Presented by Jarvis Cocker, an impressive music maker, this programme is the perfect companion to a lazy Sunday evening.
Jarvis spent 24 years as the singer in the band Pulp, which produced the infamous tune ‘Common People’, making him a musical icon. After leaving Pulp, he created Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service in 2010, in which he explores music and presents his own thoughts.
This Sunday the episode was titled ‘I Love You’, and was filled with classics such as ‘All You Need Is Love’ by The Beatles.
One of the most engaging moments was Jarvis’ stream of people all going about their daily lives from ‘the girl with the fake tan’ to ‘the Asian guy in elaborate shades’ whom Jarvis claimed to love. The repetition of the words ‘I love you’ over the top of the gentle music created an almost ethereal tone, invoking that mellow Sunday feeling. The spoken word interlude offers a gentle respite for the listener exploring the relationship between a father and son, concluding with the statement: “the strongest statement of resistance is just keep going”.
Celebrating both Ethel Smith and Scarlet Johansson who were both born on 22 November – the day this week’s programme aired – Jarvis plays a collection of their music such as ‘The Moon Song’ from the movie soundtrack of Her.
He also creates a French theme, exploring music from or about France, or tracks that he simply discovered there including ‘Il Est Cinq Heures Paris S’éveille’ (translating roughly to ‘It Is Five In The Morning, Paris Is Waking’) and other similarly relaxed songs such as ‘I Love Paris’.
Jarvis’s comments between the tracks bring the music to life. The final song to wrap up the programme is ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’, leaving the listener with that warm Sunday feeling by the end.
Image: K. Held