Today I share with you a stunningly beautiful rendition of the great Nick Drake song “Northern Sky”, a moment of Zen for your Sunday morning.
First, though, a few thoughts before handing off to the children of PS22 for their sublime singing.
It seems that often the most tortured souls create the most beautiful and long-lasting art.
In the mid to late 80s, I was living in and around Edinburgh at the same time as the late John Martyn, who I had the pleasure of both seeing perform many times and meeting (as well as having to throw out of a pub late in the evening one night!). John Martyn remains my favoured musical artist of all time, to see him at his best in performance was truly transcendent, even if it happened rarely due to his, well, erratic nature.
His best-known song is Solid Air (this video comes from the 80s era), dedicated to his dear friend Nick Drake, who was perhaps even more tortured and who took his own life in 1974 at the age of 26. If interested in either artist, I highly recommend Graeme Thomson’s “Small Hours, the long night of John Martyn“.
So, the original of Northern Sky you can find here, but for today this truly gorgeous version from the children of PS22. Do watch until the very last second for a tiny moment of “yes, nailed it!” that will make you smile, laugh and even cry.