The band expressed Denny's vision of the potential of folk rock to express complex meaning and deep personal emotion, using traditional ballad forms, but with the power of a rock band. Their self-titled first album (Fotheringay) was also only one of two albums, as they broke up a year later, in January 1971, while working on their second (recently released). The cause appears to have been personal difficulties, made worse by lack of success and thus income! Oddly for such talented musicians the band were widely reported to have been poor in live performance, which may well have also contributed to their short life as a band. Tracks later surfaced on her three-disc compilation.
The rhythm section was formed by Gerry Conway and Pat Donaldson, lauded by Denny as the best in the business. In the absence of Richard Thompson, who was prepared to tour with her, and act as session musician but wanted to follow his own career, lead guitar was taken by Jerry Donahue, whose transatlantic country roots and softer personality brought a different, less edgy feel to the music. However he was a skilled technician, with great feel, as he showed on their album, and later Fairport Convention records. The group was completed by rhythm guitarist and second lead vocalist Australian Trevor Lucas, whom Denny was to marry, and who also later accompanied her back into Fairport.
Fotheringay contains a majority of tracks by Sandy Denny, with one each by Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot and Trevor Lucas, as well as the atmospheric trad arr. Fotheringay, The Banks of the Nile.
In 2007 the BBC announced that Donahue would be attempting to complete the abandoned project (which he accomplished using previously unheard takes from the original archived tapes). Permission had finally been granted and the work was completed by summer of the following year. The resulting album, titled Fotheringay 2, was released by Fledg'ling Records on 29 September 2008.
Too Much Of Nothing
Fotheringay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can make a man fell ill at ease
One man's temper might start to rise
And another man's might freeze
And there's a day of long confession
We cannot mock the soul
But when there's too much of nothing
No one has control. Say hello to Valerie
Send them all my salary
On the waters of oblivion.
Well, too much of nothing
Can make a man abuse his king
Well, he can walk down streets and boast like most
But it don't mean a thing
It's all been done before
It's all been written in the book
But when there's too much of nothing
Nobody should look. Say hello to Valerie
Say hello to Marian
Send them all my salary
On the waters of oblivion.
Well, too much of nothing
Can make a man abuse his king
Well, he can walk down streets and boast like most
But it don't mean a thing
It's all been done before
It's all been written in the book
But when there's too much of nothing
Nobody should look. Well, too much of nothing
Can turn a man into a liar
It can cause some man to sleep on nails
And another one to eat fire
Well, everybody's doin' somethin'I saw it in a dream
But when there's too much of nothing
It just makes a fellow mean. Say hello to Valerie
Say hello to Marian
Send them all my salary
On the waters of oblivion.
Well, too much of nothing
Can make a man abuse his king
Well, he can walk down streets and boast like most
But it don't mean a thing
It's all been done before
It's all been written in the book
But when there's too much of nothing
Nobody should look.
In Fotheringay's song "Too Much of Nothing," the repeated phrase "too much of nothing" refers to the idea that excess can lead to negative consequences. The first verse mentions that too much of nothing can make a person feel ill at ease, with one person's temper rising and another's freezing. This suggests that when there is too much of a void, it can have unpredictable and chaotic effects on people. The second verse speaks of how too much of nothing can make a man abuse his king, boasting in the streets without any real meaning behind it. The line "It's all been done before, it's all been written in the book" suggests that there is nothing new or innovative being done, just meaningless repetition.
The final verse speaks about the extreme effects of too much of nothing, with one man sleeping on nails and another eating fire. The line "But when there's too much of nothing, it just makes a fellow mean" shows how this concept can turn people into worse versions of themselves. The chorus, asking the listener to say hello to Valerie and Marian and send them all the singer's salary on the waters of oblivion, is somewhat enigmatic and leaves room for interpretation, but reflects a sense of detachment or detachment from reality that might come with too much of nothing.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, too much of nothing
An excessive amount of nothingness
Can make a man fell ill at ease
Causes discomfort and agitation
One man's temper might start to rise
Can trigger anger in some individuals
And another man's might freeze
May lead to emotional detachment in others
And there's a day of long confession
A day of revealing one's deepest secrets
We cannot mock the soul
The soul is beyond ridicule
But when there's too much of nothing
When emptiness dominates
No one has control.
No one can dictate the situation
Say hello to Valerie
Greetings to a person named Valerie
Say hello to Marian
Greetings to a person named Marian
Send them all my salary
Giving away one's money
On the waters of oblivion.
On a path of forgetfulness
Can make a man abuse his king
Causes disrespect towards authority figures
Well, he can walk down streets and boast like most
Pretending to be something one's not
But it don't mean a thing
It has no real value
It's all been done before
It's already been experienced by others
Nobody should look.
No one should pay attention
Can turn a man into a liar
Leads to falsehoods and deceitfulness
It can cause some man to sleep on nails
Creates physical pain in some individuals
And another one to eat fire
Can lead to self-destructive behavior in others
Well, everybody's doin' somethin'
Everyone is doing something
I saw it in a dream
A dream or an imagination
But when there's too much of nothing
When emptiness dominates
It just makes a fellow mean.
It causes unpleasant behavior in people
Writer(s): Bob Dylan Copyright: Dwarf Music
Contributed by Eli Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
gdub999tube
Altogether one of the finest performances ever of an incredible song - and love to see Sandy D seeming to have a good time.
xįrx
The rest of this 1970 Beat Club concert has been removed from YouTube! Including the best version of John the Gun I've ever heard. Most upset 😥
Alan Begg
We saw Fairport Convention a couple of weeks ago, and there he was, Gerry was behind the kit, 52 years later. Respect.
xįrx
The rest of this 1970 Beat Club concert has been removed from YouTube! Including the best version of John the Gun I've ever heard. Most upset 😥
Elana Beth Fariss
Thank you so much for uploading this masterpiece. I loved hearing them laugh at the end!🥰 I wish I could find the rest of this concert, rip Sandy Denny.
Peter Robin
It melts my heart to see Sandy looking so happy and having a broad smile on her face x. There seemed to be a chemistry between Sandy and the bass player Pat Donaldson, Its just a pity she didn't find happiness with him, as it was clear Trevor wasn't the right one for her.
shankly01
Saw them at the Stadium, Liverpool in September, 1970, along with Free, Mott the Hoople and a band called Bronco. It was the day after Jimi Hendrix died and the concert was dedicated to him. A great night of music.
Duncan Harris
Bronco: Jess Roden's band.
mistery-ed
I hope there's more film of this band with Sandy Denny being the lead vocalist.
xįrx
@Cap683 The rest of this 1970 Beat Club concert has been removed from YouTube! Including the best version of John the Gun I've ever heard. Most upset 😥