Talk:Life in a Northern Town

Nick Drake's guitar
According to songfacts.com, Nick Drake's guitar from the Bryter Lyter album is the same guitar played in this song. Seems like an interesting fact to add to the article, but I can't figure out how wikipedia footnotes anymore. Can someone add this? http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=6790

Nick Drake??
Where is the reference to Nick Drake in the lyrics of "Life in a Northern Town"?? His name isn't mentioned anywhere in the song, nor is there any reference to anything that is connected with him! Google the lyrics and see for yourself. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.225.149.5 (talk) 12:22, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

There are no references to Nick Drake at all in the song, it is merely dedicated to his memory. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=6790

Patrickblue (talk) 08:04, 15 June 2017 (UTC)

Life in a midlands town
I don't mean to nitpick but if Tamworth in arden is south of Birmingham then its in the midlands, isn't it? --KaptKos 12:50, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

This article is twaddle, and I'm sure the writer knows it!! Tanworth in Arden is absolutely not a "Northern Town", it's a Staffordshire village. And there is no point even commenting on the attempt to draw a connection between Nick Drake and Frank Sinatra!!! 68.219.175.179 20:06, 30 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Please note that Tanworth-in-Arden and Tamworth (not-in-Arden) are different places. Tamworth is not south of Birmingham, and Tanworth is not in Staffordshire. Credulity (talk) 19:54, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

The last verse is a reference to the early 6o's film Billy Liar starring Tom Courtenay and Julie Christie, which features a second to last scene centered on the hero of the story, Billy a compulsive liar and dreamer. In the scene he deserts the girl of his dreams on the railway platform and chooses to live in his fantasies in the Northern Town.She stays on the train and they pass a bittersweet moment as they realize he will stay trapped in his provincial life. 'Though he never would have waved goodbye you could see it written in his eyes as the train pulled out of sight' Watch the film and see what you think? If enough of you agree stick it in. It is a better fit than the Sinatra reference. Colin Lucre

John F. Kennedy
If this was about an English town, why would the death of an American president matter?

Because the singer is setting the scene for the song, staging it in the early 1960s. JFK's assassination had global signifigance, if you weren't already aware....


 * Well, the verse is something like He said in winter 1963/It felt like the world would freeze/With John F. Kennedy/And the Beatles. JFK was assassinated that Novemeber, and three months later the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964.  Prior to that they were virtually unknown in the US, though they had a large following in the UK. So "he" is referring to events that took place in the United States in late 1963/early 1964.  Moreover, I always got the impression that "he" was reminiscing, the song is NOT set in the 1960s.  The narrator is telling us about a man in the town (HE sat on the stoney ground...and everyone else came down to listen).  This man was telling the people about the past.  You need to listen more closely, it becomes evident that even though the band was British, this song is set in an American town.

Er, no, you need to. They are an English band from a Northern town (Salford, I think), singing about what they know. Check out the video on YouTube. Plus, is "northern town" an expression you ever hear used in America - it specifically is used in England, to identify towns that had high levels of manufacturing in the 19th century and are now facing high unemployment. Which is what the song is about....
 * Alright, but it's not set in the 1960s.

They're neither from from Salford, nor from any other "Northern Town", in fact all 3 of them are from London! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.225.149.5 (talk) 12:26, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

'in winter 1963/It felt like the world would freeze' refers to it famously having been an extra cold winter that year in Britain - 62/63 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_1962%E2%80%931963_in_the_United_Kingdom
 * It's somebody (who may be an imaged version of Nick Drake) telling people about '63 or maybe commenting later that year around November about the previous Winter

The song's narrator is telling us a third hand idealised remembrance of when they were younger and things seemed better, and how this person seemed wonderful & things started turning bad when they left. 109.224.137.121 (talk) 06:26, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Since he's mentioning John F. Kennedy and the Beatles, it's not the winter of 62/63, but quite clearly 63/64. I think this song is meant to take place at the time it was recorded in a fictional American town. 98.221.141.21 (talk) 19:03, 23 February 2016 (UTC)

It's most definitely about life in an English northern town. The whole thing is about English childhood, Salvation Army bands and lemonade. It's not referencing JFK's assassination, it doesn't mention that, it's referencing his presidency, which was seen as a major event, certainly in the UK, and the Beatles who were a UK phenomenon at that time. As has been said, it's the winter of 62-63 that is being talked about, when it indeed felt like the world would freeze. Just because the Beatles hadn't made it in the US at that point, and JFK wasn't assassinated until November 63 is no reason to move it forward a year, and place it in the US. And it certainly wasn't an imagined version of Nick Drake telling the story, he was from an privileged upper middle class background in a southern Midlands village in Warwickshire, and wouldn't have known a Northern town if it hit him over the head.

Patrickblue (talk) 09:10, 15 June 2017 (UTC)

Author of this song
According to the sidebar, this song was written by David Gilmour and Nick Laird-Clowes. The body of the article says that Gilbert Gabriel co-wrote the song. Also, in the main article for the Dream Academy, it says that Gilmour only wrote one song for The Dream Academy "Twelve Eight Angel" — Preceding unsigned comment added by Weatheredwatcher (talk • contribs) 04:03, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:300life7.jpg
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BetacommandBot (talk) 03:59, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Dario G's cover of the song
The article goes on extensively about how the song was covered by Sugarland, being in the opening paragraph and having it's own separate section, yet nowhere in the article does it discuss Dario G's 1997 hit. Which may have been a greater hit than Sugarland. I was wondering if somebody could rectify this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pavelow235 (talk • contribs) 04:22, 25 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Dario G's song "Sunchyme" samples the song but it isn't a cover. Dawnseeker2000   04:28, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

King of the Hill
This song was featured in the trampoline scene of the King of the Hill episode "Wings of the Dope" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.15.104.68 (talk) 06:07, 28 November 2012 (UTC)

Ray Cooper on percussion?
Surely the bigest contribution to 'Life in a Northern Town' was Ray Cooper's amazing percussion work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Cooper

I remember seeing him on the video of the song.

Brian — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.111.166.77 (talk) 12:52, 16 November 2013 (UTC)

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Oboe
According to one of the two linked sources, Kate St. John also plays oboe on the song, and it gets mentioned later on. Any reason why the instrument is NOT in the line-up listing? Jules TH 16 (talk) 11:23, 6 January 2024 (UTC)

New article on the song
There's a new Guardian article about the song, including more details about Paul Simon's involvement, Nick Drake's guitar, and whether the song is "about" Drake (it's not):

‘I wrote it in a bedsit on Nick Drake’s guitar’: how Dream Academy made Life in a Northern Town | Culture | The Guardian

82.28.106.252 (talk) 13:47, 8 April 2024 (UTC)

About shipyards closing, not Nick Drake
Retracting comment after noticing one line in the article covers it.