I’m typing as Storm Eunice passes through this corner of North East England. We’ve come off lightly compared to the rest of the country and to last November’s Storm Arwen. That night it was Alan Hull’s Winter Song that kept me going as I lay in bed listening to angry Arwen damage neighbours’ homes.
This week it’s been Labi Siffre’s work that’s kept me going through Storms Dudley and Eunice. On Monday I watched Imagine: Labi Siffre- This is my Song on BBC1. I suspect I’m the only person who watches documentaries in real time rather than on iPlayer. I’m an old-fashioned gal. I love a late night date with my TV and it was Valentine’s Day, after all….
Inevitably I’ve had It Must Be Love in my head but also Siffre’s Watch Me. As the week has progressed I’ve found Watch Me on perpetual shuffle in my head with Hull’s Winter Song and Who Knows Where the Time Goes by Fairport Convention. These beautifully-crafted, timeless songs are morphing into one epic song for me as I go about my daily business.
Three peerless songs released within four years of each other, from 1968 to 1972. Great songwriters, singers, musicians and their songs never die. The magic and mystery stays with us. We are sustained by the words and music. Nothing more, nothing less.
