"Life in a Northern Town" 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]
Composition
Laird-Clowes has stated that the song is about the collapse of the shipping industry in the United Kingdom.[9]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.[10]
According to Nick Laird-Clowes, "We had the idea, even before we sat down, to write a folk song with an African-style chorus. We started it and when we got to the verse melody, there was something about it that reminded me of Nick Drake."[5][11] The song includes elements of classical music,[12] 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),[13] and hints of psychedelia.[10] "Life in a Northern Town" is written in the key of E major with a main chord pattern of E-Amaj7-E.[14]
"Life in a Northern Town" was dedicated to singer-songwriter Nick Drake, who died in 1974.[5][15] Laird-Clowes said he wrote the song on the guitar that Drake had been holding on the cover of his 1971 album Bryter Layter.[16]
Laird-Clowes told Mojo that his mentor Paul Simon spurred him to come up with the title; "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."[11]
Release
"Life in a Northern Town" was released as aa single in 1985. It was included as a track on the band's self-titled album.[4] The single peaked at number seven on the US charts[17] and number 15 on the UK charts.
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]
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'".[20]
According to SingersRoom.com, the song's "haunting, ethereal melody and poetic lyrics...create a sense of wistfulness..."[21] ClassicFM.com describes the song as "brimming with nostalgia, something that's mainly achieved, somewhat unexpectedly, with the wistful sound of an oboe".[22]
Track listing
7" single
"Life in a Northern Town" – 4:17
"Test Tape No. 3" – 5:01
12" single
"Life in a Northern Town" (Extended) – 5:19
"Test Tape No. 3" – 5:03
"Life in a Northern Town" (7" Mix) – 4:14
"Poised on the Edge of Forever" – 3:32
Personnel
Credits sourced from "One Two Testing" and Mix.[23][24]
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.
Cultural references
The song is used as the theme for Buckley's Angel in King of the HillSeason 3, Episode 23 entitled "Wings Of The Dope".
^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.
^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 96. ISBN0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
