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

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

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, which featured arrangements of popular easy-listening songs, 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 1 and BBC Radio 2. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

and later on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

, 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 later years,

Alan Dedicoat Alan Dedicoat is a British announcer from Hollywood, England, 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 newsread ...

) 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 1960s it was broadcast at 7pm, following on from ''Pick of the Pops'', introduced by

Alan Freeman Alan Leslie Freeman MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006), nicknamed "Fluff", was an Australian-born British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years, best known for presenting '' Pick of the Pops'' from 1961 to 20 ...

. In later years - particularly in the 1980s - in the days when Radio 2's FM frequencies were leased to

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

, the programme would be broadcast at 4.30pm, directly before the Top 40. The Final 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 1950s British radio programmes 1960s British radio programmes 1970s British radio programmes 1980s British radio programmes 1990s British radio programmes 2000s British radio programmes {{UK-radio-show-stub