locks have keys, do they? Certain types of locks, such as those used to secure bank safes or bicycles or other low-value items, employ a secret series of numbers which create a mechanical code to thwart any would-be thief, but for this to be effective, you must have the most baffling combination it's possible to devise. At the piano, Colin Sell... Haymarket
22 Jun 2009
(d?) after venue signifies a query regarding the Date of broadcast,
(??) signifies a query regarding Venue of broadcast


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