Small Axe continued on November 22nd with episode 2, Lovers Rock, but just what songs featured in the episode’s toe-tapping soundtrack?
As an anthology series, every episode of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe is very different.
That’s immediately clear in episode 2 of Small Axe, Lovers Rock, which tells a very different story to that in episode 1, Mangrove.
The Lovers Rock episode takes its name from the genre of music that gained popularity in the 1970s and 80s and became a staple of house parties like those seen in Small Axe.
But just what songs appeared in the soundtrack of Small Axe episode 2, Lovers Rock?
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Small Axe: Lovers Rock – Trailer | BBC Trailers
Small Axe: Lovers Rock
Small Axe arrived on BBC One on iPlayer on November 15th and episode 2, followed suit on November 22nd.
Lovers Rock tells a story of a 1980 blues party and the young love that emerges between Franklyn and Martha.
The episode is a tribute to the genre of music that shares its name, lovers rock, a toe-tapping blend of reggae, pop and disco which provided the soundtrack to many a house party at a time when Black people were not welcome in many nightclubs.
Small Axe: Lovers Rock soundtrack
The songs that appear in Lovers Rock feature a blend of pop, disco and reggae styles and includes the following:
- Robin Hood by Cry Tuff & The Originals
- How Long Will It Take by Pat Kelly
- Darling Ooh by Errol Dunkley
- He’s the Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge
- Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas
- Things In Life by Dennis Brown
- After Tonight by Junior English
- Lonely Girl by Barry Biggs
- Baby My Love by The In Crowd
- Silly Games by Janet Kay
- Keep It Like It Is by Louisa Mark
- Minstral Pablo by Augustus Pablo
- Kunta Kinta Dub by The Revolutionaries
- Dreadlocks In Moonlight by Lee “Scratch” Perry
- Have a Little Faith by Nicky Thomas
Listen now on Spotify
Unsurprisingly, it hasn’t taken long for a number of Small Axe playlists to appear on Spotify.
The Independent has created its own playlist which contains each song from Lovers Rock:
Small Axe airs on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday evenings until December 13th.
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