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Add to Playlist

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Rating
★★★★★
5
from
32 reviews
This podcast has
133 episodes
Language
English
Publisher
BBC Radio 4
Explicit
No
Date created
2021/10/01
Latest episode
2026/09/18
Average duration
43 min.
Release period
14 days

Description

Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe take us on a musical journey of discovery, exploring the web of connections between tracks across the breadth of all musical styles, from pop, rock, reggae and hip-hop to classical, jazz, folk and country.

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Rick Wakeman and Amanda Whiting close out the series
2026/09/18
Rick Wakeman - keyboard player and former member of the rock group Yes - and Welsh jazz harpist and composer Amanda Whiting, join Jeffrey and Anna as they add the final five tracks to the playlist for the current series. Kicking off with a groundbreaking French hit from 2019 and rounding off with a world-famous singalong song with an equally famous accompanying dance move, the playlist also visits Finland, Canada and a celebrated British one-hit wonder. Add to Playlist returns for a new series on 6 November Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Pookie by Aya Nakamura Sumother Song by Kenny Wheeler Finlandia by Jean Sibelius Fire by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown Macarena by Los del Rio & The Bayside Boys Other music in this episode: Trumpet Concerto in E Flat, III: Allegro by Joseph Haydn No Scrubs by TLC Djadja by Aya Nakamura Who Let The Dogs Out by Baha Men Wipeout by The Surfaris Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles 99 Red Balloons by Nena Funkytown by Lipps Inc Tubthumping by Chumbawamba Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye Macarena by Los Del Rio Old Town Road by Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus
Emma Rawicz and Arsha Kaviani celebrate exceptional teenage talent
2026/09/11
Saxophonist and composer Emma Rawicz and pianist and composer Arsha Kaviani are the studio guests of Jeffrey and Anna as they add five more tracks, taking them from a politically satirical song by George Michael to a classic pop track from the American girl group TLC via two mysterious buildings conjured up by The Animals and Modest Mussorgsky. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Shoot the Dog by George Michael Lush Life by John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, written by Billy Strayhorn House of the Rising Sun by The Animals The Old Castle by Modest Mussorgsky No Scrubs by TLC Other music in this episode: Disco Inferno by The Trammps La Cucaracha by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán Cowboys & Aliens by Emma Rawicz The Rising Sun Blues by Clarence 'Tom' Ashley and Gwen Foster Poker Face by Lady Gaga What's Love Got To Do With It by Tina Turner
Anne Dudley and Jon Boden at the Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield
2026/09/04
Oscar-winning composer Anne Dudley and musician, arranger and former lead singer with the folk group Bellowhead, Jon Boden, are Jeffrey and Anna's guests in front of a live audience at the Crossed Wires podcast festival in Sheffield. Kicking off with a huge Sheffield banger from 1982, the five-track journey takes them to Bob Marley, Eliza Carthy and finishing up with a legless cockroach! Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: The Look of Love by ABC Stir It Up by Bob Marley Little Gypsy Girl by Eliza Carthy Pe-loc by Béla Bartók La Cucaracha by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán Other music in this episode: Don't You Want Me by The Human League Tonight The Streets Are Ours by Richard Hawley With A Little Help From My Friends by Joe Cocker I Do This All The Time by Self Esteem Heatwave In The Cold North by Reverend and The Makers Temptation by Heaven 17 Common People by Pulp I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor by Arctic Monkeys I Shot The Sheriff by Eric Clapton Rufford Park Poachers recorded by Percy Grainger From the Diary of a Fly by Béla Bartók
RuthAnne and Gavin Higgins get in the Flow
2026/08/28
RuthAnne - songwriter Ruth-Anne Cunningham - and composer Gavin Higgins join Jeffrey and Anna as they create a standalone five-track playlist for this one-off episode. Starting with a massive international hit by a leading Irish singer, they head to Fugees, Gershwin and some fine young cannibals. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Orinoco Flow by Enya Ready or Not by Fugees I Loves You, Porgy by George & Ira Gershwin, sung by Nina Simone She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals Opposite People by Newen Afrobeat & Seun Kuti Other music in this episode: Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber and Tiësto In the Name of Love by Martin Garrix and Bebe Rexha Too Little Too Late by JoJo Work Bitch by Britney Spears Slow Hands by Niall Horan Where Do Broken Hearts Go by One Direction Boadicea by Enya Rhapsody In Blue by George Gershwin Opposite People by Fela Kuti and Africa 70
Nadine Shah, David Arnold and Charlotte Harding celebrate the BBC Proms
2026/08/21
