Although he recorded only three albums, critics and fellow musicians hold his work in very high esteem. Drake failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime and had a strong aversion to performing. Since his death, however, Drake's music has gained a significant cult following.
Drake's father worked as an engineer. Although he was born in Rangoon, Burma, Nick's family moved back to England soon afterward, and Drake was brought up in Tanworth-in-Arden, a small village in the English county of Warwickshire. He went to public school at Marlborough College, where he learned to play the clarinet and piano. As a young adult, Drake enrolled in Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, to study English. His older sister, Gabrielle Drake, is an actress.
Drake was a fan of British and the emerging American folk music scene, including artists Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs. While a university student, Drake began performing in local clubs and coffee houses. He was discovered by Ashley Hutchings, the bass player of the folk rock group Fairport Convention. Hutchings introduced Drake to the other members of Fairport Convention, folk singer John Martyn and producer Joe Boyd.
He delayed attendance to spend six months at the University of Aix-Marseille, France, beginning in February 1967. While in Aix, he began to practice guitar in earnest and to earn money would often busk with friends in the town centre. Drake began to smoke cannabis, and that spring he traveled with friends to Morocco, because, according to traveling companion Richard Charkin, "that was where you got the best pot". Drake's associates convinced Island Records to sign the young singer-songwriter to a three-album contract. Drake began recording his debut album Five Leaves Left later in 1968, with Boyd assuming the role of producer. The sessions took place in Sound Techniques studio, London, with Drake skipping lectures to travel by train to the capital. At the age of twenty, he released his first album Five Leaves Left (1969), which featured a chamber music quartet on several songs and had a light, breezy sound. Drake's second album Bryter Layter (1970) introduced a more upbeat, jazzier sound, with keyboards, horns and several brass instruments. Both albums were produced by Boyd and featured several members of Fairport Convention.
Many accounts of Drake focus on his mythology, but a large part of his enduring popularity is due to his meticulous songwriting, prosody, odd guitar tunings and lyricism.
Drake was pathologically shy and resented touring. The few concerts he did play were usually in support of other British folk acts of the time, such as Fairport Convention or John Martyn and were often brief and awkward. Partially because of this, his work received little attention and sold poorly. Whilst in the recording studio, he was so shy that he'd always play into the wall so as to avoid people's gazes.
Severely depressed and doubting his abilities as a musician, Drake recorded his final album Pink Moon (1972) in two two-hour sessions, both starting at midnight. The songs of Pink Moon were short (the album consists of eleven of them and lasts only 28 minutes) and emotionally bleak. Drake recorded them unaccompanied, in the presence of only a sound engineer (a piano was later overdubbed on the title track). Naked and sincere, it is widely thought to be his best work.
At this point, he considered other careers including the army and computer programming, but more suitably as a songwriter for other artists. However, none of Drake's plans materialized. In the next few months, Drake grew severely depressed and maintained relationships only with close friends such as John Martyn, who wrote the title song of his 1973 album Solid Air for and about Drake and with Sophia Ryde. He was hospitalized several times and lived with Hardy for a few months. Friends from that time have described how much his appearance changed: his nails grown, his hair and frame gaunt and thin.
In 1974, Drake felt well enough to write and record a few new songs. However, on November 25, he died of an overdose of antidepressants. The coroner concluded that the cause of Drake's death was suicide, although this was disputed by friends and relatives. Antidepressants of that time were quite lethal if ingested in any higher dosage than the one prescribed. His mother recounts that he must have had difficulty sleeping and had got up in the night to have a bowl of cornflakes. It's unclear whether he took more pills to help him sleep or to take his own life.
His simple gravestone in the Tanworth churchyard bears the line "And now we rise/And we are everywhere", taken from From the Morning - the last song on the last album Nick lived to complete.
