Soul Music
BBC Radio 4
Categorieën: Muziek
Luister naar de laatste aflevering:
"I can see clearly now the rain is gone / I can see all obstacles in my way / Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind / It's gonna be a bright / Bright sunshiny day"
I Can See Clearly Now was written by the Houston-born singer-songwriter Johnny Nash. First released in 1972, it became a huge hit and the song has been covered by hundreds of artists, from the Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff to the Irish rock group Hothouse Flowers.
For recording engineer and producer Luke DeLalio the original of the song is 'a masterpiece', with a sublime vocal performance and an arrangement that is surprisingly experimental for such an apparently simple song. Professor Kathy M. Newman of Carnegie Mellon University tells us about Johnny Nash's life and career, from his early years as a clean-cut crooner and teen idol, to his time recording in Jamaica and his later years, living on a ranch in Texas.
For author and psychologist Peggy DeLong it's a song of hope, resilience and love. It was once meant to be her wedding song but took on new significance after she lost her fiancé as a young woman in the 1990s.
The song appeared in Brenda Drumm's life when she needed it most. In a moment of darkness and worry, it came on the radio as she was driving home from a day of tests at the hospital near her home in County Kildare. It allowed her to dare to plan for the future.
Poet Jack Mapanje was detained in Malawi’s notorious Mikuyu Prison without charge from 1987 until 1991, under Hastings Banda's regime. He remembers singing the song when other political prisoners were released - "it's a song of hope".
And the author Joanne Harris talks about the song's "sense of perpetual sky" and how the lyrics provide grounding and comfort in troubled times.
Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio
Vorige afleveringen
-
164 - I Can See Clearly Now Sat, 20 Apr 2024
-
163 - Someone to Watch Over Me Sat, 13 Apr 2024
-
162 - Sweet Thing Sat, 06 Apr 2024
-
160 - Songs My Mother Taught Me Sat, 11 Nov 2023
-
159 - Fire and Rain Sat, 04 Nov 2023
-
158 - Pata Pata Sat, 28 Oct 2023
-
157 - Defying Gravity from Wicked Sat, 21 Oct 2023
-
156 - I Will Always Love You Sat, 14 Oct 2023
-
155 - Fast Car Wed, 05 Jul 2023
-
154 - I Say a Little Prayer for You Sat, 24 Jun 2023
-
153 - Ghost Town Sat, 17 Jun 2023
-
152 - I Only Have Eyes For You Sat, 10 Jun 2023
-
150 - I Believe in Father Christmas Sat, 24 Dec 2022
-
149 - Nessun Dorma Sat, 17 Dec 2022
-
148 - Killing Me Softly with His Song Sat, 10 Dec 2022
-
147 - Into My Arms by Nick Cave Sat, 03 Dec 2022
-
146 - Chervona Kalyna Sat, 26 Nov 2022
-
145 - Bruch's Violin Concerto Sat, 18 Jun 2022
-
144 - Ne Me Quitte Pas Sat, 11 Jun 2022
-
143 - Purple Rain Mon, 30 May 2022
-
142 - Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton Sat, 28 May 2022
-
141 - A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten Sat, 18 Dec 2021
-
140 - U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For Sat, 11 Dec 2021
-
139 - Song to the Siren Sat, 04 Dec 2021
-
138 - Unfinished Sympathy Sat, 27 Nov 2021
-
137 - Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific Sat, 20 Nov 2021
-
136 - Ain't No Mountain High Enough Sat, 13 Nov 2021
-
135 - Take Me Home, Country Roads Wed, 04 Aug 2021
-
134 - The Parting Glass Wed, 28 Jul 2021
-
133 - We've Only Just Begun Wed, 21 Jul 2021
-
132 - Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat Wed, 14 Jul 2021
-
131 - Sunshine on Leith Fri, 12 Feb 2021
-
130 - David Bowie - Life on Mars? Sat, 09 Jan 2021
-
129 - Once In A Lifetime Tue, 29 Dec 2020
-
128 - I Wonder as I Wander Tue, 22 Dec 2020
-
127 - Lean On Me by Bill Withers Tue, 08 Dec 2020
-
126 - I Will Survive Mon, 10 Aug 2020
-
125 - Harvest Moon Wed, 05 Aug 2020
-
124 - Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte by Maurice Ravel Wed, 22 Jul 2020
-
123 - Feeling Good Wed, 15 Jul 2020
-
122 - Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay Wed, 22 Jan 2020
-
121 - Days Wed, 15 Jan 2020
-
120 - Toto's Africa Wed, 08 Jan 2020
-
119 - Coventry Carol Wed, 25 Dec 2019
-
118 - We Are Family Wed, 18 Dec 2019
-
117 - The Boxer - Simon & Garfunkel Wed, 11 Dec 2019
-
116 - Farewell to Stromness Wed, 31 Jul 2019
-
115 - Wind of Change Wed, 24 Jul 2019
-
114 - Streets of London by Ralph McTell Wed, 17 Jul 2019
-
113 - Back to Black Wed, 10 Jul 2019