To mark this year's BBC Proms, Jeffrey and Anna are joined by three music specialists to create a playlist of five Proms-themed tracks. Celebrated James Bond film composer David Arnold, Mercury-Prize-nominated, South Tyneside-born, singer and songwriter Nadine Shah, and composer and saxophonist Charlotte Harding check out this year's festival, currently just past its halfway point, and look into the archive to choose their five tracks. Every concert in this year's BBC Proms is - or will be - available via BBC Sounds, including Nadine Shah's performance in Gateshead and Charlotte Harding's Relaxed Prom in Bristol, with many also available on the iPlayer. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: James Bond Theme by John Barry 4th mvt: Adagio, from 9th Symphony by Gustav Mahler Time by Pink Floyd It’s Raining Today by Scott Walker And the Door Unsealed by Miho Hazama, performed by the Danish Radio Big Band Other music in this episode: Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland Topless Mother by Nadine Shah Miami International from Casino Royale by David Arnold Bad Sign, Good Sign by Monty Norman Main Title from Out of Africa by John Barry Make It Easy on Yourself by The Walker Brothers My Ship Is Coming In by The Walker Brothers The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore by The Walker Brothers Wilkommen from Cabaret by the Danish Radio Big Band
A celebration of Black British music live at V&A East, with Nolay, Soweto Kinch and Keelan Carew
2026/08/14
The V&A East Museum in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London opened in April with its inaugural exhibition The Music Is Black: A British Story, focusing on 125 years of Black music-making in Britain. Spanning four continents, it is a story of excellence, struggle, resilience and joy. To celebrate the exhibition, in a collaboration between the V&A and the BBC, Add to Playlist comes from the museum in front of a live audience with a host of significant figures on the Black British music scene. Jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch, leading UK grime artist NoLay (accompanied by fellow grime artists Griminal and Roachee), classical pianist Keelan Carew and special guest Janet Kay - who hit the high notes with her 1979 smash hit Silly Games - join Anna and Jeffrey as they discuss the five tracks of Black British music that make up this episode's playlist. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Back to Life by Soul II Soul 21 Seconds by So Solid Crew Silly Games by Janet Kay Deep River by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor It’s So by Omar  Other music in this episode: On My Radio by The Selecter Keep on Movin' by Soul II Soul Hiawatha's Wedding Feast by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor There's Nothing Like This by Omar
Tom Seals and Debbie Wiseman slap that bass
2026/06/26
Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman and boogie-woogie pianist and singer Tom Seals are Jeffrey and Anna's final guests of the current series as they add the final five tracks, taking them from a Prince classic via the First Lady of Song to Bob Geldof's ticking clock and a Punjabi bhangra megahit. Add to Playlist will be back on air on 14 August. For details of the Crossed Wires podcast festival in Sheffield and for free tickets for the recording of Add to Playlist and other Radio 4 shows, visit https://crossedwires.live/fringe Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: When Doves Cry by Prince Slap That Bass by Ella Fitzgerald La Valse by Maurice Ravel Like Clockwork by The Boomtown Rats  Mundian To Bach Ke by Panjabi MC Other music in this episode: West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys Billie Jean by Michael Jackson Africa by Toto In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins L'Enfant et les Sortilèges by Maurice Ravel Time by Pink Floyd Hung Up by Madonna Knight Rider theme by Stu Phillips & Glen A. Larson Turn It Up/Fire It Up by Busta Rhymes
Claire Wickes and Ashley Henry celebrate chocolate and music
2026/06/19
Flautist Claire Wickes and jazz pianist Ashley Henry join Jeffrey and Anna as they add the next five tracks, exploring the association between music and chocolate, and digging into the Harlem Renaissance with the poet Langston Hughes and Cuban Negrismo, before marking the official longest partnership in pop. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: 5-4-3-2-1 by Manfred Mann Dance of the Mirlitons from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes Boda Negra by María Teresa Vera West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys Other music in this episode: Mississippi Goddam by Ashley Henry Knee Play 5 from Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass Numbers by Kraftwerk 5,6,7,8 by Steps Moon River by Audrey Hepburn Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky
Guy Pratt and Amy Harman and the art of hocketing
2026/06/12
Bass guitarist, composer and songwriter Guy Pratt and bassoonist Amy Harman are Jeffrey and Anna's studio guests as they add five more tracks. Starting with an early ska classic, they explore the art of 'hocketing' before heading to the beach with Einstein. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Miss Jamaica by Jimmy Cliff Rock On by David Essex Finale of Symphony No 6 in B Minor by Tchaikovsky Hockets for Two Voices: 1 by Meara O’Reilly Knee Play 5 from Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass Other music in this episode: Ain't No Doubt by Jimmy Nail Like a Prayer by Madonna The Reason by Celine Dion I'm Alive by Vybz Kartel Be My Guest by Fats Domino Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd 9th Symphony by Gustav Mahler Zap Mama by Babanzélé Gamelan by the Bali Gamelan Orchestra Money by Pink Floyd Welcome to the Machine by Pink Floyd
Lucy Parham and Nicky Spence explore some familiar Radio 4 theme tunes
2026/06/05
Classical pianist Lucy Parham and operatic tenor Nicky Spence are Jeffrey and Anna's studio guests as they compile another five-track playlist. Starting with a memorable scene from Werner Herzog's film Fitzcarraldo, they end up at the queen of the power ballad, stopping off to reveal the background to two very popular tunes regularly played on Radio 4. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Quartet from Rigoletto by Verdi La Flor de la Canela by Chabuca Granda The Minute Waltz by Chopin My Native Heath, Suite IV: Barwick Green by Arthur Wood The Reason by Celine Dion Other music in this episode: Cantaloop by Us3 Proud Mary by Ike & Tina Turner Approaching Menace by Neil Richardson The Archers Theme by The Yetties My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
