The Effects of Great Songs – A Thank You to The Proclaimers

As someone who has been steeped in music since early childhood, I could not possibly choose one lyric for this prompt. How do you choose between so many songs, thousands upon thousands over the years, and end up with one? The answer to this was actually right in front of me on Sunday night in Canterbury.

The Proclaimers have been a fixture of my musical landscape for the whole of my time with Janet. On our first weekend away I bought a copy of the 12″ single of Make My Heart Fly, a very minor hit that followed their massive debut single Letter from America. It starts with a plea that seemed perfect to my 22 year old self,

Please don't go rushing by. Stay and make my heart fly.

Nearly 40 years later, as I listened to them singing those words in their concert performance the fact that Janet is still there making my heart fly made me quite emotional. Mind you, by then my feelings had been brought to the surface more than once. It started with the marvellous Let’s Get Married, which we did nearly 36 years ago. Some of the lyrics which were nice enough 30 years ago hit home really hard at that concert. For example,

I love you and I want to stay with ya,have kids grow old and grey with ya,hold hands and walk in the park, Let's get married 

The fact that all those things have happened, although luckily I’m not quite grey yet (!) brought tears to my eyes as it reminded me of how lucky I have been.

The other song to pick out from the evening is one of their signature tunes, Sunshine on Leith, one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, lyrically and musically. The tune is sublime from first note to last and the lyrics are breathtaking.

My heart was broken, my heart was broken
Sorrow, sorrow, sorrow, sorrow
My heart was broken, my heart was broken
You saw it, you claimed it
You touched it, you saved it
My tears are drying, my tears are drying
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you
My tears are drying, my tears are drying
Your beauty and kindness
Made tears clear my blindness

While I'm worth my room on this earth
I will be with you
While the Chief puts sunshine on Leith
I'll thank Him for His work
And your birth and my birth

My heart was broken, my heart was broken
Sorrow, sorrow, sorrow, sorrow
My heart was broken, my heart was broken
You saw it, you claimed it
You touched it, you saved it

While I'm worth my room on this earth
I will be with you
While the Chief puts sunshine on Leith
I'll thank Him for His work
And your birth and my birth

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...

It’s incredible especially when being sung by everyone in the concert, but what I realised is that those lyrics seem more perfect for our relationship now than when I first heard them in 1988. Thank you to Craig and Charlie Reid for the gift of their music over the past 40 years as they have found the correct words for my relationship with Janet, blending the universal with the deeply personal.