Crowlink

Album: Crowlink (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • English folk singer Shirley Collins has been recording albums since the late 1950s and was a significant contributor to the English folk revival of the 1960s and 1970s. Here, she pays tribute to one of her most beloved settings. She told Uncut magazine: "'Crowlink' is one of the Seven Sisters on the South Downs, and is one of my favorite walks. It's just a magical place."
  • The song features Ossian Brown on droning hurdy-gurdy and Matthew Shaw providing electronics and field recordings from the actual location. Collins told Uncut:

    "I sent my son, Bobby Marshall, and Matthew Shaw to record the sound of the sea and the birdsong, and it was so evocative. Then Matthew wrote music alongside the recordings and it just fitted, Bobby said: 'Why don't you have it on the album?' I said, 'Well, it's not traditional. But I'm very glad it's there because it seems to evoke old memories for me and it nudges me into the future - it makes me aware that there are other ways of doing things."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Song Cities

Song CitiesMusic Quiz

Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz.