Life in a Northern Town

"Life in a Northern Town"
Single by The Dream Academy
from the album The Dream Academy
Released	1985
Format	Vinyl record (7" and 12"), cassette tape and CD
Recorded	1984
Genre	Dream pop
Length	4:19
Label	Warner Bros. / Blanco Y Negro
Writer(s)	Gilbert Gabriel Nick Laird-Clowes
Producer	David Gilmour, Nick Laird-Clowes, Alan Tarney
The Dream Academy singles chronology
"Life in a Northern Town" (1985) "The Edge Of Forever" (1985)
Music sample "Life in a Northern Town"

"Life in a Northern Town" is a pop song by The Dream Academy, an English dream pop group. The song is the first single from their 1985 self-titled debut, The Dream Academy. Reaching #7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1986, it is also their highest-peaking chart single in the US. A cover version, recorded by the country music duo Sugarland with guest vocals from Little Big Town and Jake Owen, was a Top 40 country hit in 2008. The song was also re-sampled by Dario G in 1997 with the song "Sunchyme".

Original version

The Dream Academy released the original version in 1985 as the first single from their self-titled album. It was a Top Ten pop hit for them, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

There were two different versions of the music video. The first one was made in 1984 and was filmed in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, England. It was directed by Tim Pope.^[1] The second version was filmed in 1985 and was directed by Leslie Libman and Larry Williams.^[2] It was filmed in and around Newcastle upon Tyne with some scenes filmed in Manchester in the UK and in the USA. The video featured footage from one of their first TV appearances, on the British music show The Tube.

Content

The lyrics are references to English singer-songwriter Nick Drake,^[3] who suffered from depression and insomnia throughout his life and often reflected those topics in his lyrics. Gilbert Gabriel, a member of The Dream Academy and co-writer of the song, has also said that the inspiration for the tune came from his experience at Dartington College of Arts.^[4] Nick Drake died of an antidepressant overdose in 1974 at the age of twenty six, but his music has influenced songwriters and guitarists well after his death.^[5] He was best known for sombre pieces composed on his favorite instrument, the guitar, and The Dream Academy intended the song as a tribute to Drake.^[3] The song, which took a year to record, also includes elements of classical music, an "african-esque" chant, and hints of psychedelia.^[4]

Track listing

7" Single

1. Life in a Northern Town - 4:17
2. Test Tape No. 3 - 5:01

12" Single

1. Life in a Northern Town (Extended) - 5:19
2. Test Tape No. 3 - 5:03
3. Life in a Northern Town (7" mix) - 4:14
4. Poised on the Edge of Forever - 3:32

Chart positions

Chart (1985–1986)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	7
U.K. Singles Chart	15

Sugarland/Little Big Town/Jake Owen cover version

The song was covered in 2007 by the country music duo Sugarland, along with Little Big Town and Jake Owen, on the Sugarland Change for Change Tour. A live performance from 2007 was made into a music video by Becky Fluke for the network Country Music Television.^[6] Although not officially released as a single, this rendition received airplay on country radio, debuting at #57 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated for April 5, 2008 and reaching a peak of #28. It also peaked at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 based on downloads, giving Little Big Town their highest entry on that chart.

This performance was included on the Deluxe Fan Edition of Sugarland's 2008 album Love on the Inside^[6] and on Capitol Records' late 2008 re-release of Little Big Town's 2007 album A Place to Land. In addition, it was nominated for Vocal Event of the Year at the Country Music Association awards,^[7] Best Country Collaboration with Vocals at the 51st Grammy Awards,^[8] and Vocal Event of the Year at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music awards.^[9]

Chart positions

Chart (2008)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs	28
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	43
Canadian Billboard Hot 100	53

References

1. ^ http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=9075
2. ^ http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=9076
3. ^ ^{a b} James McNair (1999-03-26). "Apprentice to the stars". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/pop-apprentice-to-the-stars-1083050.html. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Randolph Michaels (2005). Flashbacks to Happiness: Eighties Music Revisited. iUniverse, Inc.. pp. 56. ISBN 978-0595370078. 
5. ^ MacDonald, Ian. "Exiled from Heaven". Mojo Magazine, January 2000.
6. ^ ^{a b} "Sugarland Adds "Life in a Northern Town" to New CD". CMT. 2008-06-04. http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1588671/sugarland-adds-life-in-a-northern-town-to-new-cd.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-11-25. 
7. ^ "Stars Shining Over CMAs". Great American Country. 2008-09-11. http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlines/article/0,,GAC_26063_5937590_,00.html. Retrieved 2008-11-25. 
8. ^ "Alison Krauss, Robert Plant Score at Grammys". Great American Country. 2008-12-04. http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlines/article/0,3034,GAC_26063_5939527_,00.html. Retrieved 2008-12-14. 
9. ^ "Academy of Country Music nominees". Academy of Country Music. 2009-02-11. http://www.acmcountry.com/awards/nominees.php. Retrieved 2009-03-09. 

External links

• Video of Sugarland version at CMT