Northern Sky

Northern Sky

Author: BBC Radio 4 April 27, 2024 Duration: 27:49

"I never felt magic crazy as this....."

For some it's a beacon of hope, for others a metaphor for love. 'Northern Sky' is the penultimate track on Nick Drake's 1971 album 'Bryter Layter'. The sound was shaped by the Velvet Underground's John Cale who added the piano, organ and celeste. His records didn't sell well much to Nick's disappointment, but after his death in 1974 his music and genius became much better-known. These are just some of the stories from whose lives have been profoundly touched by this iconic track.

Gordon Hunter had a difficult childhood and says hearing 'Northern Sky' brought a meditative sense of calm to his life, like "finding treasure."

Nick Drake's producer Joe Boyd remembers how John Cale became involved in the recording, and his sadness that Nick never got the recognition he deserved in his own lifetime.

Singer-songwriter Alex Hart took a job on the Covid-19 111 helpline during the first lockdown and listened to 'Northern Sky' on the drives home. Alex covered the track for one of her albums.

Musicians Neil MacColl and Kate St John fell in love on the 'Way To Blue' tour in 2011 and discuss their performance of 'Northern Sky' and Kate's string arrangements. Neil walks us through Nick's guitar tunings and the song's lyrics.

It's a song that reminds Laura Barton of spring and the first rush of love which she experienced as a student in Oxford.

"Brighten my northern sky."

Producer: Toby Field for BBC Audio Bristol Technical Producer: Michael Harrison Editor: Emma Harding


There’s a certain piece of music that, when you hear it, seems to stop time. It might be a melody from your childhood, a song that played at a pivotal moment, or a composition that simply reaches into your chest and grips your heart. Soul Music, from BBC Radio 4, is built around that very phenomenon. This isn’t a program about genres or charts; it’s an intimate exploration of why specific pieces of music carry such profound emotional weight. Each episode focuses on a single, iconic work-from classical adagios to folk ballads, from film scores to pop anthems. The podcast weaves together the voices of people whose lives have been indelibly marked by that music: listeners share personal, often moving stories of grief, joy, love, and remembrance, while composers and performers might shed light on the piece’s creation. You’ll hear the music itself, of course, but framed in a way that reveals its deeper resonance in human experience. It’s a quiet, thoughtful series that reminds us how soundtracks our inner lives. Tuning into this podcast feels like being part of a conversation about the invisible threads that connect us all through notes and rhythms, exploring how a sequence of sounds can become a vessel for collective memory and feeling.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Soul Music
Podcast Episodes
Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:49
Ezio Pinza was the first person to sing Some Enchanted Evening when South Pacific opened on Broadway in 1949. His granddaughter, Sarah Goodyear, recounts his extraordinary life story: from international opera singer, to…
Ain't No Mountain High Enough [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:44
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell made Ain't No Mountain High Enough a hit for Motown in 1967. Diana Ross followed suit in 1970 as a solo artist with her version of the song. It has a place in people's hearts with its anthem…
Take Me Home, Country Roads [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:50
"Country roads, take me home To the place I belong"'Take Me Home, Country Roads' was written by Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert with and for their friend John Denver.The song went on to be covered by Ray Charles, Toots and…
The Parting Glass [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:40
"But since it falls unto my lot That I should rise And you should not I'll gently rise and softly call Goodnight and joy be to you all"The Parting Glass was written in Scotland and has criss-crossed the Irish Sea, becomi…
We've Only Just Begun [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:31
The Carpenters - brother and sister duo Richard and Karen - were one of the most popular groups of the 1970s. His outstanding compositions and her stunning vocals created several massive hits including We've Only Just Be…
Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:34
This disco classic tells a powerful story: that of a young, gay man leaving his homophobic small town for the freedom of the big city.Released in 1984, Smalltown Boy continues to resonate and has become an anthem for the…
Sunshine on Leith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:30
Sunshine on Leith was released in 1988 but didn't become the big hit The Proclaimers had hoped for. However it has endured and become an anthem of love and a celebration of life. It is the song played at Hibs FC matches…
David Bowie - Life on Mars? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:44
Life on Mars was released on David Bowie's Hunky Dory album in 1971. Two years later it came out as a single in its own right. Famous for its exploration of disillusionment and alienation, there is no one single definiti…
Once In A Lifetime [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:17
Stories from people about how ‘Once In A Lifetime’, Talking Heads' existential hit from 1980, touched their lives.Talking Heads emerged out of the post punk scene of the late 1970s. 'Once In A Lifetime' is the iconic sin…
I Wonder as I Wander [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:49
As Christmas approaches, Soul Music leads you through Advent with the Appalachian carol "I Wonder as I Wander".Written by American folklorist and singer John Jacob Niles, its origins come from a song fragment collected i…