Life in a Northern Town
Encyclopedia
"Life in a Northern Town" is a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

 song by The Dream Academy
The Dream Academy
The Dream Academy was a folk rock band from England, comprising singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes; multi-instrumentalist Kate St John; plus keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. They are most noted for their hit single, "Life in a Northern Town".-History:Laird-Clowes and Gabriel met each other in the late...

, an English dream pop
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...

 group. The song is the first single from their 1985 self-titled debut, The Dream Academy
The Dream Academy (album)
The Dream Academy is The Dream Academy's eponymous debut album, released in 1985. It was mainly produced by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Nick Laird-Clowes. The most notable track from the album is "Life in a Northern Town", which was written as a tribute to Nick Drake...

. 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
Little Big Town
Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group. Founded in 1998, the group has comprised the same four members since its inception: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet. The quartet's musical style relies heavily on four-part vocal harmonies, with all...

 and Jake Owen
Jake Owen
Joshua Ryan "Jake" Owen is an American country music artist. Signed to RCA Records Nashville in 2005, he released his debut album Startin' with Me that year. The album produced three singles, all of which reached Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart: "Yee Haw", "Startin' with Me", and...

, was a Top 40 country hit in 2008. The song was also re-sampled by Dario G
Dario G
Dario G is the name of a dance music trio from Crewe, Cheshire, England. Despite popular belief the group are not named after the manager of Crewe Alexandra, Dario Gradi but changed their name from Dario to Dario G after being threatened with legal action from an artist of the same name...

 in 1997 with the song "Sunchyme
Sunchyme
Sunchyme is a song by Dario G. It samples the track Life In A Northern Town by The Dream Academy.The track was released in 1997 and reached the number one or number two position in many European music charts...

".

Original version

The Dream Academy released the original version in 1985 as the first single from their self-titled
The Dream Academy (album)
The Dream Academy is The Dream Academy's eponymous debut album, released in 1985. It was mainly produced by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Nick Laird-Clowes. The most notable track from the album is "Life in a Northern Town", which was written as a tribute to Nick Drake...

 album. It was a Top Ten pop hit for them, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

.

There were two different versions of the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

. The first one was made in 1984 and was filmed in Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...

 in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....

, England. It was directed by Tim Pope
Tim Pope
Timothy Michael Pope is a film director most famous for his music videos, having directed feature films, and for a brief pop career.-Early life and career:...

. The second version was filmed in 1985 and was directed by Leslie Libman
Leslie Libman
Leslie Libman is an American television director. She also directed commercials and music videos.-Television work:Since 1995 she works primarily as a TV director on a number of television series, most notably directing multiple episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, The 4400 and NCIS. Other...

 and Larry Williams. It was filmed in and around Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

 with some scenes filmed in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and in the USA. The video featured footage from one of their first TV appearances, on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 music show The Tube
The Tube (TV series)
The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...

.

Content

The lyrics are references to English singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...

, who suffered from depression and insomnia throughout his life and often reflected those topics in his lyrics. Gilbert Gabriel
Gilbert Gabriel
Gilbert Alexander Gabriel is an African-English multi-instrumental musician and lyricist. He was a member of the English folk rock trio, The Dream Academy, which had three albums and a worldwide hit in 1985, called "Life in a Northern Town", which he helped co-write.He has also recorded a solo...

, 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
Dartington College of Arts
Dartington College of Arts was a specialist arts institution near Totnes, Devon, South West England, it specialized in post-dramatic theatre, music, choreography, Performance Writing and visual performance, focusing on a performative and multi-disciplinary approach to the arts. In addition to this,...

. 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. 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. The song, which took a year to record, also includes elements of classical music, an "african-esque" chant, and hints of psychedelia
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...

.

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
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 duo Sugarland, along with Little Big Town
Little Big Town
Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group. Founded in 1998, the group has comprised the same four members since its inception: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet. The quartet's musical style relies heavily on four-part vocal harmonies, with all...

 and Jake Owen
Jake Owen
Joshua Ryan "Jake" Owen is an American country music artist. Signed to RCA Records Nashville in 2005, he released his debut album Startin' with Me that year. The album produced three singles, all of which reached Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart: "Yee Haw", "Startin' with Me", and...

, on the Sugarland Change for Change Tour. A live performance from 2007 was made into a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 by Becky Fluke for the network Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...

. Although not officially released as a single, this rendition received airplay on country radio, debuting at #57 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

 chart dated for April 5, 2008 and reaching a peak of #28. It also peaked at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 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
Love on the Inside
Love on the Inside is the third album by the American country music duo Sugarland, released in 2008 on Mercury Nashville Records. It was first released on July 22, 2008 as a Deluxe Fan Edition, including five bonus tracks, with the regular edition following one week later...

and on Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

' late 2008 re-release of Little Big Town's 2007 album A Place to Land
A Place to Land (Little Big Town album)
A Place to Land is the third studio album by American country music group Little Big Town. Released in 2007 as their second album on the independent Equity Music Group label, it features the single "I'm with the Band", which peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in late...

. In addition, it was nominated for Vocal Event of the Year at the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...

 awards, Best Country Collaboration with Vocals at the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...

, and Vocal Event of the Year at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...

awards.

Chart positions

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

External links

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