When you’re a kid, a ride in a taxi cab is a super adventure and really exciting, especially if you’re off on holiday and taking a taxi to the airport or train station. It’s a luxury for many people and probably the closest us normal folk will ever get to having our own personal chauffeur. Riding in a taxi is still an exciting and interesting experience, especially for those of us who have good memories of traveling in them.

It makes me wonder about songs involving this particular form of public transportation so here’s a look at some of the songs where even rich and famous artists found subject matter in that shared experience of riding in a cab.

 Annie Christian (written by Prince): Prince declares in the chorus of this song that he seems to spend his life living in taxicabs. It seems to be a metaphor for something deep and dark that was troubling the artists and it has been said that Prince wrote this song after learning of the death of John Lennon.

Harry Chapin, ‘Taxi’: For this song, the writer came up with a story of a late-night run-in with an old flame while driving a taxi through the rain in San Francisco. It’s a classic example of the storyteller mode of songwriting, akin to Bob Dylan. For Taxi Chester, visit http://www.chestertaxis.co.uk/.

Vampire Weekend, ‘Taxi Cab’: This is a classic heartbreak, break-up song and the singer here recalls a specific experience with a lost love, getting out of a taxi and seeing her wonderful life in a gated community. The words seem to portray the feeling that the relationship ended because she was a “real aristocrat” and therefore too good for him. He blames her, he blames himself, and it amounts to a very mature look at the failings of a relationship.

 Joni Mitchell, ‘Big Yellow Taxi’: This is probably one of the most famous and well-known songs featuring a taxi. ‘They paved paradise and put up a parking lot’ sings Mitchell on this track and clearly it was mostly an environmentalist protest song. Sadly, she once revealed that the title refers to the day that a big yellow taxi arrived at her home and took her father away from her.

Prince, ‘Lady Cab Driver’: A Prince song again, it seems he had quite a fascination with cabs. The lyrics to this one suggest that after being picked up by a lady cab driver, Prince gets involved in some romantic activity with her.

Tori Amos, ‘Taxi Ride’: Amos gets pretty deep on this track and uses the imagery of an insignificant taxi to highlight injustices in society. This story is about a friend of hers who was dying and the world’s uncaring attitude towards him, treating him like just another faceless taxi flying by. The song is a judgment on society’s attitude who don’t care for those who are dying but only for the money they leave behind.

For most of us, the idea of a day at the spa is very tempting. There’s the pampering, the facials and the overall relaxing. But when it comes to it, very few of us do manage a day at the spa. There’s the hassle of booking, driving there and the general lack of privacy. For this reason, we are increasingly turning to home spas. By creating a relaxing spa environment at home, you can enjoy all the benefits without any of the hassles.

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Setting the scene

It goes without saying that you’ll need to create the right atmosphere first. Any kids’ toys or other unsightly objects need to be tidied away, and you’ll want to make sure your bathroom is clean. Bringing plants in from other rooms can really help set the mood, and if you’re lucky enough to have cast iron baths at home, then you’re halfway there. Candles are also a plus, but not needed for a daytime spa. Instead, you could try heating some essential oils in a burner for the full spa feel.

Exotic spas

If you have a separate shower, try the Japanese spa technique of showering and exfoliating with a glove, before getting into to your bath. This really is a luxurious feeling, sinking into a hot bath once you’re already clean. You could also try a flower bath. Flower baths are particularly popular in exotic locations such as Thailand, where spa guests can indulge in Jasmine baths. However, for a more British feel, look out for rose petal bath packets or pick some of your own.

Sourcing your spa

Obviously, having nice bathroom furniture and fittings, or a cast iron bath like the ones at http://www.wilsonsyard.com/products/bathrooms/baths-new-cast-iron.html will help set the scene. However, you can also shop for home spa accessories, with a view to using your bathroom as a spa more often.

The little extras

Once you’re soaking in your lovely warm flower bath surrounded by foliage and the scent of oils, reach over and apply your homemade beauty masks. There’s really no need to buy mask products if you have fresh honey, thyme, yogurt or cucumber at home. Natural yogurt is a probiotic and good for cleansing and soothing. For a more vigorous mask, try adding coffee to an inexpensive mud or clay mask.

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Locks and keys are very symbolic in popular culture and have been used to express romantic sentiment and to represent our fears, security and a symbol of punishment. Here we take a look at some songs that reflect our fascination with the symbolism of locks and keys:

• Locked Away by Robert Forster – this is a song about jealousy and was originally written by Keith Richards.
• Lock the Locks by The Streets – the theme of this tune is about locking away the past and moving on to a better life. It is a great example of the metaphorical use of locks.
• Lock and Key by Julia Fordham – she seems intent on locking away her emotions and locking away her memories of love so she can keep them for eternity.
• Key to the Highway by Derek & the Dominoes – taking an opposite stance to the songs listed above, this one focuses on using a key to open something as opposed to locking something away. Keys can be seen as positive as well as negative.
• Take these Chains from my Heart by Ray Charles – wanting to be released but is trapped in the chains of love, this Ray Charles classic takes him in a different direction from the usual R’n’B and towards a more country feel.

• Ball and Chain by Janis Joplin – it seems that love is holding her down. There seems to be a common thread in love songs that love weighs you down sometimes and makes you feel trapped.
• Ball and Chain by Social Distortion – another constricted emotion here but this one relates to drug abuse and not romance. The song reflects the feeling of dragging an affliction around with you like a ball and chain.
• The Key by Speech Debelle – a very philosophical one this as it explains that the key to life and love is compassion and understanding.
• Where Me keys?, Where Me phone? By Mr Zip – thanks to Britain’s Got Talent we all got to experience the song (if you could call it that) written by the crazy Mr Zip himself. I guess it’s quite deep in the way that pretty much everyone will have experienced this kind of panic at some point when they’re in a rush. If you do lose your keys then you might need a Belfast Locksmith. For more information, visit http://www.belfastlocksmiths247.co.uk/.
• I’m Going to Lock my Heart and throw away the Key by Carmen McRae – quite a lengthy title this one and it’s another tune about being disappointed in love. She will be locking away those emotions.
• Locked in a Room by Oren Lavie – imagine being in a room with nothing but walls and having a key but no door. The only way out is through a picture. Sounds like a crazy dream doesn’t it?
• Lock and Key by Rush – this song is about violence which is refreshing in that most of the others are songs about love. It is a dark song with references to a ‘killer instinct’ that resides in all of us if we were not bound by the rules of society.