Grace Darling (song)
Encyclopedia
"Grace Darling" is a song by English
band Strawbs, featured on their album Ghosts
(recorded 1974, released 1975). The track was recorded at in the chapel of the Charterhouse School
, Godalming
, Surrey
, which the members of the band Genesis
had attended in the 1960s, and which Strawbs' producer at the time, Tom Allom
, had also attended. According to Dave Cousins
, the chapel's pipe organ was used, played by the school organist, Alistair Ross; the band's keyboardist, John Hawken
, did not play on the recording, as he was not used to the very noticeable delay that falls between the pressing of a key on a pipe organ and the sounding of the corresponding note. Choral accompaniment was provided by the school choir.
heroine Grace Darling
. The lyrics contain references to storms, lifeboats and other nautical-related items. The song compares the singer's paramour to the famous lighthouse keeper's daughter, expressing gratitude that she is steadfast and has helped him through dark times with her constant love.
The song has a three-verse structure with a middle section between verses two and three. An instrumental section is heard at the beginning and end and also preceding the middle section. The predominant instruments are the pipe organ
and the choir, giving the song a classical or hymnal feel.The pipe organ was played by Alastair Ross, choirmaster at High Wycombe Parish Church, with the choir from same, including Matthew Billsborough who went on to become Choirboy of the Year.
The song was re-recorded in 1975 with a set of French lyrics and entitled "Cherie, Je T'Aime" for release in Canada
, to appeal to Strawbs' French Canadian
audience.
track "Changes Arrange Us" is a Rod Coombes
composition, which didn't feature on the album. The record label shows the title incorrectly as "Changes Arranges"
The B-side of the 1975 French Canadian release is "Heroine's Theme", the first part of the song "Autumn" from the album Hero and Heroine
. It was composed by keyboard player John Hawken
.
. Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby
also recorded it for their album Old School Songs
.
with
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
band Strawbs, featured on their album Ghosts
Ghosts (Strawbs album)
Ghosts is a studio album by English band Strawbs.-Side one:#"Ghosts" – 8:31#:"Sweet Dreams"#:"Night Light"#:"Guardian Angel"#:"Night Light"#"Lemon Pie" – 4:03#"Starshine/Angel Wine" – 5:15...
(recorded 1974, released 1975). The track was recorded at in the chapel of the Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
, Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, which the members of the band Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
had attended in the 1960s, and which Strawbs' producer at the time, Tom Allom
Tom Allom
Tom Allom is an English sound engineer and record producer, mainly active in the 1970s and 1980s. Allom is known for his work on seminal albums by Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, KIX, and Rough Cutt...
, had also attended. According to Dave Cousins
Dave Cousins
Dave Cousins has been the leader, singer and most active songwriter of Strawbs since 1967.-Career:...
, the chapel's pipe organ was used, played by the school organist, Alistair Ross; the band's keyboardist, John Hawken
John Hawken
John Hawken John Hawken John Hawken (born John Christopher Hawken, 9 May 1940, at Christchurch General Hospital, Bournemouth, Hampshire (now Dorset) is a British keyboard player. He studied classical piano between the ages of four and eighteen at which point he succumbed to the lure of rock and roll...
, did not play on the recording, as he was not used to the very noticeable delay that falls between the pressing of a key on a pipe organ and the sounding of the corresponding note. Choral accompaniment was provided by the school choir.
Lyrical and musical content
The title derives from the refrain "You are my saving grace/Darling, I love you," which references the VictorianVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
heroine Grace Darling
Grace Darling
Grace Horsley Darling was an English Victorian heroine who in 1838, along with her father, saved 13 people from the wreck of the SS Forfarshire.-Biography:...
. The lyrics contain references to storms, lifeboats and other nautical-related items. The song compares the singer's paramour to the famous lighthouse keeper's daughter, expressing gratitude that she is steadfast and has helped him through dark times with her constant love.
The song has a three-verse structure with a middle section between verses two and three. An instrumental section is heard at the beginning and end and also preceding the middle section. The predominant instruments are the pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
and the choir, giving the song a classical or hymnal feel.The pipe organ was played by Alastair Ross, choirmaster at High Wycombe Parish Church, with the choir from same, including Matthew Billsborough who went on to become Choirboy of the Year.
The song was re-recorded in 1975 with a set of French lyrics and entitled "Cherie, Je T'Aime" for release in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, to appeal to Strawbs' French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
audience.
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
A&M Records A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:... |
7" single Gramophone record A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... |
AMS7139 | |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
A&M Records | 7" single | AM 390-S |
B-Side of the Single
The B-sideA-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
track "Changes Arrange Us" is a Rod Coombes
Rod Coombes
Rod Coombes is an English singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:He has played professionally since he was 17, when he joined singer Lulu's backing band The Luvvers. He played with the Jeff Beck Group at the time of the release of the single "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and then joined soul band Trifle,...
composition, which didn't feature on the album. The record label shows the title incorrectly as "Changes Arranges"
The B-side of the 1975 French Canadian release is "Heroine's Theme", the first part of the song "Autumn" from the album Hero and Heroine
Hero and Heroine
Hero and Heroine is a studio album by English band Strawbs. After the tour supporting the previous album, Bursting at the Seams, there was an acrimonious split leaving only Dave Cousins and Dave Lambert to rebuild the band. The new line-up gelled very quickly and studio sessions were very productive...
. It was composed by keyboard player John Hawken
John Hawken
John Hawken John Hawken John Hawken (born John Christopher Hawken, 9 May 1940, at Christchurch General Hospital, Bournemouth, Hampshire (now Dorset) is a British keyboard player. He studied classical piano between the ages of four and eighteen at which point he succumbed to the lure of rock and roll...
.
Other recordings
The track was rearranged and recorded by a different line-up of the band for the album Ringing Down the YearsRinging Down the Years
Ringing Down the Years is a studio album by English band Strawbs. The album was only released initially in Canada. Because of the requirement to have a Canadian song on the album, the track "Might as Well Be on Mars" by the Pukka Orchestra was included...
. Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby
Brian Willoughby
Brian Willoughby is a British guitarist. He has worked with many musicians , as well as releasing solo work.-With other artists:...
also recorded it for their album Old School Songs
Old School Songs
Old School Songs is a studio album by singer-songwriter Dave Cousins of the band Strawbs and guitarist Brian Willoughby.-Track listing:All tracks written by Dave Cousins.#"Grace Darling"#"I've Been My Own Worst Friend"#"Ways and Means"...
.
Personnel
- Dave CousinsDave CousinsDave Cousins has been the leader, singer and most active songwriter of Strawbs since 1967.-Career:...
– lead vocals, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound... - Dave LambertDave Lambert (British musician)Dave Lambert is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who was a member of The Strawbs in the 1970s.-Career:...
– electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Chas CronkChas Cronk-Strawbs:*Hero and Heroine *Ghosts *Nomadness *Deep Cuts *Burning for You *Deadlines *Heartbreak Hill *Blue Angel *Déjà Fou *Strawbs Live at Nearfest 2004...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Rod CoombesRod CoombesRod Coombes is an English singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:He has played professionally since he was 17, when he joined singer Lulu's backing band The Luvvers. He played with the Jeff Beck Group at the time of the release of the single "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and then joined soul band Trifle,...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
with
- Alistair Ross – pipe organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
- Charterhouse SchoolCharterhouse SchoolCharterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
choir