Somercotes Community Singers

13/10/2026

As part of our concert on Saturday October 24th, we will be singing the Gwyn Arch arrangement of the Noel Harrison classic “The Windmills of Your Mind”, but did you know:

• The Beatles Connection: Director Norman Jewison originally used The Beatles' song "Strawberry Fields Forever" as a placeholder track while editing a scene where Steve McQueen's character flies a glider, asking the songwriters to capture a similar psychedelic, repetitive feel.

• The Glider Scene Inspiration: The circular, hypnotic lyrics ("Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel") were specifically crafted to mirror the motion of the glider flying in circles.

• Classical Borrowing: The opening two melodic phrases of the song were borrowed from the second movement of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra.

• Eight Melodies to Choose From: Composer Michel Legrand brought eight different melody options to lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman before they selected the one that became the song.

• Dusty Springfield's Reluctance: Atlantic Records boss Jerry Wexler had Dusty Springfield record a famous cover for her Dusty in Memphis album, though she strongly resisted and claimed she could not identify with the words.

• Academy Award Winner: Performed in the film by actor Noel Harrison, the track won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1969 and reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart.

09/10/2026

As part of our concert on Saturday October 24th, we will be singing the Gwyn Arch arrangement of the Ralph McTell classic “Streets of London”, but did you know:
• It almost became "Streets of Paris": McTell originally wrote the tune and some of the imagery in Paris in 1965 after seeing homeless clochards sleeping on hot air metro grates. He later shifted the setting to London after drawing on his own childhood experiences in England.
• Rejected for being too depressing: McTell left the song off his 1968 debut album, Eight Frames a Second, because he thought it was far too gloomy.
• Delayed chart success: It first appeared on his 1969 album Spiral Staircase, but wasn't released as a single until 1974. Within a single day of its release as a single, it sold 90,000 copies and shot to No. 2 on the UK charts by Christmas.
• Three versions on the German charts: At the height of its popularity, McTell shockingly had three different versions of the song charting simultaneously in Germany.
• Massive sheet music sales: According to music history accounts, "Streets of London" sold more sheet music in the UK than any other song in the post-WWII era.
• Global reach: The song became a worldwide phenomenon, and McTell once noted that even schoolchildren in the remote Himalayas have been heard singing it.
• Over 400 covers: It has been translated and recorded more than 400 times by artists all over the globe, including versions by Sinéad O'Connor, Roger Whittaker, and Tony Rice.
• 50th-Anniversary Charity Re-recording: In 2017, McTell re-recorded the song with Annie Lennox, guitarist Richard Thompson, and an 88-strong choir of homeless individuals to raise funds for the UK homelessness charity Crisis

29/09/2026

This one’s for EVERYONE 😊!
Our Autumn Concert on Saturday October 24th 2:30 at Riddings Park Community Centre, West St, Riddings, Alfreton DE55 4EW, (free Parking), is an “Afternoon of Vintage Pop Classics” including hits from the Jersey Boys which is a tribute to Franki Valli & the Four Seasons, a medley of Queen’s best known songs, a medley from the soundtrack of the film Forrest Gump plus hits of Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Carole King, Everley Brothers, Beatles and many more well known hits we hope to see you there.
Ring Pam on 07719 603331 or 01773 602335 for tickets, £10 adults £5 children, tea and coffee will be served, we’d love to see you there 😊.

22/09/2026

We are very busy now rehearsing for our concert in October, full details to follow.

07/07/2026

06/07/2026

Join us at the Mundy Arms Heanor for a fun-filled Toy Box Character Breakfast, where little ones can meet playful movie characters, including a cheerful cowboy friend and a brave space adventurer.

Expect bright colours, big smiles, photo opportunities, games and plenty of imagination as our toy-themed guests bring the morning to life.

Each child’s ticket includes a kids’ breakfast and a drink, making it the perfect family morning out.

25/07/2026 9am till 11am

Tickets £10 per child which includes breakfast and a drink.

Book now at https://www.hungryhorse.co.uk/pubs/derbyshire/mundy-arms/book

30/06/2026

One of the songs we are rehearsing tonight is “Your Song” by Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin, but did you know that despite being one of Elton’s most famous ballads it was originally released as a B-side to the track "Take Me to the Pilot". Disc jockeys and listeners preferred "Your Song," prompting the record label to flip the release, allowing it to climb to the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic; it also earned the praise of John Lennon, who famously called it a massive leap forward for pop music, stating in a 1975 interview that it was "the first new thing that's happened since we [The Beatles] happened". The two musicians later became close friends.
Feel free to come and listen or join in with our rehearsals on Tuesday nights 7:15 to 9:15 at Swanwick Methodist Church, Derby Rd, DE55 1AA, no experience necessary, you will be made most welcome and we even have a social break in between 😊.

22/06/2026

Who remembers the film Forest Gump starring Tom Hanks 🤔, for reasons I can’t remember I never personally watched it so I didn’t know until a few weeks ago what a fantastic music score it has including: California Dreaming, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, Sweet Home Alabama, San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair), Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season), Hound Dog, What the World Needs Now is Love; we will be rehearsing these wonderful songs along with Elton John’s Your Song and Stevie Wonder’s For Once in my Life on Tuesday 23rd June, feel free to come along and see if its something you would like to do yourself 😊.

08/06/2026

Dr. Max Pemberton, a well-known NHS psychiatrist and author, frequently advocates for choirs and group singing as a powerful, non-medical prescription for mental health.
In today’s Daily Mail June 8th, page 38 he says the following, see image below.

18/05/2026

Our rehearsals are underway for our October 2026 concert (yet to be titled), its promising to be another great concert with songs by: Queen, Jersey Boys, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Righteous Brothers, Elton John, Everley Brothers and many more, if you would like to sing these and other wonderful songs come along to our rehearsals on Tuesday nights 7:15 to 9:15 at Swanwick Methodist Church, Derby Rd, DE55 1AA, no experience necessary, you will be made most welcome and we even have a social break in between 😊.