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BBC Sounds

For music and pop culture lovers looking for an authentic and light-hearted take on the week in music... with broadcasters and music fanatics Annie Macmanus and Nick Grimshaw.

Sidetracked with Annie and Nick

Annie and Nick review the standout moments from the past 12 months. From the Oasis tour to Lily Allen’s culture shifting album release, 2025 has been a major year for UK artists, and who could forget the impact of moments such as: an awkward secret being revealed at a Coldplay concert, Katy Perry going to space, and CMAT playing Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage for the first time. Plus, Annie and Nick attempt the impossible task of choosing just one album and song of the year each. 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! If you’re over 16 WhatsApp 079700 82700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

SONGS 

Taylor Swift – So High School 

PinkPantheress – Illegal 

HAIM – Relationships 

Lola Young – Messy 

Cameron Winter - Nausicaä (Love Will Be Revealed) 

ELIZA – Anyone Else 

Ave Maria 

Jacon Alon – Liquid Gold 25 

CMAT – The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station 

Blood Orange - Mind Loaded 

ALBUMS 

Patti Smith – Horses 

Björk – Cornucopia 

Mavis Staples – Sad and Beautiful World 

Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving 

Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl 

Charli XCX – brat 

Lily Allen – West End Girl 

Rosalía - LUX 

CMAT – Euro-Country 

Cameron Winter – Heavy Metal 

Dave - The Boy Who Played the Harp 

Blood Orange – Essex Honey 

Geese – Getting Killed 

Chronixx - Exile

Lily Allen’s brutal honesty, Oasis forever, and the 2025 zeitgeist

Zadie Smith and Beth Ditto join Annie and Nick for the annual Sidetracked Christmas gathering, recorded at an Irish pub in North London. 

They share nostalgia, gossip and gifts, and decide what makes a song a Christmas song – declaring which ones are truly the greatest. Plus, Annie, Nick, Zadie and Beth choose their musical highlights of the year. 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! If you’re over 16 WhatsApp 079700 82700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

SONGS 

Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You 

Judy Garland – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 

Darling Love – Winter Wonderland 

Labi Siffre – Bless the Telephone 

Pulp – Common People 

Lola Young – Messy 

Herman’s Hermits - I'm Henry the VIII, I Am 

Dolly Parton – Hard Candy Christmas 

ALBUMS 

Blood Orange – Essex Honey 

Rosalía - LUX 

Mavis Staples – Sad And Beautiful World 

Pulp - More 

Van Morrison - Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast 

Marcel Dadi – Dadi’s Folk 

Ray Conniff – We Wish You a Merry Christmas 

Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra - Christmas With Bert Kaempfert 

T.S. Eliot – The Poems of T.S. Eliot

Sidetracked by Christmas ‘25

After successfully challenging Ticketmaster over the price of resold tickets on the platform, Olivia Dean has inspired Annie and Nick to ask: should more artists stand up for their fans? Also in Olivia Dean news, she and Lola Young are the only UK artists to make it into Spotify’s Top 10 UK Song or Artist lists for 2025. Yes, Wrapped is out but does anyone care about other people’s listening habits? 

Plus, Jorja Smith’s team are seeking royalties from an AI track which many people believed to be hers, Björk is using proceeds from a song she made with Rosalía and Sega Bodega to take the Icelandic state to court, and the Reading/Leeds line up is one of its best ever. 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! If you’re over 16, WhatsApp on 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

SONGS 

Alex Warren - Ordinary 

Gracie Abrams - That’s So True 

Lola Young - Messy 

Chappell Roan – Pink Pony Club 

Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER 

Ravyn Lenae – Love Me Not 

sombr - back to friends 

Gigi Perez – Sailor Song 

Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile 

Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe! 

Björk, Sega Bodega, Rosalía - Oral 

HAVEN – I Run 

ALBUMS 

Cameron Winter – Heavy Metal 

F.S.Blumm & Nils Frahm – Handling 

Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’Sweet 

Alex Warren - You'll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1) 

KPop Demon Hunters Cast - KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) 

Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving 

Charli XCX – brat 

Fontaines D.C. - Romance 

Sega Bodega – I Created The Universe So That Life Could Create a Language So Complex, Just To Say How Much I Love You 

ANNIE'S DINGLE LIST: 

Michael D. Higgins 

Dove Ellis 

Dermot Kennedy 

Sorcha Richardson 

Chalk 

The Scratch

Olivia Dean’s Wins, Cameron Winter, and Reading 2.0

Is Timothée Chalamet secretly a Scouse drill rapper named EsDeeKid? Annie and Nick investigate this conspiracy and all available evidence for and against it. Elsewhere, Beyoncé has let herself be seen in public, which can only mean one thing: something is about to be announced. Plus, Charli XCX has analysed the realities of being a pop star in a recent essay, which raises the question: is the life of a popstar inherently stupid? 

