''Sing Something Simple'' was a half-hour

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

programme, which featured Cliff Adams and The Cliff Adams Singers, with

Jack Emblow Jack Alexander Emblow (born 27 June 1930) is a British jazz accordionist who is best known for his musical work accompanying the Cliff Adams Singers on BBC Radio. Biography Emblow was born on 27 June 1930 in Lincoln, England. His father sang a ...

on accordion. The programme ran for 42 years from 1959 until 2001, initially on the

BBC Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

and later on BBC Radio 2, and earning itself the title of the longest-running continuous music programme in the world.Cliff Adams
/ref>

Format

The lyrics to its main theme began as follows: ''Sing something simple''
''As cares go by''
''Sing something simple''
''Just you and I'' When ''Sing Something Simple'' was broadcast by Radio 2, this song would be followed by an announcer (in latter years,

Alan Dedicoat Alan Dedicoat (born 1 December 1954) is an English announcer for programmes on BBC One. He is known as the "Voice of the Balls" on the National Lottery programmes, providing a voiceover for the draws since 1995. He was a BBC Radio 2 newsreade ...

) who would say: "''We invite you to Sing Something Simple, a collection of favourite songs, old and new, sung by The Cliff Adams Singers, accompanied by Jack Emblow.''" and alternately 'We invite you to Sing Something Simple, not only listening, but joining in we hope, with all these songs you know so well'. The pianist, Semprini, introduced his own show with "Old ones, new ones, loved ones, neglected ones" but the effect was similar on "Sing Something Simple". The tune would then continue: ''We'll sing the old songs''
''like you used to do,''
''We'll sing something simple for you,''
''something for you.'' Ten minutes in, Cliff Adams would perform a piano solo, which he would introduce, after which the singers would continue with a selection of popular songs of varying vintage. In the sixties it was broadcast at 7pm. following on from 'Pick of the Pops' introduced by Alan Freeman. In later years - particularly in the 1980s - in the days when Radio 2's FM frequencies were sometimes leased to Radio 1, the programme would be broadcast directly before the Top 40.

End

The last broadcast was on 25 November 2001. The programme ended partly because Cliff Adams died that year and partly because of Radio 2's repositioning to appeal to the former Radio 1 audience.

References

External links

Theme tuneSing Something Simple at The Cockpit Theatre
British music radio programmes 1959 radio programme debuts 2001 radio programme endings BBC Light Programme programmes BBC Radio 2 programmes {{UK-radio-show-stub