Lament

Album: not on an album (2011)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song was originally titled "Lament For Jimmy Savile."

    On New Years Day, 1964, disc jockey Jimmy Savile presented the first episode of the BBC's flagship popular music program Top Of The Pops; he also co-presented the very last episode, on July 30, 2006.

    In October 2011, he was found dead in his Leeds home two days before his 85th birthday.
  • This piano solo runs 6:13 and was actually composed by pianist Matthew Bourne sometime before Savile's death. It was recorded originally at Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon, on May 23, 2011, and was dedicated in Savile's honor shortly before his funeral.
  • After the Jimmy Savile scandal broke, in addition to massive outrage, a purge of Savile's name was carried out nationwide. On October 3, 2012, in anticipation of the documentary The Other Side Of Jimmy Savile - which was screened that same night - a wooden statue of him outside a Glasgow leisure centre was removed; on October 10, the headstone of Savile's grave was removed and broken up for landfill; and on October 22, a decision was made to close his charities.

    Among others, "Lament For Jimmy Saville" (with that misspelling of Savile), was quietly renamed "Lament." A bit of applause at the end of the recording on the composer's blog was removed, so it now runs to 6 minutes 12 seconds. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 3

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