Life in a Northern Town

Last updated

"Life in a Northern Town"
The Dream Academy - Life In A Northern Town.jpg
Single by The Dream Academy
from the album The Dream Academy
Released12 March 1985
Recorded1984
Genre
Length4:19
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Dream Academy singles chronology
"Life in a Northern Town"
(1985)		"The Edge of Forever"
(1985)
Music video
"Life in a Northern Town" on YouTube

"Life in a Northern Town" is the debut single by British band The Dream Academy, released in March 1985. It appears on the band's self-titled debut studio album, The Dream Academy . The song was written as an elegy to British folk musician Nick Drake. Written by band members Nick Laird-Clowes and Gilbert Gabriel, [4] the song was produced by Laird-Clowes with help from Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. [4] [5] The single reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1986 and reached No. 15 on the UK charts. It is the band's highest charting single in the UK, [6] the US, [7] and Ireland. [8]

Contents

American country music artists Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen recorded a live cover version of "Life in a Northern Town" that became a minor U.S. hit in 2008.

Original version

The Dream Academy released the original version of "Life in a Northern Town" as a single in 1985. The song was included as a track on the band's self-titled album. [4] The single peaked at number seven on the US charts [9] and number 15 on the UK charts.

Composition

Laird-Clowes has stated that the song is about the collapse of the shipping industry in the United Kingdom. [10] Gilbert Gabriel, a member of the Dream Academy and co-writer of "Life in a Northern Town,” said that the inspiration for the tune came from his experience at Dartington College of Arts. [11]

According to Nick Laird-Clowes, "We had the idea, even before we sat down, to write a folk song with an African-style chorus. [5] We started it and when we got to the verse melody, there was something about it that reminded me of Nick Drake." [12] The song includes elements of classical music, [13] an "African-esque" chant of "hey ma ma ma ma” (which was later sampled by dance duo Dario G for their track "Sunchyme" and by the duo Tritonal), [14] and hints of psychedelia. [11] "Life in a Northern Town" is written in the key of E major with a main chord pattern of E-Amaj7-E. [15]

Laird-Clowes said he wrote the song on a guitar that Nick Drake had been holding on one of his album covers, that Laird-Clowes "bought for £100 and still had his tuning ... I still have that guitar." [5]

Title

Laird-Clowes told Mojo that his mentor Paul Simon spurred him to come up with the title. [5] “I played him the song and he asked, 'What are you going to call it – Ah Hey Ma Ma Ma?' I told him that we intended to name it 'Morning Lasted All Day.' 'That’s no good,' he said and so I came up with 'Life In A Northern Town,' which he thought was a great title.” [12]

Dedication to Nick Drake

"Life in a Northern Town" was dedicated to Nick Drake, who died in 1974. [16] [1] [17]

Track listing

7" single

  1. "Life in a Northern Town" – 4:17
  2. "Test Tape No. 3" – 5:01

12" single

  1. "Life in a Northern Town" (Extended) – 5:19
  2. "Test Tape No. 3" – 5:03
  3. "Life in a Northern Town" (7" Mix) – 4:14
  4. "Poised on the Edge of Forever" – 3:32

Music video

Two videos were released to promote the single. [5] The earlier version features the group performing the song in various locations in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. [18] The second version, released in November 1985, features the group performing at a concert while clips play featuring footage of Newcastle upon Tyne, Manchester, and Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. [19]

Personnel

Credits sourced from "One Two Testing" and Mix. [20] [21]

The Dream Academy

Additional Musicians

Reception

Stephen Holden of The New York Times described "Life in a Northern Town" as a "richly textured nostalgic ballad...that looks back warmly on 'winter 1963, when it felt like the world would freeze with John F. Kennedy and the Beatles'". [22]

According to SingersRoom.com, the song's "haunting, ethereal melody and poetic lyrics...create a sense of wistfulness..." [23] ClassicFM.com describes the song as "brimming with nostalgia, something that's mainly achieved, somewhat unexpectedly, with the wistful sound of an oboe". [24]

