ROSALIE CUNNINGHAM: 'Strawberry Fields Forever' 

Performed & produced by Rosalie Cunningham.
Drums & percussion by Mark Cunningham.
Engineered by Rosalie Cunningham & Grant Matthews.
Recorded at Mushy Room Studios & (drums only) Shack Studio.
Video directed & produced by Mark Cunningham.
Filmed exclusively in Southend-on-Sea.
Written & composed by Lennon-McCartney (p) 1967 Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
THE BACK STORY:
Coinciding precisely 50 years to the day of the song’s original UK release, ROSALIE CUNNINGHAM issues her own inspired version of The Beatles’ ‘STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER’ on Friday 17th February 2017, exclusively through the medium of video.
Taking a break from writing her first material since the recent break-up of her former band, Purson, the 26 year old singer and multi-instrumentalist recorded her tribute to the psychedelic classic at her Mushy Room Studio in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK.
“’Strawberry Fields’ remains one of The Beatles’ and Sir George Martin’s most outstanding production achievements, and my idea at first was to attempt to recreate the sounds and other-worldly textures that made the original so spellbinding,” says Rosalie. “But it became obvious that to remain true to their creative spirit, I had to remould it my own way, without taking too much away from that pioneering arrangement.”
Recorded over the last month, the new version saw Rosalie perform all of the instrumental parts with the exception of drums and percussion, which were played by her father, Mark Cunningham. “My dad and I are both obsessive, lifelong Beatles fans,” she says. “In terms of my own musical career, they have been my biggest influence. It’s interesting that in 1987, my dad also recorded the song as an add-on to a 20th anniversary re-creation of the Sgt. Pepper album, so there’s been a ‘full circle’ element to this project.”
Taking another leaf out of the Fab Four’s book, the video that accompanies the new track mixes childhood nostalgia with psychedelia, and was filmed entirely in Rosalie’s Southend hometown by her father. “We spent some time in the playground and café in Southchurch Park, shot some scenes outside my old family home and messed around on the seafront by the Kursaal,” explains Rosalie.
“The video also uses some clips that my dad filmed back in the ‘90s when I was growing up and they brought back some wonderful memories.”
The musician adds: “This is by no means a regular release for me. It was fun to work on a little project with my dad and I’m simply putting it out there as a freebie to mark the 50th anniversary of a work of art that continues to inspire creativity.”
‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ by Rosalie Cunningham goes live on RU-vid in parallel with its inclusion as part of a special edition of the U.S. podcast show, ‘Something About The Beatles’, in which the original track and its double A single partner 'Penny Lane' are discussed in detail.
This video is a Machine Elf presentation in association with Liveculture © 2017 all rights reserved.