Posthumous popularity
Since Drake’s death, his music has grown steadily in popularity. Several modern musicians, such as Lucinda Williams, Badly Drawn Boy, Matthew Good, Sebadoh's Lou Barlow, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, Blur’s Graham Coxon, and Belle and Sebastian, consider Drake an important influence. In early 1999, BBC2 aired a 40-minute Nick Drake documentary, "A Stranger Among Us — In Search of Nick Drake", as part of its Picture This strand. The following year saw the release of a documentary by Dutch director Jeroen Berkvens, titled A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake and featuring interviews with Joe Boyd, Gabrielle Drake, audio engineer John Wood, and arranger Robert Kirby. Brad Pitt is a fan of Drake and, in 2004, he narrated a BBC radio documentary about the singer.
Island has responded to Drake’s popularity with several new releases including Time of No Reply (1986), an album of unreleased material including four new songs recorded in 1974, Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake (1994), a "best of" album, remastered HDCD releases of his three studio albums in 2000, and Made to Love Magic (2004), featuring one new track and some newly recorded orchestration for a previously released track. A replacement for Way to Blue called A Treasury was also released in 2004 on Hybrid-SACD.
In 2000, Volkswagen licensed the track Pink Moon, the title track from Nick's third release, for a particularly serene car commercial in the US. The advertisement caused a significant bounce in Drake’s popularity, bolstered by uses of Drake's music on a number of film soundtracks, including 1998's Hideous Kinky and Practical Magic (featuring "Road" from Pink Moon and "Black Eyed Dog" from Time of No Reply, respectively). In 2001, two Bryter Layter tracks appeared in mainstream films: "Northern Sky" in Serendipity, and "Fly" in The Royal Tenenbaums. In the same year, "Cello Song" from Five Leaves Left was featured in Me Without You. In 2004, "One of These Things First" appeared in Garden State and "Northern Sky" was featured again, this time in Fever Pitch.
Drake's "River Man" has become quite popular among Jazz musicians. A piano improvisation based on the melody was released by Brad Mehldau on the album "Progression: Art Of The Trio, Volume 5", and a Jazz vocal version by Claire Martin appears on the album Take My Heart.
Drake's posthumous popularity has made many fans consider the lyrics to "Fruit Tree" a song from Five Leaves Left prophetic: “Fame is but a fruit tree / So very unsound. / It can never flourish / Till its stock is in the ground. / So men of fame / Can never find a way / Till time has flown / Far from their dying day.” In 2004 two of his singles reached low positions in the UK charts - "Magic" and "River Man".
Most recently, Nick Drake has emerged as a key influence in the resurgence of 1960's and 1970's folk traditions, apparent in the works of artists including Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, and Six Organs of Admittance.
In 2005, performer Beck updated his website during Christmas time with covers of three songs from Pink Moon: "Pink Moon", "Which Will" and "Parasite."
Family Tree, the next Bryter Music/Island record was released in July 2007.
18 Saturday Sun
Nick Drake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a sky so clear and blue
Saturday sun came without warning
So no-one knew what to do
Saturday sun brought people and faces
That didn't seem much in their day
But when I remembered those people and places
They were really too good in their way
In their way
Saturday sun won't come and see me today
Think about stories with reason and rhyme
Circling through your brain
And think about people in their season and time
Returning again and again
And again
And again
but Saturday sun has turned to Sunday's rain
The song "Saturday Sun" by Nick Drake is a musical masterpiece that explores the theme of passing time, nostalgia, and the fleeting nature of life's experiences. In the opening lines of the song, Drake paints a vivid picture of a clear and blue sky, as if to signify a promising and hopeful future. However, the arrival of the Saturday sun catches people by surprise, which suggests that unexpected events can derail even the most carefully laid plans. The song's protagonist recalls people and experiences from the past with fondness, recognizing their value as important parts of his journey. But the final refrain of "Saturday sun won't come to see me today" emphasizes the transience of everything - the good moments, the people we meet, and even the weather.
Throughout the song, Drake uses an intricate interplay of metaphors to convey his message. The use of the sun as a metaphor for hope, new beginnings, and direction is an excellent example. However, the sun is also like time, ever-changing and uncontrollable. The structure of the song underscores the idea of passing time, with the repetition of phrases like "in their way" and "returning again and again." The lyrics suggest that people may change, but their impression on us remains forever. The final lines, "Saturday sun has turned to Sunday's rain," show the futility of trying to hold onto a moment as time passes.