Chart history

Weekly Charts

Chart (1985–1986)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [25] 4
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [26] 7
Ireland (IRMA) [27] 9
UK Singles (OCC) [28] 15
US Billboard Hot 100 [29] 7
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks7
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks [30] 2

Year-end Charts

Year-end chart (1985)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [31] 38
Year-end chart (1986)Position
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [32] 78

Sugarland cover version

"Life in a Northern Town"
Song by Sugarland featuring Little Big Town and Jake Owen
from the album Love on the Inside
Released2008
Recorded2007
Genre Country
Length4:14
Label Mercury Nashville
Songwriter(s) Gilbert Gabriel
Nick Laird-Clowes
Producer(s) Byron Gallimore
Sugarland

The song was covered in 2007 by the country music duo Sugarland, along with Little Big Town and Jake Owen, on the Sugarland Change for Change Tour. A live performance from 2007 was made into a music video by Becky Fluke for the network Country Music Television. [33]

This performance was included on the Deluxe Fan Edition of Sugarland's 2008 album Love on the Inside [33] and on Capitol Records' late 2008 re-release of Little Big Town's 2007 album A Place to Land . It was nominated for Vocal Event of the Year at the Country Music Association awards, [34] Best Country Collaboration with Vocals at the 51st Grammy Awards, [35] and Vocal Event of the Year at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music awards. [36]

Chart positions

Chart (2008)Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [37] 53
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [38] 28
US Billboard Hot 100 [39] 43

Other versions

Cultural References

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugarland</span> American country music duo

Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. They were founded in 2002, at which point Kristen Hall was also a member. All three had experience in folk rock: Nettles had recorded in the groups Soul Miner's Daughter and Jennifer Nettles Band, Bush had recorded two albums as one-half of the duo Billy Pilgrim, and Hall had recorded two solo albums. After Hall left in 2006, Nettles and Bush continued as a duo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dream Academy</span> British band

The Dream Academy was a British band consisting of singer/guitarist and primary songwriter Nick Laird-Clowes, multi-instrumentalist Kate St John, and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. The band is most noted for their 1985 hit record, "Life in a Northern Town".

<i>Bryter Layter</i> 1971 studio album by Nick Drake

Bryter Layter is the second studio album by English folk singer-songwriter Nick Drake. Recorded in 1970 and released on 5 March 1971 by Island Records, it was his last album to feature backing musicians, as his next and final studio album, Pink Moon, had Drake perform all songs solo.

Nick Laird-Clowes is an English musician and composer, best known as the singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for The Dream Academy.

<i>Twice the Speed of Life</i> 2004 studio album by Sugarland

Twice the Speed of Life is the debut studio album by American country music group Sugarland, released on October 26, 2004, through Mercury Nashville Records. The album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Top Country Albums charts. It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album features the singles "Baby Girl", "Something More", "Just Might ", and "Down in Mississippi ", which peaked at number 2, number 2, number 7, and number 17 respectively on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Twice the Speed of Life was Sugarland's only album as a trio, before Kristen Hall left in December 2005.

<i>The Dream Academy</i> (album) 1985 studio album by The Dream Academy

The Dream Academy is the debut studio album by English band The Dream Academy, released in November 1985. It was produced by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Nick Laird-Clowes. "Life in a Northern Town", written as a tribute to the musician Nick Drake, became the Dream Academy's only major chart success, reaching number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 15 in the UK. The Dream Academy went on to chart at number twenty on the US Billboard 200 in the US.

