Like their peers The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Jefferson Airplane they were blessed with several considerable individual talents and produced music that -at least initially- was eclectic, as well as exploratory. This side of the band may best be heard on Heyday, a collection of tracks broadcast by the BBC. The move to a more British form of folk rock came primarily as a result of the enthusiasm of bassist Ashley Hutchings and producer Joe Boyd. Original singer Judy Dyble was replaced on their second LP What We Did On Our Holidays by Sandy Denny, an experienced folk singer and excellent composer in her own right. Fiddle virtuoso Dave Swarbrick joined, initially as sessioneer, on their third, Unhalfbricking. That LP has arguably their first two bona fide masterpieces. One is their version of the Sandy Denny song, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, popularized by Judy Collins, but characterised on their version by a perfect balance between Denny's vocals and the exquisite support of the group as a whole, and lead guitarist Richard Thompson in particular. The other is A Sailor's Life, the first to demonstrate the potential power of folk rock, the song exploding in an improvised and sophisticated instrumental coda that reaches beyond the words through the impassioned interplay of the whole band, led by the virtuosity of Thompson and Swarbrick in particular. Thompson also soon showed that he could create his own distinctive songs, notably the anthemic Meet on the Ledge, on Holidays.
The following LP Liege and Lief is perhaps Fairport's finest hour. Liege and Lief is generally remembered for its virtuoso versions of traditional folk songs but it also contains beautiful originals by Thompson and Denny. However the next, Full House -deliberately rockier in tone- has its particular gems, most notably Sloth, for its extended guitar/ fiddle duel and Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman, a perfect expression of Thompson's mordant humour; along with the sleeve notes, surely amongst the strangest and funniest ever.
The band continued with a series of personnel changes and albums, all with at least some high points, until it was temporarily disbanded in 1979, but played annual reunion concerts until it reformed in 1985. Since then, it has enjoyed stability and continues to tour and record regularly.
In part, the continuing success of Fairport Convention is due to the annual music festival it organizes. Cropredy Festival has been held every year since 1974 near Cropredy, a village five miles north of Banbury, Oxfordshire and can attract upwards of 20,000 fans.
In 2002 the band was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In 2006 Radio 2 listeners voted their 1969 album Liege & Lief as the Most Influential Folk Album of All Time. A mass reunion of living Fairport members performed at the ceremony.
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Fairport Convention Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Bout your plans to make me blue
With some other guy you knew before
Between the two of us guys
You know I loved you more
It took me by surprise I must say
When I found out yesterday
Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah.
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine baby
I know a man ain't supposed to cry
But these tears I can't hold inside
Losin' you would end my life you see
'Cause you mean that much to me
You could have told me yourself
That you loved some one else
Instead I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine
And I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine, baby
People say believe half of what you see
Son and none of what you hear
But I can't help but be confused
If it's true please tell me dear
Do you plan to let me go
For the other guy you loved before?
Don't you know I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
I heard it through the grapevine
I'm just about to love my mind
Honey, honey, yeah
I heard it through the grapevine,
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
The song "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye was covered by Fairport Convention in 1970 with lead vocals by Sandy Denny. The song is about a man who finds out through the rumor mill that his lover has been seeing someone else behind his back. The opening lines suggest that he had some sort of psychic ability, but it soon becomes clear that he simply heard the news through gossip. The lyrics are an expression of his anger and despair at being betrayed and his desperate attempts to hold onto his relationship.
The song is a classic example of a Motown hit that has transcended its era to become a timeless classic. The lyrics are simple but effective, conveying the emotional turmoil of the singer. The use of the metaphor of the "grapevine" is a clever way of symbolizing the way that information can spread through a community. The use of the repeated phrase "not much longer would you be mine" drives home the sense of loss and betrayal that the singer is feeling.
Overall, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" is a powerful and emotive song that speaks to anyone who has been through a painful breakup or betrayal. The way that the lyrics are set against a funky and upbeat backing track only serves to enhance the power of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I bet you're wonderin' how I knew
You're probably wondering how I found out
'Bout your plans to make me blue
About your intentions to make me sad
With some other guy you knew before
You're seeing someone you knew before
Between the two of us guys
Both of us men involved in this situation
You know I loved you more
I loved you more than the other guy
It took me by surprise I must say
I was very surprised when I found out
When I found out yesterday
I heard the news yesterday
Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine
I heard the news from someone else
Not much longer would you be mine
Our relationship is ending soon
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
I heard the news from someone else
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
I'm extremely upset about the news
Honey, honey yeah.
Endearing term for the person addressed
I know a man ain't supposed to cry
Men aren't expected to cry
But these tears I can't hold inside
But I can't help but cry
Losin' you would end my life you see
Losing you would devastate me
'Cause you mean that much to me
Because you're very important to me
You could have told me yourself
You could have told me about the other guy directly
That you loved some one else
That you're in love with someone else
Instead I heard it through the grapevine
I heard the news from someone else
People say believe half of what you see
People advise to be skeptical of what you see
Son and none of what you hear
And to not believe what you hear
But I can't help but be confused
But I'm still confused
If it's true please tell me dear
If the news is true, please tell me
Do you plan to let me go
Are you planning to end our relationship?
For the other guy you loved before?
For the other guy you were in love with before?
Not much longer would you be mine, baby
Our relationship is ending soon, baby
I'm just about to love my mind
I'm very upset about the news
Honey, honey, yeah
Endearing term for the person addressed
I heard it through the grapevine
I heard the news from someone else
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore
Written by: Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alan Abbey
Terrific vocals by Richard Thompson