If Theresa May wants to endear herself to the Tory faithful in her choice of music on Sunday’s Desert Island Discs, a new analysis has revealed the tunes that are repeatedly picked by Conservative politicians – and one national favourite that has so far been conspicuously avoided by the party.
A Guardian analysis of the BBC archives reveals a clear political divide in the musical tastes of the 112 politicians who have appeared on the long-running Radio 4 programme.
The Prisoners’ chorus from Beethoven’s Fidelio and Elgar’s Enigma Variations are the pieces most requested by Tory politicians from their allotted eight discs.
Beethoven’s anthem of political freedom has been selected four times by Tory castaways including Edward Heath and Enoch Powell. And William Hague and Nigel Lawson were among another four Tories to have picked the Elgar piece that has become so associated with British identity.
But an alternative national soundtrack, Hubert Parry’s setting of the William Blake poem Jerusalem, is the clear favourite among Labour castaways.
Blake’s rallying cry for a better society in England’s green and pleasant land has been selected seven times by Labour politicians – including by Ed Miliband and Gordon Brown.
Despite its radical roots and implicit criticism of the industrialist owners of dark satanic mills, Jerusalem has become an establishment favourite and is frequently sung at public schools and even royal weddings. But the tune has so far been shunned by castaways from what May famously branded the “nasty party”.
Jerusalem has never been selected by Liberal Democrat politicians either, but there is a link to the lyrics of Jerusalem in the party’s second-favourite track – the theme tune to Chariots of Fire. Vangelis’s middle-of-the-road staple has been chosen three times by politicians from the middle ground of British politics – by former leader Sir Menzies Campbell and the SDP founders, Roy Jenkins and Shirley Williams. It was also chosen by another SDP founder, Lord Sainsbury, but by the time he was interviewed on the programme he had rejoined Labour.
The favourite tracks of Conservative politicians have more cross-party appeal. Elgar’s Enigma Variations has also been the choice of four centre-ground party leaders: David Owen, Jeremy Thorpe, Roy Jenkins and Charles Kennedy. But Elgar’s masterpiece has only once been picked by one Labour politician, Ken Livingstone, when he was interviewed in 1993 before he left the party to stand as an independent mayor of London.
As well as being a Tory favourite, the Prisoners’ Chorus from Fidelio was also picked by former Labour leader John Smith and by Campbell.
Classical musical features prominently in politicians’ requests, but more so on Tory playlists than Labour ones. The work of Mozart, Beethoven, Elgar, Wagner and Bach dominates Tory choices. Mozart pieces have been selected no fewer than 24 times by Tories and 17 times by Labour politicians. The Beatles are only the ninth most selected musicians on the show by politicians overall, with 11 requests – some way behind Wagner and Puccini, who have each drawn 17 political picks.
Labour politicians tend to show more diverse and contemporary tastes on the programme. The party’s second-favourite track behind Jerusalem is the black African liberation anthem Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika. Ed Miliband was among five Labour politicians to choose the song. He also picked the party’s joint-third favourite track – Joe Hill sung by the US civil rights activist Paul Robeson. Various Bob Marley records have been picked by four politicians from Labour, but no other parties.
Songs by black musicians are rarely chosen by Tories – with the notable exception of the jazz-loving Ken Clarke. Only one black artist, Louis Armstrong, has been chosen more than twice by politicians from the party.
Pop music is being increasingly selected by currently serving politicians, notably by the three main party leaders. Both David Cameron and Nick Clegg picked tracks by Radiohead. And Miliband has picked music from around the same era – Robbie Williams and A-ha.
Theresa May is expected to show more traditional musical tastes despite her penchant for racy shoes. As a regular church worshipper and daughter of a high-church Oxfordshire clergyman, it won’t be a surprise if religious music features in her selections. And she could add to Offenbach’s tally – so far chosen five times by politicians. Friends from May’s student days in Oxford recall her singing Offenbach operettas.
Tim Heath, chair of the Blake Society, said he was not surprised by the popularity of the hymn Jerusalem with Labour politicians.
He said: “When Clement Attlee used Jerusalem as a slogan in the 1945 general election it set a precedent to all politicians who followed. Jerusalem represents the tension implicit in creating an aspirational vision (England’s green and pleasant land) through subverting existing institutions or reinventing new ones. Labour is just happier at doing this than the older political parties.”
But he noted that no politician of any party had yet supported the campaign to turn Blake’s cottage into a visitor attraction that celebrates his work.
Top requests by politicians
1. Enigma Variations (9)
2. Jerusalem (8)
3. Prisoner’s chorus from Fidelio (6)
4. Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony (5)
5. Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika (5)
6. Chariots of Fire Theme (4); Joe Hill (4); We’ll Keep a Welcome (4); Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto number 2 (4); Puccini’s Madame Butterfly (4); Beethoven’s Piano Concerto number 5 (4); Twenty-Third Psalm (4); Bethoven’s Choral Symphony Number 9 (4)
