Although it might not be allowed during your average club game or serious bridge tournament, when playing online or engaged in practice I’ll almost always have a playlist going in the background. Music jogs the memory and focuses the mind.

Here’s some of what this week’s bridge playlist consisted of. What was yours? 

Beer – Seether

Beer is one of Seether’s earlier songs, recorded some time before they adapted the name. It’s raw, loud and appropriate wherever the seven of diamonds is used to win a trick. Whether this song counts as safe for work depends, I guess, on where you’re employed.

Spanish Train – Chris de Burgh

Spanish Train is a legendary song that happened to evoke a considerable amount of controversy when it was first released. It’s one of my favorite card playing tracks, although I sometimes imagine a game of honeymoon bridge instead…

Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler 

Total Eclipse of the Heart is quite possibly one of the most defining tracks of the 80s. As a lesser known fact, it was also written by Jim Steinman, the same iconic writer of Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell.” 

Halloween Theme Song 

We’re in October, so this was only a natural choice at some point. 

NIB – Black Sabbath 

It’s generally thought that the title stands for Nativity in Black. A fair assumption considering the ominous tone of the track, but still wrong: Actually, it’s reported that they got the name from the fact that they reckoned drummer Bill Ward’s beard somewhat resembled a pen nib. 

Boo! – Come

Boo! originates from South Africa, although several international tours made the name known elsewhere. “Come” is one of their best (with a pretty unusual accompanying music video) was released in 2003 on their album TNTLC.

Mustang Sally – Buddy Guy 

Mustang Sally is a blues staple. Buddy Guy has one of the best renditions of it. My wife and I were recently reminded of this while revisiting the first season of Heroes.

Mr Downchild – Robert Johnson

The 1986 movie Crossroads tells the story of a young aspiring blues musician and his quest to track down Robert Johnson’s living playing companion – and legendary lost song. The lost song turned out to be more than a legend in real-life when the obscure Johnson song Mr Downchild came to light. A lot of people know the song “Crossroads”, but many haven’t heard this one yet. 

The Four Horsemen – Aphrodite’s Child

I singled out “The Four Horsemen” as the first song for a session practice playlist and ended up listening to the entire originating album back-to-front. 

Janitor of Lunacy – Nico 

A lot of people have heard of the combination that was Velvet Revolver and Nico – but how many have checked out Nico as a solo artist? Janitor of Lunacy is layered, legendary, full-bodied and if you haven’t heard it yet, listen to it.