<i>Remembrance Days</i> 1987 studio album by the Dream Academy

Remembrance Days is the second album by the British band the Dream Academy. Not as successful as the band's 1985 self-titled debut, the album peaked at number 181 in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Love Parade (song)</span> 1985 single by The Dream Academy

"The Love Parade" is the fourth single released by The Dream Academy. It was a more "edgy" song than their previous singles, made so by the inclusion of implied themes of adultery and erotic temptation in the lyrics, and was arranged to a brisk bossa nova-esque beat which was in stark contrast to the style of the group's first single Life In A Northern Town . There were two additional singles released in the UK by Blanco y Negro, a 7" shaped picture disc and a second limited edition release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Nettles</span> American singer, record producer, and actress

Jennifer Odessa Nettles is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Sky</span> Song by Nick Drake

"Northern Sky" is a song from the English singer-songwriter Nick Drake's 1971 album Bryter Layter, produced by Joe Boyd. During the recording sessions for the album, the chronically shy and withdrawn songwriter formed a friendship and a mentorship of sorts with producer Joe Boyd, an early supporter of Drake. Boyd saw commercial potential in the acoustic and unaccompanied demo version of the song, and recruited former Velvet Underground member John Cale as producer. Cale added piano, organ and celesta arrangements, initially against Drake's wishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Settlin'</span> 2007 single by Sugarland

"Settlin'" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in January 2007 as the second single from their album Enjoy the Ride, and their second consecutive number one hit. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was written by Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and Tim Owens. It was the theme song for the 2007 ACC tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everyday America</span> 2007 single by Sugarland

"Everyday America" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released on May 21, 2007 as the third single from their second album Enjoy the Ride). It peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The song was also played on the ABC television series Good Morning America from May to September 2007. It was written by Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and Lisa Carver.

"Stay" is a song recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in September 2007 as the fourth and final single from their album Enjoy the Ride. Overall, the song is the group's eighth single to enter the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, where it reached a peak position of #2 for four weeks, stuck behind Taylor Swift's "Our Song", and has become their signature song. The music video for "Stay" was ranked #10 on CMT's 100 Greatest Videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Girl (Sugarland song)</span> 2004 single by Sugarland

"Baby Girl" is a debut song co-written and recorded by American country music group Sugarland. Originally released in 2003 as part of Premium Quality Tunes, it was re-released in July 2004 as the first single from the album Twice the Speed of Life. The single reached a peak position of number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in April 2005. The song spent a total of 46 weeks on the country music charts; setting a new record for the longest chart run since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan digital chart tabulation in 1990. In addition, "Baby Girl" became the highest-peaking debut single for a country music group in 14 years. It was written by group members Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush, and Kristen Hall, along with Troy Bieser.

<i>A Place to Land</i> (Little Big Town album) 2007 studio album by Little Big Town

A Place to Land is the third studio album by American country music group Little Big Town. Released on November 6, 2007, as their second album on the independent Equity Music Group label, it features the single "I'm with the Band", which peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in late 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Something More (Sugarland song)</span> 2005 single by Sugarland

"Something More" is a song written and recorded by American country music group Sugarland. It was released in April 2005 as the second single from their debut album Twice the Speed of Life. Like its predecessor "Baby Girl", "Something More" was a number 2 hit on the Hot Country Songs charts for 5 weeks.

"Just Might (Make Me Believe)" is a song recorded by American country music group Sugarland. It was released in September 2005 as the third single from their debut album Twice the Speed of Life. In addition, it was the only single of their career to be written solely by ex-member Kristen Hall, who left the group in early 2006.

<i>Love on the Inside</i> 2008 studio album by Sugarland

Love on the Inside is the third studio album by American country music duo Sugarland, first released on July 22, 2008, as a Deluxe Fan Edition, including five bonus tracks, with the standard edition one week later, on July 29, on Mercury Nashville Records. The album has produced three chart singles in "All I Want to Do", "Already Gone" and "It Happens", all number one hits on the Billboard country singles charts. The fourth single, "Joey", reached Top 20. The release of the fifth single "Keep You" was canceled. It is also the first album of the duo's career to reach Number One on Top Country Albums and The Billboard Top 200. The album has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA with sales of over 2 million copies in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It Happens</span> 2009 single by Sugarland

"It Happens" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in February 2009 as the third single from their album Love on the Inside. The duo's members, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, wrote the song along with Bobby Pinson, with whom the duo also co-wrote the album's first two singles, "All I Want to Do" and "Already Gone". To date, this is Sugarland’s last number one song.

