The most beautiful song ever recorded?
Song to Elizabeth Fraser
This week I was reminded of a song that I had long forgotten. The song was one of my favourites at the end of the 1980s and on playing it again after many years of not hearing it, it still sounded like one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. The song was ‘Song to the Siren’ by This Mortal Coil, but they were essentially The Cocteau Twins under another name. What makes the song so special is an amazing vocal performance by Cocteau Twins lead singer, Elizabeth Fraser.
Elisabeth Fraser was once described as having “the voice of God”. While the description might be excessive, listening to ‘Song to the Siren’, you can understand where the person who wrote it was coming from. Fraser’s voice is truly unique and other-worldly, yet connects with your soul in a way few other voices can. I first heard ‘Song to the Siren’ in the late 1980s a few years after its first release in 1983. The song had an immediate impact when I heard the song for the first time. I still remember the details about the room I was in, and who I was with. Hearing it again more than a quarter of a century later, it had not lost any of that initial impact.
This story could stop here: coming across an old track that meant a lot to you when you were younger and being pleased to discover that the track has held up well over time. It’s a story that happens now and again. And now with ease of access to all music, through Spotify and music streaming; it’s probably happening more often. However, there is a back-story to this song which is quite interesting.
As well as rediscovering an old much loved song, I also learnt that the track is actually a cover. The original ‘Song to the Siren’ was written by Tim Buckley in 1960s, and his first public performance of the song was on ‘The Monkees’ TV series in 1968. Tim Buckley’s version of ‘Song to the Siren’ is very good but quite different to the avant-garde and timeless version by This Mortal Coil. It sounds like it could be his take on a traditional folk standard.
Tim Buckley died in 1975 at the age of twenty-eight. His son Jeff Buckley also became a singer songwriter and had success in the 1990s. His highly acclaimed album ‘Grace’ contains a cover of the Leonard Cohen song ‘Hallelujah’, which is possibly Jeff Buckley’s finest song. Buckley’s vocal performance on the track is stunning and the song has become a classic.
Tragically, like his father, Jeff Buckley also suffered an untimely death in 1997 aged 31. Before he died, he became close friends with Elizabeth Fraser, apparently attracted to one another due to their vocal talents. When I read that two of the finest vocalists of their generation had been friends, I thought it was a great shame that they hadn’t managed to record together. Then I discovered that they had recorded a demo of a song called ‘All flowers in time bend towards the sun’ which has never been released but a copy is on the internet. It is a rough copy without high quality production etc., but it does show the potential that these two talents would have had working together, if it had not been for Jeff Buckley’s early death.
Elizabeth Fraser learnt the news of Jeff Buckley’s death while she was working with Massive Attack on their Mezzanine album. The stand out track from the album is ‘Teardrop’ with Fraser on vocals. It has been a favourite song of mine since its release. It’s the heartbeat-like percussion and ethereal vocals that resonates with me. Fraser has said of ‘Teardrop’, “that song’s kind of about him [Jeff Buckley].”
It’s certainly an emotional performance to match her earlier performance on ‘Song to the Siren’; and as such, it is a worthy memorial to another great vocalist.
Spotify links to tracks mentioned
Song to the Siren - This Mortal Coil
Song to the Siren (accoustic version) - Tim Buckley
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
Teardrop - Massive Attack
‘All flowers in time bend towards the sun’ by Jeff Buckley and Elizabeth Fraser is not available on Spotify.
Reference
“Elizabeth Fraser: the Cocteau Twins and me” Dave Simpson The Guardian, 26 November 2009.