And Annie and Nick pay tribute to two music greats, Gary “Mani” Mounfield and Jimmy Cliff, and discuss how songs can allow artists to live forever. 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! If you’re over 16, WhatsApp on 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

SONGS 

JT – Girls Gone Wild 

Shygirl/JT/Sega Botega – Slime 

Oasis – Live Forever 

Jimmy Cliff – You Can Get It If You Really Want 

Jimmy Cliff – Wonderful World, Beautiful People 

Jimmy Cliff – I Can See Clearly Now 

Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come 

Charli XCX – Von dutch 

Rosalía - Berghain 

ALBUMS 

Rosalía - LUX 

Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska 

Beyoncé - Renaissance 

Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter 

 
The GQ journalist who investigated whether Timothée is EsDeeKid is Josiah Gogarty.

Beyoncé’s Next Record, Timothée Chalamet Conspiracies, and Stupid Popstars

After an eye-opening survey by Live Nation, Annie and Nick discuss why more people would choose to go to a concert rather than have sex – and whether the both of those things belong in the same category. Otherwise this week, Nick attended a fashion show with Beth Ditto, and spotted a familiar face on the catwalk; and Annie was mesmerised by a Mulatu Astatke show. 

Plus, Lorde played the O2 and two listeners have strong opinions about it, CMAT is making people cry at her gigs, and BBC Introducing has been criticised for playing an “AI Artist” 

And Billie Eilish is taking on Elon Musk for not giving away his riches, but before they can decide who’s winning this feud, Annie and Nick need to work out how many billions are in a trillion.

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! If you’re over 16, WhatsApp on 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk

SONGS 

Mark Morrison – Return of the Mack 

Mulatu Astatke - Tezeta 

Rosalía- Berghain 

Robyn – Dopamine 

Charli XCX – Chains of Love 

Hercules & Love Affair – Someone Else is Calling 

 
ALBUMS 

Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu Plays Mulatu 

Rosalía - LUX 

Lily Allen - West End Girl

Choosing Gigs Over Sex, Billie Eilish vs Elon Musk, and Lily Allen Smokes

The world reacts to Rosalía's new album and Annie and Nick debate whether there’s room for Berghain in the night club. Plus, the Grammy nominations have been announced, and rap music has fallen off the US charts prompting the question; do genres ever die? Elsewhere, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducts new legends, Nick hears a song that inspires him to film a roundabout, and we discover the unlikely record that got Annie into DJing. Plus, is Charlie XCX’s new track suitable for early morning? 
Get in touch with Annie and Nick! If you’re over 16, WhatsApp on 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 
 
SONGS 

Samantha Fu – Discotheque 

De La Soul – Buhloone Mindstate 

Blood Orange – Mind Loaded 

Joey Negro – Risky Biznizz 

Rosalía - Magnolia, Mio Cristo and La Perla 

Leon Thomas – Mutt 

Charlie XCX and John Cale – This House 

Handel – Messiah 
 
ALBUMS 

Rosalía - Lux 

Blood Orange – Essex Honey

Bad Bunny, Grammy Nominations and Rosalía Reactions

Annie and Nick follow the reaction of two major album releases this week from Dave and Lily Allen, with one breaking chart records and the other breaking the internet. They also look ahead to the much-anticipated album release from Rosalía, which left Nick wanting to see a chiropractor and make a ‘classical bangers’ playlist. 
Elsewhere, the pair discuss Erykah Badu’s mysterious messaging, Billie Eilish challenges billionaires, and the pair ponder some Grammy nomination predictions. 
Get in touch with Annie and Nick! If you’re over 16, WhatsApp on 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 
 
SONGS 

Inflatable Boy Clams - Skeletons 

Jenny Beth – Savages 

Dave feat. Kano – Chapter 16 

Dave feat. James Blake – Selfish 

Rosalía feat. Björk and Yves Tumor – Berghain 

Krzysztof Penderecki - Symphony No. 3. 
 
