Armstrong studied musical composition, violin and piano at the Royal Academ… Read Full Bio ↴Armstrong studied musical composition, violin and piano at the Royal Academy of Music where he was awarded the Charles Lucas prize and the Harvey Lohr scholarship for composition. He was also awarded the FTCL Fellowship in composition, and won the GLAA Young Jazz Musician of the Year in 1982. Upon graduation he became resident student composer for the London Contemporary Dance School. Upon completing his studies, Armstrong served as Music and Dance specialist at the Strathclyde Regional Council in 1984.

During the 1980s, Armstrong's composition work included commissions from the Arts Council for various classical ensembles in Scotland, and he also served as resident composer at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow. During this time he also received a Composer's Award to study electronic music, and maintained a parallel career in the Scottish Pop music scene, as a member of bands Hipsway, Texas and The Big Dish.

In 1990, his music theatre group Performance performed at the Glasgow Mayfest, and he composed a number of works for film, television, and stage productions by the Traverse Theatre, the BBC, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, among others. By the late 1990s he had gained critical acclaim for his work on the Baz Luhrman films Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge! (which won him a Golden Globe for Best Original Score in 2001). He has also done orchestrations with artists such as Massive Attack, Madonna, U2, Suede, Pet Shop Boys and The Future Sound of London. During this time he also released his first album of his own orchestral work, The Space Between Us, in 1998.

During the early 2000s Armstrong continued to produce film and orchestral work, including commissions for the Barbican Centre and the Scottish Ensemble. His most recent film scores are for the Academy Award winning Taylor Hackford film, Ray for which Armstrong won a Grammy Award, and Oliver Stone's 2006 film World Trade Center.

Recently Craig has teamed up with Scott Fraser for his latest electronic project, Winona. The project sees them dust off their eye-watering collection of vintage synthesizers and set about making widescreen, minor-key masterpieces to make Winona's debut album 'Rosebud' a down-key classic.

Sea Song
Craig Armstrong Lyrics

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The time has come
For me to leave this place
The light, the sound of the cars
Have made me broken

If you could change your mind...
If you could change your mind...
Going back to the sea

Your skin and the sky light
Are fading to the distance
The soul of the light I must have
Echoes through the building

If you would call my name...
If you would call my name...
Going back to the sea

If you would change your mind

If you would change your mind
I'm going back to the sea

Overall Meaning

In Craig Armstrong's song "Sea Song", the singer is expressing their desire to leave their current place for the sea, where they can find solace and be free from the noise and chaos of the city. The singer is broken by the sound of cars and the harsh light of the city, and wants to find peace in nature. The repetition of the lines "If you could change your mind" and "Going back to the sea" emphasize the singer's longing to escape.

Sea SongCraig Armstrong Lyrics

Sea Song
Craig Armstrong Lyrics