My Ears Through the Years with the British Arrows Team

Welcome back to METTY! The series where amazing people in our industry talk about the tracks they’ve had on repeat all their lives, the bops, the belters, the bangers, and everything inbetween.

This week it's not one, not two, but THREE pairs of ears that will be going back through their years. For this triple whammy episode, we’re joined by the incredible British Arrows team Lisa Lavender, Sergio Colina-Retrepo, and Sophie Cantopher. For almost fifty years, the British Arrows has been championing, awarding and celebrating the innovation, bravery and artistry of moving image advertising. But what are they singing at staff karaoke? Let’s get into it!

Q> Hi everyone! Tell us, what are your /first memory of music? 

LL> ‘Daydream Believer’ by the The Monkees. They were big when I was little, and then I introduced them to my son when he was little and we used to belt it out dancing around the house together.

SCR> I was dancing in the living room listening to the radio – a pop song was on, not sure what that was, but I remember I really enjoyed the tune.

SC> Riding in the back of our old school red Volvo banger with our family mixtape cassette playing…Simon & Garfunkel, Cher, George Benson, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Carole King, Nina Simone…to name a few! 

Q> The first music you bought yourself?

LL> Showing my age here, ‘Puppy Love’ by Donny Osmond. Buying 45 RPMs was a big deal, as was Disco 45, to get all the lyrics.

SCR> It was a CD and I saved money so I could get Issues by KORN – I don’t have that copy anymore, but I still listen to that album. I know every lyric by heart.

SC> Mine was a CD too – many weekends spent going to HMV but I honestly can’t remember…maybe a J LO or Spice Girls album. 

Q> Your first gig?

LL> Blondie at the Hammersmith Palais. We had amazing seats, probably only 10 rows back from the stage. My mind was blown when they broke up some of the instruments and decks and passed back through the audience. That was the 80s for you!

SCR> A Punk and Ska concert in an open-air theatre in the centre of the city. The main act was called Rey Gordiflon. I listen to one of their albums on Spotify from time to time.

SC> It was Steps age four years old but as a teenager – a proper gig with a drink in hand – I think it was Bowling for Soup at Electric Ballroom in Camden or Red Hot Chilli Peppers at Reading Festival in 2007…my Mum dropped me off and picked me up for the day! 

Q> The first song that comes into your head at any opportunity?

LL> ‘September’ by Earth Wind & Fire. Saw them live at Wembley Arena on our feet from start to end.

SCR> So many – ‘Change’ by Deftones, ‘Animal Instinct’ by The Cranberries, ‘Sin Sentimientos’ by Grupo Niche, ‘Luna’ by Zoé, ‘Afuera’ by Caifanes, ‘Rompecabezas’ by Aterciopelados.

SC> Not sure about an earworm song, but I have an earworm jingle! This Clover ad from 2006 ‘Love all over’…’We all love Clover, there’s one thing we’ve learned, we all love Clover, it’s the way that it’s churned…’

Q> Your first slow dance?

LL> OMG ‘Wishing on a Star’ by Rose Royce at Sleep Away Summer camp.

SCR> I grew up in Medellin – as a Colombian you need to learn how to dance when you are about to finish high-school. All my aunties had turns at teaching me how to dance salsa, merengue, cumbia – it is very important for us to dance. It is a way to socialize. We have sweet 15 birthdays over there for the girls, so your girl classmates would invite you to their parties and if you do not know how to dance, you’re not part of the pack.

SC> Honestly can’t remember a slow dance, but I do remember ‘5, 6 ,7, 8’ by Steps or ‘Low’ by T Pain…

Q> First song you felt you couldn’t escape from?

LL> ‘Shuddup ya Face’ by Joe Dolce (horrendous!)

SCR> I grew up in a Spanish speaking country, but I was always fascinated by all songs in English. I would find the lyrics on the internet when it became available to the masses and print them so I could ‘sing’ along to the torment of my mum and my sister who never really liked the music that I listen to. If I have to choose one song, I would choose ‘Let Down’ by Radiohead on their OK Computer album. I love the lyrics and they spoke to me a lot when I was a teenager trying to figure out so many things in my head and feel comfortable in my skin.

SC> Wow my memory is appalling…but I’m thinking ‘Stop’ by Spice Girls…

Q> A track you grew up with?

LL> The Carpenters, ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’

SCR> ‘La Yerbita’ by Los Corraleros de Majagual – this was a song that when I used to live in Colombia, I couldn’t bear… I didn’t enjoy it. It would annoy me a lot. Now that I live here in the UK, I have realised that not only this song, but the many others my family; uncles, aunties listed to because they still listen to those songs, have a special place in my heart. It is me who plays those songs when I am back at Mum’s place, in the back in the garden, under the sun with a cold beer in my hand.

