Your weekly six picks comes to you a day early this week. It’s my birthday, you see, and you’re invited to a Six Picks birthday party.

It’s a music-only party. No boring small-talk, and no inter-song wittering from me either. All I will say is that I asked for submissions and contributions, and this is what you offered. For that, I say a hearty thank you!

Altered Images - Happy Birthday

If they were me and I was you

Would you have liked a present too?

https://youtu.be/cyvJ38apJFo

Peter Hammill - Birthday Special

There’s parrots in the pantry

And there’s lizards in the loo

There’s bloaters in the bathroom

And this party is a zoo;

I’m sitting in the kitchen

Trying hard to talk to you

Birthday girl….

https://youtu.be/x3lsaeY6h6A

Pet Shop Boys - Birthday Boy

Birthday Boy

so afraid

plays the machines

in the arcade

Oh baby do you remember

he’s been through all this before?

Spent the summer

getting nowhere

Taking all of the blame

for the city

calculating

from pain comes pity

https://youtu.be/ICyw4vQvjfU

Kirsty MacColl - Soho Square

And I’ll do anything but please don’t hurt me

Just kiss me quick ‘cos it’s my birthday

And I feel so small I don’t know why but no I’m not too old to cry

https://youtu.be/thaiW9bfBM4

Sugarcubes - Birthday

Threads worms on a string

Keeps spiders in her pocket

Collects fly wings in a jar

Scrubs horse flies

And pinches them on a line

Ohhh…!

https://youtu.be/edmDN11BxCY

Concrete Blonde - Happy Birthday

Neon in the window

Sirens far away

News on the radio happy birthday

Happy birthday, happy birthday

https://youtu.be/47UplyBQK4Y

The cake is a lie.