2003 Eddi Reader
| the song | |
|---|---|
| title : | Song better known as Ae fond kiss |
| written by : | Robert Burns |
| arranged by : | Eddi Reader, Ian Carr, Phil Cunningham, Boo Hewerdine, John McCusker and Ewen Vernal |
| song copyright : | none |
| the performance | |
|---|---|
| musicians | |
| Eddi Reader | vocal |
| with : | |
| Ian Carr | acoustic guitar |
| Phil Cunningham | accordion |
| Boo Hewerdine | acoustic guitar |
| John McCusker | cittern?, whistle |
| Ewen Vernal | double bass |
|
Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Kevin McCrae : |
strings, arranged by Kevin McCrae |
| 1st violins: Edwin Paling, William Chandler, Tamas Fejes, Andrew Martin, Robert Yeomans, Barbara Paterson, Jane Reid, Gail Digney; 2nd violins: Rosalin Lazaroff, Jacqueline Speirs, Marion Wilson, Wanda Wojtasinska, Elizabeth Lloyd, Paul Medd; violas: John Harrington, Ian Budd, David Amon, Claire Dunn; ’cellos: Pauline Dowse, Jeremy Fletcher, Betsy Taylor, William Paterson; double basses: David Inglis, Robert Mitchell | |
| music | |
|---|---|
| key : | A major |
| time-signature : | 3/4 |
| tempo : | MM 92 |
| form : | v V V V v V V V P |
| lyrics |
|---|
|
Ae fond kiss
ae fond kiss and then we sever
who shall say that fortune grieves him
I’ll ne’er blame my partial fancy – whistle and accordion
had we never loved sae kindly
fare thee weel, my first and fairest
mmm, ae fond kiss, and then we sever
I’ll wage thee |
| glossary | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| explanations | ||
|---|---|---|
|
This song was one of two written for Clarinda, Agnes Craig M‘Lehose,
when she was about to sail for Jamaica to rejoin her husband. Burns sent
it and Gloomy December to her in Dumfries on
Song—
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
Who shall say that Fortune grieves him,
I’ll ne’er blame my partial fancy
Had we never lov’d sae kindly,
Fare-thee-weel, thou first and fairest!
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever! source : No. 337 in Poems and songs of Robert Burns / edited by James Kinsley. – Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1968 The lyric was printed in the The Scots musical museum of 1792 under the title Rory Dall’s port, which is the name of the ‘other’ tune to which it can be sung, completely different to the one used by Eddi. However, Eddi’s tune seems to be “the one I know”, so if you have any details of the discrepancy, please pass them on to me, thanks.
|
| the recording | |
|---|---|
| personnel | |
| produced by : | Boo Hewerdine |
| recorded by : |
Robert Rankin at CaVa Studios, Glasgow – |
| mixed by : | Jon Kelly |
| mastered by : | Tim Young at Metropolis Studios, London |
| technical | |
|---|---|
| signal path : | DDD |
| song timing : | 6:33 |
| recording copyright |
|---|
|
2003 Eddi Reader
|
| released on | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| album : | Eddi Reader sings the songs of Robert Burns | track 4 | timing : | 6:36 |
| album : | The songs of Robert Burns (deluxe edition) | track 4 | timing : | 6:36 |
| commentary |
|---|
| Eddi said |
| “I have been singing this for a while and did a version of it on an old Fairground Attraction album... It came out on BMG records without my involvement and they spelt the bloody words wrong... So here I am with my beautiful mates reclaiming it. God bless Sylvander and Clarinda (check out the Burns and Nancy McLehose love affair) for throwing their hearts at one another and for leaving Robert so bereft he wrote this.” |
| booklet note in her Burns albums (both original and deluxe editions) |
| additional note |
| for details of Eddi’s earlier recording of this song, see the version released by Fairground Attraction. |
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