SC> George Benson, ‘The Greatest Love’

Q> Your walk out music?

LL> ‘Break My Stride’ by Matthew Wilder

SCR> Haha! ‘I’m A Woman’ by Cassius. I love the energy of that song. If I think of it I actually imagine lights and celebration. It makes me happy

SC> This is hard!!! I can’t pick but currently maybe something by Doechii or Charlie XCX…

Q> Your dancefloor anthem?

LL> ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA, ‘Blame It On the Boogie’ by Michael Jackson, ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls, ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by the Black Eyed Peas, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey, ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor, ‘24k Magic’ by Bruno Mars,’ Come On Eileen’ by Dexys Midnight Runners, ‘We Are Family’ by Sister Sledge and ‘You Should Be Dancing’ by Bee Gees.

SC> Again, so hard!! I’ll get up and dance to Lisa’s selections! 

Q> Your karaoke classic?

LL> ‘We Are Family’ or ‘I Will Survive’!

SCR> ‘Quien como tu’ by Ana Gabriel – this is another Latin song which I grew up with and I love to ‘sing’. We have bars in Colombia where you go and sing along these types of romantic songs with your friends. It is great fun.

Q> Your musical guilty pleasure?

LL> Christmas songs… can’t wait til 1st December every year to start the Crimbo playlists. 

SCR> Backstreet Boys, Britney, Christina Aguilera… Late 90s pop, I love it

SC> None of my pleasures are guilty!  

Q> A song that reminds you of home?

LL> ‘Whoops No’ by Janet Jackson

SCR> Anything cumbia – I love the rhythm, but there is one salsa song that will always want to jump on a plane immediately: ‘Sin Sentimientos’ by Grupo Niche

SC> Toploader, ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ or anything Motown. 

Q> How has your musical taste evolved?

SCR> As a teenager I started to listen to a lot of grunge, heavy metal, rock and didn’t really like the Colombian folklore – then when I was in Uni I started listening to dance and electronic music, but the biggest surprise was appreciating reggaeton, vallenato and other rhythms from Latin America I thought I could never listen to. I guess is just my roots calling me back, ha!

SC> Recently I’m embracing a lot more techno. My raving friends have created an entry level techno playlist for me on Spotify called ‘Sophie’s Awakening’ lots of sub genres in there

Q> A song you wish you wrote?

LL> ‘Happy Birthday’!

Q> Your musical unpopular opinion?

SC> The Killers ‘Mr Brightside’…a controversial no from me!

Q> Your desert island disc?

LL> Too hard to choose one so I will take NOW 2,300,500 haha

Q> Your funeral song?

LL> ‘This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)’ byb Natalie Cole or ‘You To Me Are Everything’ by The Real Thing.

Q> Best song for a road trip?

LL> My '80s going out on a Saturday night anthem… ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ by Wham!

SC> Best driving album – SZA ‘s Ctrl 

Q> Best sync moment – TV / Film / Advertising –

SCR> ‘Piensa en mi’ by Luz Casal, sync by Marisa Paredes in Almodovar’s movie Tacones Lejanos (High Heels in English, not a very good translation TBH) – both the song and the acting are marvellous.

SC> Echoing Sergio, what a throwback to the OC and Imogen Heap, that was epic!  

Q> Music that made an ad campagin

LL> ‘In The Air Tonight’, the Cadbury Gorilla

SC> From last year’s British Arrows Awards, I really enjoyed the Adidas ‘Superstar’ soundtrack – which  ‘Tears’ by Giorgio Moroder. I love the build and pace; it has this hypnotic nature… after judging the awards it was in my head for weeks! 

Q> Best theme song?

LL> Friends, ‘I’ll Be There For You’ by The Rembrandts

SC> OMG it has to be Frankie Valli  - ‘Grease’ 

Q> Favourite film soundtrack or score?

LL> When Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing – I can’t choose, I am hopeless.

SC> I really love the score in Jonathan Glazer’s film ‘Under the Skin’. I saw a special screening of that film with a live orchestra, and it was outstanding. But my absolute favourite ever score is from the TV show Succession – so epic, so many layers, so well crafted, with so much emotion and intentionality, I live for the melancholy. There’s a video on Vanity Fair’s YouTube channel with the composer Nicholas Britell on how he composed the music which is well worth watching if you’re a fan. 

Q> A track you’d love to sync

LL> Beyonce – ‘Love On Top’. I also feel my music choices wouldn’t be complete without Queen, Stevie Wonder, Maroon 5, RAYE, Bee Gees, ABBA, Smokey Robinson, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson.