Oranges and Lemons, or vice versa

[SCPD]

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So what's the name of the little ditty the BBC would play at the top of the hour, right before the news? For those of you who can still pick up a BBC broadcast, do they still play that song?

 

[ridgescan]

I personally have never heard a jingle when I listened. I hear them say "you're tuned to the BBC" then several voices chime in with different country names and at the end they say "wherever you are, the BBC is there" Hey you ggot a shortwave receiver? You are here in CA. which is right in the Asia transmissions path. Read my previous catches in this thread and give them a try yourself. They come in real nice on 9740 in the 6:00-7:00 time range

 

[SCPD]

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Yeah, back in the '80s on BBC World Service they always played the same little English ditty. Then you'd hear four or five short beeps, then a long one and the announcer would come on and say "BBC World Service; the news, read by..." I haven't listened to shortwave for years. Was just wondering if the BBC still played that song. Apparently not.

 

[va3saj]

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So what's the name of the little ditty the BBC would play at the top of the hour, right before the news? For those of you who can still pick up a BBC broadcast, do they still play that song?

Hi David:

BBC World Service Identifications and theme music have changed a lot over the years...but I think that the one most familiar is "Lillibullero", from an Irish air/jig allegedly composed by English classical musician Henry Purcell (1659-1695). I have listened to the BBC for many years, and while they have played "Oranges and Lemons", Lillibullero is the normal theme music they used for many years before the news. It hasn't been played on the BBC World Service for over a decade now.

YouTube - Lillibullero - BBC World Service

If you're interested in BBC Identifications/music over the years, Youtube has a compiliation here (which includes Lillibullero, of course, and your "Oranges and Lemons", an old children's nursery rhyme I remember singing as a small child):

YouTube - BBC World Service idents over the years

I hope this helps.

 

[SCPD]

Hi David:

BBC World Service Identifications and theme music have changed a lot over the years...but I think that the one most familiar is "Lillibullero", from an Irish air/jig allegedly composed by English classical musician Henry Purcell (1659-1695). I have listened to the BBC for many years, and while they have played "Oranges and Lemons", Lillibullero is the normal theme music they used for many years before the news. It hasn't been played on the BBC World Service for over a decade now.

You know, after having viewed both YouTube links, I wonder if it wasn't "Lillibullero" I heard back in the day. I was either told by someone, or read somewhere that the BBC's top of the hour theme music was "Oranges and Lemons." Thanks for setting me straight.

Dave
KA6TJF

 

[majoco]

Currently it's "Lillibulero":

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/faq/news/story/2005/08/050810_wssigtune.shtml

..but in the past when Auntie BBC used the "Big Ben" chime as the hour marker, the preceding bells played "Oranges and Lemons" - which are going to be re-recorded:

BBC - Today - Ringing the dust off London's bells

Best 73 - Marty

The first link comes up "Error 404" here - but the web page shows under a load of garbage!