Fiona Bevan and Keelan Carew mess around
2026/05/29
Multi-platinum songwriter and musician Fiona Bevan and pianist Keelan Carew are Jeffrey and Anna's studio guests as they add five more tracks, taking us from Ray Charles letting loose for the first time, to a famous riverboat steamer on the Mississippi via Mozart and Nick Drake. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Mess Around by Ray Charles Kyrie from the Mass in C Minor by Mozart From the Morning by Nick Drake Fields of Gold by Eva Cassidy Proud Mary by Ike & Tina Turner Other music in this episode: Soul Bossa Nova by Quincy Jones Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor (the Chaconne) by J.S. Bach Over the Rainbow by Eva Cassidy Fields of Gold by Sting Little Things by One Direction
Ben Gernon and Heidi Fardell launch a new series
2026/05/22
Conductor Ben Gernon and baroque recorder player Heidi Fardell open the new series alongside Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add the first five tracks, taking us from a steamy New York summer to a celebrated Bach composition that violinist Joshua Bell has described as 'not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history'. Throw in Gershwin, Louis XIV and a very serious musical accident, and you've got a cornucopia of an opening episode. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Summer in the City by The Lovin’ Spoonful An American in Paris by George Gershwin Overture to Phaëton by Jean-Baptiste Lully Ain’t It Strange by Patti Smith Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor (the Chaconne) by J.S. Bach Other music in this episode: Batman Theme by Neil Hefti & his Orchestra 12 Sonatas Op. 11 'Parensi': No 7 in A Minor: II. Allegro by Robert Valentine, performed by Heidi Fardell Because The Night by Patti Smith
Neil Brand and Matilda Lloyd celebrate the mambo
2026/03/27
Pianist and silent film music specialist Neil Brand and trumpeter Matilda Lloyd join Jeffrey and Anna as they add five tracks to the playlist, in the last of the current series. From a celebrated American singer who died aged 27 we head to the most successful artist in the history of the Grammys, via a famous sacred Italian work, appropriate as Good Friday approaches. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Mercedes Benz by Janis Joplin Stabat Mater Dolorosa by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Mambo Bacan by Sophia Loren The Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini Say My Name by Destiny’s Child Other music in this episode: Toccata by Giovanni Battista Martini, played by Matilda Lloyd Peter Piper by Run-D.M.C. My Adidas by Run-D.M.C. Mambo No 5 by Pérez Prado Que Rico Mambo by Pérez Prado Bangers & Mash by Sophia Loren and Peter Sellers Moon River by Henry Mancini, sung by Audrey Hepburn Say My Name (Acapella) by Destiny's Child
Anne Dudley and Guy Barker are Thunderstruck
2026/03/20
Trumpeter and bandleader Guy Barker and composer and arranger Anne Dudley join Jeffrey and Anna as they add five more tracks, taking us from a high-octane heavy-metal classic to Run-D.M.C. via signature stage moves and dreamy Ella. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Thunderstruck by AC/DC I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown Hommage à Rameau by Claude Debussy My Reverie by Ella Fitzgerald Peter Piper by Run-D.M.C. Other music in this episode: Love's Theme by The Love Unlimited Orchestra Gravel Pit by Wu-Tang Clan Surrender by Swing Out Sister It's a Man's Man's Man's World by James Brown Reverie by Debussy, performed by Lang Lang A-Tisket A-Tasket by Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb Humpty Dumpty by Aimee Mann All The King's Horses by Dusty Springfield Take Me To The Mardi Gras by Bob James Take Me To The Mardi Gras by Paul Simon
Nicholas McCarthy and Amy Harman watch the clock
2026/03/13
Bassoonist Amy Harman and concert pianist Nicholas McCarthy are the studio guests of Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add five more tracks. Kicking off with an internationally famous track written in Ostend in Belgium, they end up in a gravel pit via a ticking clock or two. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye Clocks by Coldplay The Clock (the 2nd mvt) from Symphony No 101 in D Major by Haydn Precipitato (the 3rd mvt) from Piano Sonata No 7 in B Flat Major by Prokofiev Gravel Pit by Wu-Tang Clan Other music in this episode: Etudes: Op 8 No 12 in D-Flat Minor by Scriabin, played by Nicholas McCarthy Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D-Major by Ravel, played by Nicholas McCarthy On the Road Again (Live) by Willie Nelson Who'll Buy My Memories by Willie Nelson Impulse by Hans Zimmer Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell Nautilus by Anna Meredith It's a Man's Man's Man's World by James Brown Da Mystery of Chessboxin by Wu-Tang Clan

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5 out of 5
32 reviews
★★★★★
16Curiouser 2025/08/20
Phenomenal
I have been listening to this podcast for several years. There is so much to take in, that I have listened to episodes more than once with the same en...
★★★★★
the.geoff.nixon 2022/10/03
My favorite music podcast. Ever.
This eclectic music program must be listened to to be believed. The only question is, where is the Add To Playlist playlist?
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