ALBUMS 

Lily Allen – West End Girl 

Dave – The Boy Who Played Harp

Lily Allen think-pieces, Dave at number one, and is Rosalía pop?

What’s scarier: being haunted by ghosts, or promoting an album? It’s a Halloween special with Florence Welch. 

As she prepares to release her new record, Everybody Scream, Florence reveals the supernatural elements that inspired her. Plus, swapping playlists with Ethel Cain and Abigail Morris, using fear as a muse; and Annie and Nick reminisce about partying with Florence in the early days of all their careers. 

Florence Welch’s Halloween Music Recommendations: 

ØXN - The Trees, They Do Grow High 

ØXN - Cruel Mother 

Lingua Ignota – DO YOU DOUBT ME TRAITOR 

Anna Von Hausswolff –Theatre of Nature 

Hilary Woods - Acts of Light 

PJ Harvey - White Chalk 

Swans - It's Coming and It’s Real 

Judee Sill 

Storefront Church 

Other Albums Mentioned: 

Florence and the Machine – Everybody Scream 

Florence and the Machine – Lungs 

Florence and the Machine – Dance Fever 

The Cure – Songs of a Lost World 

Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You 

The Last Dinner Party – From the Pyre 

Other Songs Mentioned: 

The Cure – Friday I’m In Love 

Kendrick Lamar – Reincarnated 

Kesha – Supernatural

Sidetracked with Florence Welch

In a busy week for new music announcements, Annie and Nick look back and ahead. First though, Nick needs to talk about his newfound passion: Sumo Wrestling. Elsewhere, Rosalía and Dave have announced new music, and Lily Allen is dropping an album on Friday - which Annie and Nick have had a sneak preview of. In other news: what made this year’s Mercury Prize so much better than previous years? And of course, the sad news of D’Angelo’s death has allowed the world to pay tribute to his immense influence; Annie and Nick discuss their love for his music. 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! If you’re over 16, WhatsApp on 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

SONGS 

Lily Allen – West End Girl 

D’Angelo - Playa Playa 

D’Angelo - Untitled (How Does It Feel) 

Lauryn Hill & D’Angelo - Nothing Even Matters 

ALBUMS 

Dave – The Boy Who Played The Harp 

Lily Allen – West End Girl 

Rosalía - LUX 

Sam Fender – People Watching 

D’Angelo - Brown Sugar 

D’Angelo - Voodoo 

D’Angelo - Black Messiah

Lily Allen’s Storytelling, D’Angelo, and an Abundance of New Music

With a grassroots campaign against Spotify getting global attention, Annie and Nick ask if the platform faces any real existential threat – or is its grip on the market unbreakable?

Elsewhere, Drake’s lawsuit against Universal has been dismissed, Missy Elliot’s “Get Ur Freak On” has been declared the best song of the 21st century so far and FKA Twigs wants to help more women work in music. Plus, breaking news: Patti Smith is good, going out keeps you feeling young, and Crazy Frog sounds better with food.

SONGS 

Patti Smith – Gloria

Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

Missy Elliott – Get Ur Freak On

Frank Ocean - Thinkin Bout You

Britney Spears - Toxic

Radiohead - Idioteque

Kendrick Lamar - Alright

Robyn - Dancing on My Own

Taylor Swift - All Too Well

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

Beyoncé feat. Jay Z - Crazy in Love

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps

RAYE – Where the Hell Is My Husband?

The Smiths – Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now

Axel F – Crazy Frog

ALBUMS

Chronixx – Exile

Missy Elliott, Spotify’s Influence, and Crazy Frog

It’s been a big week for new music with releases from HAIM, Chappell Roan and Bon Iver – but the most important takeaway, is Frank Ocean's tease for real? Elsewhere, as the post-St Patrick’s Day delirium sets in, Annie and Nick work out a plan to see Stevie Wonder on his UK tour. Plus, Sidetracked has been knocked off the top of the music podcast charts by King Charles and his love of ‘The Loco-Motion', Nick has a starring role in the new JADE video and a 191-track playlist made by Aphex Twin prompts the question – what is the optimum length for a playlist? 

 
SONGS 

Beyoncé - Crazy In Love 

Kylie Minogue – The Loco-Motion 

Frank Ocean – Dear April 

HAIM – Relationships 

Bon Iver, Danielle Haim – If Only I Could Wait 

Chappelle Roan – The Giver 

JADE - FUFN

Stevie Wonder, Frank Ocean’s Tease and Beef with the King

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