For me Radio 4 is quite simply a writer’s gift – full of voices and ideas which never fail to intrigue or inspire me. Programmes with the stature of Melvyn Bragg’s In Our Time, every episode since 1998 now available on podcast, gems new to me, such as Soul Music, narrated this week by Sinead O’Connor and featuring the hauntingly beautiful – She Moved Through the Fair. Over at Lifetwicetasted Wendy gives us her not to be missed account of hearing this programme on Listen Again and herself becoming haunted by the song .
It’s a song I have always loved. I first learned it from Irish Heartbeat – an album by Van Morrison and The Chieftans and in my singing days I taught myself to sing it from this version. I sang it once in public at a special birthday party. Until this programme I’d never really thought about what made it so special – the way it is filled with dreams and longing, with lost love, and the way its ancient mystical tune is a voice from our past.
Because I heard it first here – this is Van Morrison and the Chieftans – less sweet, less lyrical than other versions but that unmistakable jazz voice …
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Your singing days, quite the dark horse aren’t we. . . tell us more . . . I imagine Joan Baez-esque stuff ??? Still makes my knees knock when I get up to play and sing my own songs, it’s nowt like belting out Elton John on the Karaoke after too much blue nun!
Hi Wendy and Warren, thanks for your comments – yes, maybe writing is singing – I like that – on whole though writing is much less nerve racking, no knocking knees to deal with.
Thank you for the mention Avril. The lovely song is still ringing in my head. It even arrived on my 343 AD page today. Reading your post I am reminded that words heard on the radio go deeper than words skimmed through on the page or heard while watching action on a screen. Maybe you should take up singing again. But maybe writing is singing in its own way…