'Lili Marlene', the unlikely anthem of the Second World War, cut across front lines and ideological divides. This love song began as a poem written by a German soldier during the First World War. The words were set to music in Berlin in the 1930s by one of Hitler's favoured composers. The song's sin[...]

Why is it that Leonard Cohen receives the sort of reverence we reserve for a precious few living artists? Why are his songs, three or four decades after their original release, suddenly gracing the charts, blockbuster movie sound tracks, and television singing competitions? And why is it that while [...]