- River Man
Infobox Single
Name = River Man
Artist =Nick Drake
from Album = "Five Leaves Left "
Released =September 13 2004
Format =CD single ,7" single
Recorded = 1969
Genre = Folk
Length = 4:21
Label =Island Records (UK), Elektra (US)
Writer =Nick Drake
Producer =Robert Kirby andJoe Boyd
Chart position =
Last single = "Magic" (2004)
This single = 'River Man' (2004)
Next single ="River Man" (audio| River man Nick Drake 28 sec.ogg|sample) is the second listed song from
Nick Drake 's 1969 album "Five Leaves Left ", remastered and released as a single in 2004.Musical structure and lyrics
The song features a 5/4 timing, and is one of the few songs he wrote to be played in
standard tuning . The string arrangement was composed by Harry Robinson andRobert Kirby . Though Drake never revealed the identity of the 'Betty' character in the lyrics,Trevor Dann speculated that she may have been drawn fromBetty Foy , a character inWordsworth 's "The Idiot Boy ", a poem Drake had studied while attending Cambridge.Dann, Trevor. "Darker than the Deepest Sea: The Search for Nick Drake " (2006), (Hardback) Portrait. ISBN 0-7499-5095-1"]American
jazz pianistBrad Mehldau has been known to be a great admirer of Drake's music, and has recorded River Man on numerous albums, such asLive in Tokyo , usually remaining very faithful to the dark, autumnal sound that defines Drake's recording.ingle recording details
The single was backed by versions of "River Man" and "Day Is Done" (also from "
Five Leaves Left ", performed byNorah Jones .References
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