I just can't believe what I'm looking at and listening to. I thought Sandy Denny was the first and last great female folk singer, but now I know there are other wonderful people still out there in this world and these times.
In this era she produced a song called En Gallop - it begins : This place is damp and ghostly I am already gone And the halls were lined with the disembodied And the dustly wings, which fell from flesh Gasplessly and ends : Never get so attached to a poem You forget truth that lacks lyricism Never draw so close to the heat That you forget that you must eat, oh Been a fan ever since.
What is striking is the variation in her vocals from soft to loud, high to low, and sharp to flat all with an effortless flow and pitch perfect. Beyond belief for someone her age...
I often feel like I'm missing out on a lot of nuance in her lyrics, since english isn't my native language and her turns of phrase are so unique but full of references. I read this song is about a rejection she experienced, and that there are several mentions of a conflict between agency and desire. This somewhat seems to open up the image of the 'machines [that] are dropped from great heights, lovingly' for me, in contrast with the previous line about the dragons. Still. I so often wish I would understand her more intuitively. I love her music so much.
I remember watching this on TV then watching again about a million times here on You Tube and then forgot about until it suddenly popped into my head. Instantly brought back memories.