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Icons: Radio 2 Presenter Picks

For National Album Day Emma Willis invites over 20 Radio 2 presenters to share which music icons have inspired them. Hear from Sara Cox, Elaine Paige, Trevor Nelson and more.

To mark the theme ‘Icons’ for National Album Day, Emma celebrates the definitive artists and songs that have shaped popular music and truly stood the test of time. Joined by more than 20 of the Radio 2 line up, she’ll discover which icons have moved Radio 2 presenters from Sara Cox to Elaine Paige to Vernon Kay. It’s a diverse soundtrack as icons come from any era, any country and any genre.

Hear how Paul Gambaccini interviewed his icon Elton John on several occasions and now proudly calls him a friend. Find out how Jo Whiley felt interviewing her idol Robert Smith from The Cure when he did an ‘In Concert’ performance for Radio 2.

Legends like Elvis Presley, Madonna and Paul McCartney all make the list but we’ll also hear how Mark Radcliffe discovered Karen Carpenter’s music in the back of his parents' car and how he now thinks of her as a ‘siren of pop perfection’. Plus, Trevor Nelson describes how Nina Simone’s song ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free’ can speak to and for us all.

It’s an iconic personal musical journey we can all share, with Emma as our guide.

24 days left to listen

1 hour, 51 minutes

Last on

Today 13:00
Â鶹Éç Radio 2

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Music Played

  • The Rolling Stones

    Start Me Up

    • The Rolling Stones - Forty Licks.
    • Abkco.
    • 7.

  • Shirley Bassey

    Diamonds Are Forever

    • The Best Of James Bond 30th Anniversa.
    • EMI.

  • Bruce Springsteen

    Dancing In The Dark

    • Bruce Springsteen - Greatest Hits.
    • Columbia.

  • Whitney Houston

    I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)

    • Whitney Houston - Whitney.
    • Arista.

  • Madonna

    Into The Groove

    • Celebration.
    • Warner Bros.
    • 8.

  • The Cure

    Close To Me

    • The Cure - Staring At The Sea.
    • Fiction.

  • Stevie Wonder

    Living For The City

    • Stevie Wonder - Song Review.
    • Motown.

  • Elton John

    Your Song

    • Diamonds.
    • Virgin EMI Records.

  • Nina Simone

    I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)

    • The Best Of.
    • Philips.

  • The Beatles

    Let It Be

    • The Beatles - 1.
    • Apple.
    • 026.

  • Elvis Presley

    If I Can Dream

    • Presley - The All Time Greatest Hits.
    • RCA.

  • µþ±ð²â´Ç²Ô³¦Ã©

    Halo (Instrumental)

    • Beyonce (Instrumentals).
    • Sony Music Entertainment UK.

  • µþ±ð²â´Ç²Ô³¦Ã©

    Love On Top

    • 4.
    • RCA.
    • 1.

  • Billy Joel

    Piano Man

    • NOW - Yearbook 1973 (Various Artists).
    • Now.

  • The Prodigy

    Out of Space

    • (CD Single).
    • XL.

  • Prince

    When Doves Cry

    • 4Ever.
    • Warner Bros.

  • Dire Straits

    So Far Away

    • Sultans Of Swing - Best Of Dire Straits.
    • Vertigo.

  • David Bowie

    Changes

    • David Bowie - Best Of Bowie.
    • EMI.

  • Diana Ross

    I'm Still Waiting

    • Diana Ross & The Supremes - 40 Motown.
    • Polygram Tv.

  • Céline Dion

    I'm Alive

    • (CD Single).
    • Epic.

  • Taylor Swift

    The Fate Of Ophelia

    • The Life Of A Showgirl.
    • Republic.

  • Ella Fitzgerald

    I Didn't Know What Time It Was

    • We'll Take Manhattan : Ella Fitzgerald Sings from the Rodgers & Hart Songbook.
    • Regis Records.
    • 15.

  • Carpenters

    Goodbye To Love

    • The Carpenters - Yesterday Once More.
    • A&M.

Broadcast

  • Today 13:00
    Â鶹Éç Radio 2

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