30. 10 Songs by the River

River Man - Nick Drake
Find the River - REM
River - Joni Mitchell
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
Tales of the Riverbank - The Jam
River of Dreams - Billy Joel
Moon River - Audrey Hepburn
Many Rivers to Cross - Jimmy Cliff
River - Dennis Wilson
Ole Man River - Paul Robeson

Again, this is an excellent collection of songs, though certain people may take issue with the Billy Joel song. Moon River is an all-time classic, as is Ole Man River in its way. It's good to have this Jam song and this Nick Drake song, as 'River Man' is, apparently, Paul Weller's favourite Nick Drake song. Tales from the Riverbank is an unusual and strong Jam song, though I remember being mildly disappointed when I first heard it, as I'd read it was a real classic - i don't think the chorus or the lyric are strong enough for that, but it's definitely one of Paul Weller's prettiest songs, and preempts some of the best pastoral stuff of his solo career.
River Man is seen by many as the definitive Nick Drake song, though I would personally put a couple of others above it. It has a beautiful string arrangement and is well known for it's 5/4 time signature.
A lot of consideration has been put in to what The River is that Nick Drake is referring to, whether it's as banal as the River Cam from his university days, and just looking forward to idyllic summer days once exams were over, or whether the River Man is the guardian of the Underworld, and the song is about suicide/death. I don't think that's the case.
Pretty complex theories have been put forward about The River bring the rush of modern life forever moving forward and 'Lilac Time' is a place and time of escape, of freedom from conventions etc. Lilac Time has come to be one of the main phrases associated with Drake and his type of music - indeed Stephen Duffy (who also founded Duran Duran and co-wrote for Robbie Williams, for his sins) had a critically acclaimed band in the 1980s called The Lilac Time.
Anyway, enough of such conjecture. I'm going to be true to my word and avoid getting too heavy. I could write about my own version of a river idyll growing up, as my school was right by the Thames and I crossed Hammersmith Bridge every morning to get there, and though it's hardly the most beautiful place in the world, I did spend some happy minutes gazing on the river at school and even happier days in The Rutland, The Blue Anchor, The Dove, The Old City Arms on the other side of the river learning slowly how to drink.
The pints I had at the Blue Anchor after A-Level results a particularly fine memory - I say pints, I'm being nagged by my conscience to admit that I think I actually had four Hooches. O good lord ...
But, instead of that, my piece of whimsy refers to one of our most popular river sports. Everything about this speaks of a more innocent time, but I confess, I considered filling this verse with all manner of cuss-words, just for a giggle ...
It's called

THE WPA CHAMPIONSHIPS

There's a breathless rush of adrenaline
up and down the banks tonight,
they've come from east, they've come from west,
they've come in joy, they've come in spite.

The games they are afoot, my friend,
the fight is on its merry way,
they're taking bets along the towpath -
it's time to pick up sticks and play.

Here come the men, all shapes and sizes,
and round by round, they vie and fall
till we're down to the final two
Old Bobby McGee and Young Billy McCall

The battle's fierce, the words are bitter -
"Old man, it's time for your final bow
For you were once the King of Poohsticks
But I am the King of Poohsticks now!"

The old man's heard it all before, though,
he smiles at every taunt and pop
"Maybe you're right, son, now, let's see" -
he kisses his stick then lets it drop.

The boisterous crowd falls suddenly silent -
two sticks, one bridge, one invisible line.
The old man's held the cup for decades
but who'll be WPA Champ this time?

They needn't doubt, nor worry a second.
The famous twig sprints to a win
and with one voice they rise once more
to hail the All-time Poohsticks King.

Magnificently, since writing this, I've checked to discover that this event actually does take place near Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and does gather large crowds of Poohsticks pilgrims.
Also, You'll no doubt remember from my very first list of songs that a band called The Pooh Sticks released a none-more-indie single called 'I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well'. Excellent.