<i>Bigger</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Sugarland

Bigger is the sixth studio album by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released on June 8, 2018, through Big Machine Records. This is their first album in eight years since 2010's The Incredible Machine, and first on Big Machine.

References

  1. 1 2 Monger, James Christopher. "The Dream Academy – Artist Biography". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Durcholz, Daniel; Orski, Allan (1998). "The Dream Academy". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 361.
  3. ↑ "Top 20 Most Beautiful Songs of the 80s". Listverse. 6 February 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 "Life in a Northern Town by The Dream Academy". SongFacts.com .
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Simpson, Dave (8 April 2024). "'I wrote it in a bedsit on Nick Drake's guitar': how the Dream Academy made Life in a Northern Town". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "Dream Academy". Official Charts . The Official UK Charts Company.
  7. ↑ "The Dream Academy". Billboard.
  8. ↑ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". www.irishcharts.ie.
  9. ↑ "All US Top 40 Singles for 1986". Top40Weekly.com. 31 December 1986.
  10. ↑ Higgons, Keith R. (23 February 2021). "Song of the Day — February 23".
  11. 1 2 Michaels, Randolph (2005). Flashbacks to Happiness: Eighties Music Revisited. iUniverse. p. 56. ISBN   978-0-595-37007-8.
  12. 1 2 Dellar, Fred (13 May 2022). "MOJO Time Machine: Dream Academy Break Big With Life In A Northern Town". Mojo. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Robbins, Patrick (16 November 2012). "Five Good Covers: Life In A Northern Town (The Dream Academy)". Cover Me.
  14. ↑ Bein, Kat (7 April 2017). "Tritonal 'Hey MaMaMa' Turns Familiar '80s Sample into Dance Floor Gold: Listen". Billboard.
  15. ↑ "'Life in a Northern Town' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. 25 August 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  16. ↑ Simpson, Dave; Simpson, Interviews by Dave (8 April 2024). "'I wrote it in a bedsit on Nick Drake's guitar': how the Dream Academy made Life in a Northern Town" – via The Guardian.
  17. ↑ McNair, James (26 March 1999). "Apprentice to the stars" . The Independent . London. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  18. ↑ "80s Life In A Northern Town". Hebden Bridge Web. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  19. ↑ "The Dream Academy: Life in a Northern Town, Version 2". IMDb . Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  20. ↑ Colbert, Paul (November 1985). "Academic Qualification: The Dream Academy". One Two Testing (Nov 1985): 24–25.
  21. ↑ "Classic Tracks: "Life in a Northern Town," Dream Academy". mixonline.com. August 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  22. ↑ Holden, Stephen (2 April 1986). "THE POP LIFE; FROM DREAM ACADEMY, BEATLES-STYLE ART ROCK". The New York Times .
  23. ↑ Jamison, Darren (7 March 2023). "100 Greatest Songs from 1986 - Singersroom.com".
  24. ↑ "The 13 greatest pop songs (from a classical music perspective)". Classic FM.
  25. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 96. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  26. ↑ "Canada peak" . Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  27. ↑ "Search for Irish peaks" . Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  28. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  29. ↑ "The Dream Academy Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  30. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 82.
  31. ↑ "Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985". Kent Music Report . Retrieved 23 January 2023– via Imgur.
  32. ↑ "1986 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 52. 27 December 1986. p. Y-21.
  33. 1 2 "Sugarland Adds "Life in a Northern Town" to New CD". CMT . 4 June 2008. Archived from the original on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  34. ↑ "Stars Shining Over CMAs". Great American Country . 11 September 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  35. ↑ "Alison Krauss, Robert Plant Score at Grammys". Great American Country . 4 December 2008. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  36. ↑ "Academy of Country Music nominees". Academy of Country Music. 11 February 2009. Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
  37. ↑ "Sugarland Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  38. ↑ "Sugarland Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  39. ↑ "Sugarland Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  40. ↑ "The Day After Yesterday - Rick Springfield | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.