This song was written by Eric Clapton and songwriter Will Jennings, only months after Clapton’s four year-old son Conor died tragically. It was written for the film Rush (1991), and in Clapton’s words, being asked to score this movie gave him an excuse to write this song that had been forming in his head since the accident.

Still, having written it, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to use it, but was persuaded to do so by the film’s director, Lili Zanuck.

The first verse is Clapton’s, and the song was finished, at Clapton’s request, by Jennings, even though he was reluctant to do so, given the personal nature of the song.

It reached #2 in the USA, and remains Clapton’s biggest hit that he wrote. He did reach #1 with I Shot The Sherriff, but that was a cover of a Bob Marley tune.

It also won Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 1993 Grammy awards.

The Island was written by Tyrone songwriter Paul Brady and released in 1985, at the height of The Troubles in his native Northern Island. He compares what is going on there to the war in Lebanon and then contrasts it to an imaginary and more peaceful scene with a lover on an unknown island.

The song stands out for the way it captures the heartache and tragedy of war. And for the beautiful piano accompaniment part.

It was played by a British pianist and composer called Kenny Craddock, and in Brady’s words, ‘his sensitivity and understanding of the emotional and musical space the song needed to inhabit was crucial to the recording’s success’.

It was the last song recorded for Brady’s 1985 album ‘Back to The Centre’, and according to this BBC article, Brady felt under pressure to a) finish the song in time, and b) to get it right. It dealt with sensitive political content which was taking place on his doorstep and he was nervous about addressing it.

The sparse nature of the song makes the piano accompaniment stand out all the more. It is a masterpiece. SImple yet hugely effective, and it certainly stands the test of time.