Unfinished Sympathy

Unfinished Sympathy

Author: BBC Radio 4 November 27, 2021 Duration: 27:51

Personal stories inspired by Massive Attack's breakthrough single.

Featuring the vocals of Shara Nelson, the track together with its iconic video would help catapult this band from Bristol onto the global stage.

Stories include the photographer Giles Duley whose work was displayed during the song at the band's 2016 homecoming show in Bristol.

Mountaineer Dmitry Golovchenko who named an attempt on the Nepalese mountain of Jannu after the track*.

Solicitor Marti Burgess who saw early sets from The Wild Bunch, the collective from which Massive Attack emerged, and for whom 'Unfinished Sympathy' helped crystallise her identity.

Music Producer Ski Oakenfull deconstructs the track, peeling back the layers of beats, bells and samples. Belgian singer Liz Aku recorded a version of the track during lockdown, bringing back memories of her first love.

Melissa Chemam, author of 'Massive Attack Out Of The Comfort Zone' explains the origins of Massive Attack, how 'Unfinished Sympathy' was written and why, when the track was released in 1991, the band had to drop the word 'Attack' from their name.

A radio producer and DJ who spent New Year's Eve in a detox centre in London was asked to pick the tune to be played at midnight, and she chose 'Unfinished Sympathy'.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Toby Field

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2021.

*Since this programme was recorded, climbers Dmitry Golovchenko and Sergey Nilov have both sadly died in climbing accidents.


There’s a certain piece of music that, when you hear it, seems to stop time. It might be a melody from your childhood, a song that played at a pivotal moment, or a composition that simply reaches into your chest and grips your heart. Soul Music, from BBC Radio 4, is built around that very phenomenon. This isn’t a program about genres or charts; it’s an intimate exploration of why specific pieces of music carry such profound emotional weight. Each episode focuses on a single, iconic work-from classical adagios to folk ballads, from film scores to pop anthems. The podcast weaves together the voices of people whose lives have been indelibly marked by that music: listeners share personal, often moving stories of grief, joy, love, and remembrance, while composers and performers might shed light on the piece’s creation. You’ll hear the music itself, of course, but framed in a way that reveals its deeper resonance in human experience. It’s a quiet, thoughtful series that reminds us how soundtracks our inner lives. Tuning into this podcast feels like being part of a conversation about the invisible threads that connect us all through notes and rhythms, exploring how a sequence of sounds can become a vessel for collective memory and feeling.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Soul Music
Podcast Episodes
I Can See Clearly Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:51
"I can see clearly now the rain is gone / I can see all obstacles in my way / Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind / It's gonna be a bright / Bright sunshiny day"I Can See Clearly Now was written by the Houston-bor…
Someone to Watch Over Me [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:43
Written by George Gershwin for the musical Oh Kay, Someone To Watch Over Me has endured as a tender ballad about searching for someone special. It has been recorded by many different artists from Ella Fitzgerald to Willi…
Sweet Thing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:37
Sweet Thing by Van Morrison has an atmosphere full of tenderness, wonder and joy. But underneath this, there a feeling of transience, a melancholy sense of things coming to an end, and of inevitable change. It was writte…
Songs My Mother Taught Me [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:47
Antonin Dvorak wrote his Gypsy Songs in 1880. He was passionate about the folk music of his native Bohemia and set a poem by Czech poet Adolf Heyduk to music. Songs My Mother Taught Me is the fourth song in the cycle.Son…
Fire and Rain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:48
James Taylor's song of suicide, loneliness and addiction somehow remains hopeful and uplifting, even as people experience their own dark times.Holly Sinclair was driving through a Missouri winter to see her brother, in h…
Pata Pata [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:56
Miriam Makeba recorded 'Pata Pata' in 1967 with the help of American producer Jerry Ragovoy. It became a huge hit and Miriam Makeba used newfound fame to speak the injustices of apartheid. Her records were banned and Sou…
Defying Gravity from Wicked [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:52
Wicked the musical is 20 years old in 2023. The story of the Wizard of Oz told from the witches' perspective examines themes of difference, power and alienation. The so called Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba born with g…
I Will Always Love You [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:28
Written by Dolly Parton... sent stratospheric by Whitney Houston; I Will Always Love You is a song that has a worldwide fanbase reflected by the diverse memories shared here:Nagham Kewifati tells how her mother, Mayada B…
Fast Car [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:34
'Fast Car' is one of Tracy Chapman's biggest hits, with listeners from around the world finding striking connections with their own lives in the song's story. It was released in April 1988, and that summer, the American…
I Say a Little Prayer for You [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:50
When Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David wrote I Say A Little Prayer For You in 1967 the war in Vietnam was raging. The song was intended as message of support for the soldiers there. It was originally recorded by Dion…