At present, my walks are short and restricted to the village from my house; nothing wrong with that, but certainly not worth writing about. A fellow blogger was recently on a car journey when friends suggested and listened to songs with the theme ‘walking’. This is a good opportunity to expand on her choices and delve into musical walking themes. Virtual Walking.

  The rain keeps falling, so you, fellow walker, may be as housebound as I am. There are hours of music out there to listen to; some of the below may be new to you, and they may be worth an ear.

  First, let’s look at the obvious popular music choices. There are plenty of them – we are always either walking away from or towards love. This is not a top ten; there are eleven, but a selection of those I would consider the more polished tunes from my memory, click to get your feet walking.

  Going back to 50s Rhythm and Blues, early Rock and Roll, Fats Domino sets the scene with  I’m Walkin’

  Probably most people’s choice must be The Proclaimers, a long-distance marching song if ever there was one.    I’m Gonna Be 500 Miles.

  From the sixties, we have Nancy Sinatra’s catchy pop tune. These Boots are Made for Walking.

  Going back to 1957, Patsy Cline sang in her country style  Walkin’ After Midnight.

  And coming from country music in the same era, 1956, plodding along is Johnny Cash’s enduring hit I Walk The Line.

  Dionne Warwick’s version of Burt Bacharach’s tearjerker came out in 1965. Walk On By.

  More up-to-date, 1991, is Marc Cohn’s Walking in Memphis.

  Modern blues singers from around the world treat us to the classic Son House Walking Blues.

  An upbeat tune I’ve often walked along to, Katrina and the Waves. Walking on Sunshine.

  For variety, what about some Rap from Run DMC and Aerosmith?  Walk This Way.

  And finally take a stroll with a twist along to Lou Reed’s  Walk on the Wild Side.

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  Moving onto Jazz recordings, steady, rhythmic grooves and strong walking basslines are everywhere. I have hundreds of CDs to choose from.

  Back in 1939, Fats Waller sang Hand Me Down My Walking Cane

  The jazz 4/4 walking beat is particularly the hallmark of bassist Paul Chambers, who was an integral member of many of the best hard bop combos throughout the 50s and 60s. Take a brisk walk with him in 1957 on Confessin

  Bassist Percy Heath keeps the beat on Miles Davis’s 1954 Walkin’

  Charles Mingus’ bass lines are famous, as in his 1955  Work Song

  McCoy Tyner with bassist Jooni Booth, live in Montreux, 1957. Walk Spirit. Talk Spirit.

  Bassist Leroy Vinegar struts his walking bass on the 1958  Walk on.

  Straying into the magical world of Thelonious Monk, we have John Ore marching along on bass in the 1962  Monk’s Dream

 

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  In classical music, heavyweights derive inspiration and depict rural scenes – Beethoven’s Pastoral, Mendelssohn’s Fingal’s Cave, Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque, and Chopin’s Raindrop, without directly referencing walking as such. We are all waiting for Spring. in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

 

  The internet is awash with classic compositions to listen to in the background, through your headphones, whilst out walking. I’ve never understood walking around with headphones whilst out engaging with nature. But I’m old-fashioned.

  For some stepping out music to listen to at home, what better than Grieg’s instantly recognisable  In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Suite.

  This is often confused with Paul Ducas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, highlighted in Walt Disney’s 1949 animation Fantasia.

  Searching for classical music with walking in the title doesn’t bring up much. But what I find is new to me, Seven Days Walking, by the pianist Ludovico Einaudi. His ambitious plan was to release seven albums in seven months in 2019, inspired by the same walk he repeated in the Alps. Each selection of pieces portrays a different aspect of his wintery wander. Randomly, I have chosen Ascent on Day 1. For relaxing in this rainy weather, one can listen to the full six hours on YouTube.

   Sorry for all the annoying YouTube ads.

  You will be tired out with all this virtual walking.

  I would be interested in your own choices, particularly in Classical Music, where I ran out of steam.