Line by Line Meaning
Saturday sun came early one morning
A bright day suddenly emerged on a weekend morning, indicating the arrival of the weekend.
In a sky so clear and blue
The sky was crystal-clear and blue, representing the calmness and tranquility of the day.
Saturday sun came without warning
The bright day came suddenly without any prior indication, implying that life is also unpredictable and happens so fast.
So no-one knew what to do
As the day was sudden, people were bewildered and perplexed about how to proceed further.
Saturday sun brought people and faces
That day brought forth various individuals and their diverse expressions, which could have seemed insignificant in their daily lives.
That didn't seem much in their day
Those same people and faces that one might neglect or overlook on a daily basis seemed to carry a different weight on this particular day.
But when I remembered those people and places
The singer reminisces about those unforgettable people and locations that appeared on that day, reflecting the significance of exceptional moments in one's life.
They were really too good in their way
Those people and locations were incredible in their unique way, and it was a unique experience to encounter them.
In their way
Emphasizing the diversity of each individual's way of life.
In their way
Again emphasizing the diversity of each individual's way of life.
Saturday sun won't come and see me today
However, the bright day that brought cherished memories will not return today, probably hinting at the swift passing of time and the transience of events.
Think about stories with reason and rhyme
The artist urges us to think deeply about the stories that we hear or see and observe the reasons and patterns behind them.
Circling through your brain
The stories might leave a profound impact on us that will go around in the brain like a memory.
And think about people in their season and time
Contemplating the people that surround us and their specific period in life, which may or may not coincide with our own stage of life.
Returning again and again
The same individuals, as well as memories, tend to repeat themselves since the emergence of the sun on a Saturday can indicate the beginning of a new cycle or comfort.
And again
Emphasising the previous statement.
And again
Again emphasising the recurrence of patterns.
but Saturday sun has turned to Sunday's rain
However, the vibrant day has come to an end and changed into a rainy Sunday, representing how the highs and lows of life constantly move from peaks to valleys.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
nickweems24
Elton's amount of output never seizes to surprise me.Beautiful piano work.
YPU Browne Zemi
I’d like to hear him sing this song today as a much older and wiser man. To me he missed all the emotion and meaning of this melancholy song.
OH_I _Will
Never happen….EJ refused to be apart of Nick’s Docu and even to be in Drake’s tribute gig
pacerdanny
Man, his voice was high then!
mangiapetardo mangioskij
The song is great, Elton John a great singer and musician. The version is good. But all the shades of the Nick Cave's version are gone.
Lot of respect for EJ, but original version is far far better.
Duncan Harris
You mean Drake!
Paul Arrogant
Sounds like a commercial version. Not being a hater but it just sounds so radio ready compared to nicks unique voice and style.
Paul Arrogant
@Ronnie Friend yeah I like Elton John, my parents love him so grew up hearing him. Him and that songwriter were lucky to find each other because a lot of their songs are really good.
Ronnie Friend
It just occurred to me that I have an old album that has a cover of "Sweet Honesty" that surely came about because of these Elton John promotional covers. She also included 2 early Elton John songs, before he was well known. Kate Taylor's "Sister Kate" album 1971. She is James Taylor's sister. I have the album on vinyl, purely because it has Elton John covers on it! But here's somebody's YouTube upload.....
https://youtu.be/v7nBEcDTpPo
Ronnie Friend
Good question. I don't know any more of the story, however. I just know that these were unreleased demos that somehow surfaced from the studios into the hands of collectors. I agree with you about Nick Drake, by the way. Very powerful, sensitive, deep recordings that he did - a shame he didn't do more. His own versions outshine young Elton's by far. But at the same time, as a obsessive collector and fan of Elton's music, I was incredibly delighted to hear these Nick Drake songs done in the style of Elton's "Tumbleweed Connection."