Facing the Music

(This post was originally posted by Martin Leay on the Coronation Street Blog in September 2014.)

It’s a shame about Rob but it’s time for him to face the music.

With the threat of “best bird” Carla pulling the plug on his big day, Wednesday night’s episode saw Rob iron his shirt and make his way to the wedding with a happily-ever-after ending looking increasingly unlikely.

Beautiful grounds, a horse and carriage, elegant bridal wear - this wedding can’t have come cheap. Wedding Planner Extraordinaire, Michelle Connor is either the best negotiator in Manchester or the profit margin on hooky hairdryers at Barlow's Buys is higher than Kylie Platt after a visit to The Dog and Gun.

Tracy has been going for a “classy with a contemporary twist” vibe and I was looking forward to seeing the blushing bride walk down the aisle to a string-laden “Firestarter” or “Wonderwall”. But having sacked the harpist the day before the wedding, this now looks improbable.

However, while the congregation waited for Tracy’s arrival, they were treated to a lovely instrumental version of The Stone Roses’ “Waterfall” by an acoustic guitarist drafted in by Michelle.

Stone Roses' singer Ian Brown enjoys an OJ in The Rovers

I love it when Corrie writers acknowledge Manchester’s musical heritage. Music is in the city’s DNA and I was sure that Rob’s Britpop-era musical tastes would be reflected in the ceremony somehow.

I enjoyed the spoken word recital of “Cast No Shadow” (Oasis) in Corrie’s October trailer, which did a powerful job of foreshadowing what was about to unfold on screen:

The October trailer (with spoilers) is on Youtube here.

Rob is clearly into his classic indie but you never know, there could also be a bit of drum and bass in his iTunes library if this video is anything to go by:

That’s right, back in 2008 Marc Baylis appeared in the video for the song “Propane Nightmares” by Pendulum. Amazing!

But back to Weatherfield and back to the wedding. The chorus to “Waterfall” (not that we heard the lyrics, of course), goes “She'll carry on through it all/She's a waterfall”.

Tracy Barlow is certainly hard-nosed but she adores Rob and I’m not so sure she will be able to simply carry on through it all. In the short term, at least, she’ll be crying a waterfall of tears on Ken’s shoulder before the day is through and soaking his pristine white tux in the process.

All this talk of Rob’s record collection has got me thinking about the wedding playlist. I have no idea whether Rob and Tracy will get married or not. But what I do know is this – when the Titanic began to sink, the band played on.

With that spirit in mind, if I was DJing – here are the ten Manchester tunes that I feel would be most fitting to carry on spinning while Rob’s world caves in on him and his fairy-tale wedding to Tracy crashes and burns:

1. Donovan (Happy Mondays)

2. Used To Be A Sweet Boy (Morrissey)

3. Lose Control (James)

4. Beast Inside (Inspiral Carpets)

5. The Kill (Joy Division)

6. Where Did It All Go Wrong? (Oasis)

7. Regret (New Order)

9. Nothing Left (Buzzcocks)

8. Going Down (Stone Roses)

10. Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now (The Smiths)

And then I’d play The Smith’s “Strangeways, Here We Come” album out in full because that’s exactly where Rob will be headed (again) if the law does finally catch up with him.

Are there any other songs that should be played at Donovan’s Disco? Unlike some DJs, I do take requests so please get them in on the comments board.

I look forward to seeing how the wedding plays out tonight as we get nearer and nearer to Rob Donovan’s Coronation Street swan song.

By Martin Leay

Twitter: @mpleay

My pre-wedding interview with Marc Baylis can be found here.

My blog on Coronation Street and Morrissey is available here.

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