Europe 2014 - The Soundtrack To My Trip

As the days tick on and get between myself and memories of my trip, I thought it would be appropriate to give you a different sort of insight into my Europe trip one week on.

You've seen photos, read the stories and cringed at some of the hashtags I've thrown out there, but there's still one more way that I think you can experience my trip.

Throughout my month-long sojourn I tried my best to find music that either came from a specific country or represented a specific moment on my trip.


There aren't many songs, to be fair. While I was over there I had my iPad filled with music as I explored Europe, so apologies for the small number of tunes. You'll also note that there are countries - Italy and Germany - where I don't offer any musical insights. I was probably too busy exploring or stressing about public transport to relax and soak in some music.

Regardless, here are some of my classic Europe trip hits.
 
1. Bailando - Enrique Iglesias feat. Descemer Bueno and Gente De Zona
'Bailando' is a song that I think pretty much summarises my entire trip. A fun reggaeton tune, I heard it for the first time in Mallorca and I've loved it since. Then, on my last night in Mallorca, I heard it in a reggaeton club where I was dancing with friends. It doesn't matter that it's in Spanish (There is an English version..), dancing with my friends to this tune was a magical combination that made me realise how lucky I was to be halfway across the world.

2. Naive - Axelle Red
I had never heard of Axelle Red, real name Fabienne Demal, before I arrived in Belgium, but by the time I left I became a big fan of the Belgian popstar. Ten albums over a 21-year career says it all I guess. I discovered her song Naive when I was searching for Axelle Rose on YouTube, after I'd seen there was a festival down the road where she was headlining. I heard the tune and immediately thought of cruising in the car to it. Saw her in concert and she was OK, but when I hear this song, I think of Belgium. Loving it.

3. Combination - Paulien Mathues
At the festival where Axelle Red was headlining, I bailed after about six songs to see what Paulien Mathues was like. I had heard a little of her stuff. She won the latest version of The Voice: Flanders and had a husky voice. It was beautiful. I went along to her performance and was spellbound. All of a sudden I became a fan and bought the album immediately. There aren't any videos on YouTube of my favourite song, Combination, but here's her first single from when she won The Voice.

4. Speak Life - TobyMac
Obviously not a European tune or anything like that, but this song will have a special place on my European trip because of the story moreso than the song. It was a cold summer night in the French city of Narbonne when I arrived after my trains had been delayed earlier in the day. With all of the hotels closed I had no choice but to spend the next five to six hours walking around the town and listening to one track - Speak Life. It's a Christian song that talks about the impact of speaking life and having integrity with what you say. I guess it was a chance for me to soak up that wisdom, all while roaming the streets of Narbonne for one cold evening ahead of my trip to Mallorca.

5. Am I Wrong - Nico and Vinz
This is one of the first tunes I heard in Mallorca. I met up with Barbora, Lucie, Tereza and Kamila and the first thing we did was head straight to the beach. En route to the beach, this tune came out. I sat in the front seat looking out over the barren, clay-laden landscape thinking of what a lucky man I was to be hanging out with four Czech girls. It was a beautiful time in my life.

6. La Vie En Rose - Edith Piaf
Obviously when in France, you should hear the occasional French song. That's exactly what happened on my last full day in France. I had headed out to the Pont des Artes, the wooden bridge full of 'love locks', when I saw a rough-looking man playing the accordion in the middle of the bridge. I didn't recognise any of the songs until late in the piece when he played what sounded like La Vie En Rose. It was another classic epiphany - I was in a place that I had wanted to go to since I was a young man. Here's a small cover from a decent Canadian guitarist:

7. Traditional Tune - Swiss Alphorn Quartet
On my last night in Switzerland I stayed in a hotel called Hotel Wannenhorn, a hotel in the small village of Bellwald that still has a number of Swiss traditions. My stay there coincided with the last night of the local Raclette festival, an indigenous Swiss tradition where they heat the raclette cheese and scrape it out of the rest of the cheese block. While I was eating my portion, a quartet of traditional Swiss alphorn players entertained the crowd with tunes like this.

8. Muzi v Nadeji, Mig 21 - Chci ti rict! (I Want To Say To You)
I asked a friend of mine for a song that would summarise Czech. She duly responded with this tune that is a mixture of fun and catchiness. The song itself is from a successful comedy and talks about how he wants to get her name tattooed! The trumpet in the song is a welcome addition. Riiiiicht!