The Incredible String Band was formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK by folk musicians Robin Williamson, Mike Heron, and Clive Palmer (1943 - 2014). They recorded their eponymous debut album in 1966, a lighthearted affair which revealed only the merest hint of the psychedelic adventures to come. After that, the band broke up. Palmer decamped for the Trail to Afghanistan and Williamson visited Morocco from where he returned laden with exotic instruments like the famous gimbri, which was, much later, eaten by rats. In 1967 Heron and Williamson recorded 'The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion', an audaciously eclectic mix of bookish folk music, hippy love songs and Eastern modalities. They soon became the-name-to-drop-in-interviews for luminaries such as Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan, and in their annum mirabilis of 1968 they practically defined the hippy counterculture in the extraordinary albums 'The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter' and 'Wee Tam and the Big Huge'. By then the group consisted of Williamson, Heron, Rose Simpson and Licorice McKechnie - the same line up played at Woodstock in 1969 at the wrong time, having refused to play in the pouring rain the previous day (seen by manager Joe Boyd as a great missed opportunity).
In 1970 Robin Williamson attempted to fuse the music with his theatrical fantasies in a quixotic multi-media spectacular at London's Roundhouse called 'U'. It was "a surreal parable in dance and song" and highlighted the fact that they were never destined to make much money out of things. After that they lasted another four years. By 1974 tension between Williamson and Heron, who was pushing the band into prog-rock territory, had become unbearable and they split up.
Williamson soon formed "Robin Williamson and His Merry Band" which toured and released three albums of eclectic music with a Celtic emphasis. Within a few years, he went on to a solo career, moving increasingly into traditional Celtic styles. He also produced several recordings of humorous stories. Heron formed the rock group "Heron" and later released occasional solo albums. Responding to a comment by Joe Boyd in 1997 that they hadn't spoken since the breakup in 1974, the pair got back together for two concerts. This was followed by a full reunion of the original three members plus Williamson's wife Bina and Lawson Dando in 1999. By 2001 both Robin and Bina Williamson had left. Heron, Palmer and Lawson, and new member Fluff toured regularly around the United Kingdom and internationally until an end to the tour was announced in 2006.
The music of the ISB ranges from quite conventional folk songs to innovative “art song” and hybrid forms that were a precursor to World Music. In 1967-8 they were sometimes described as part of pop music's "avant-garde", which had emerged in the wake of the more adventurous work of The Beatles, with whom they were often compared. Although they lacked the Beatles' broad pop appeal, the ISB showed a similar interest in extending the boundaries of their music. Both Mike Heron and Robin Williamson would break apart a traditional song structure, inserting seemingly unrelated sections in a way that has been described as "always surprising, laughably inventive, lyrically prodigious". While at times this resulted in a lack of conventional unity, it also opened up the song musically and thematically to allow greater depth and exploration. This aspect of their music, combined with Williamson’s soaring melismatic vocal ornamentation (perhaps influenced by Islamic chanters heard during his visit to Morocco, as well as by the Scots-Irish traditional singing with which he had grown up) made for music that still sounds fresh forty years later.
Red Hair
The Incredible String Band Lyrics
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her red hair falling like the sky
love held them there in that moment with the whole world passing by
he could look through all of his books
and not find a line that would do
to tell of changes he could feel her make in him
just by being there
so good just to walk in the light
may the moon shine down on love every night
sometimes it seems the only things real
are what we are and what we feel
The Incredible String Band's song "Red Hair" describes the beauty of a woman with red hair who enters a seemingly ordinary day and brightens it up. In the first line, the song narrator describes her stepping out of the grey day, which may symbolize how the woman's mere presence brings color and liveliness into the dark, monotonous day. The metaphorical language in the second line paints a vivid image of how the woman's red hair cascading down her back is as striking as the sky.
The song then talks about how love makes them feel as if time has stopped, and the world is passing by without them noticing. The third line symbolizes how amidst all the noise and chaos in the world, love can make one feel truly present and alive in the moment. The following verse speaks of how the man cannot find adequate words in books to articulate how this woman has transformed him just by being with him. The lyrics suggest that this woman might have sparked something within him, which he couldn't quite comprehend but feels all the same.
Overall, "Red Hair" is a romantic ode to a woman's beauty and the transformative power of love. It captures the essence of how someone's presence can make life worth living, and how love can make even the most mundane moments feel magical.
Line by Line Meaning
stepping out of the grey day she came
She arrived, and it was as if a cloud had lifted with her presence
her red hair falling like the sky
The striking beauty of her red hair was awe-inspiring, just like the sky
love held them there in that moment with the whole world passing by
Their love was so strong that everything around them faded away, leaving only them in that moment
he could look through all of his books
He searched through all his knowledge and experiences
and not find a line that would do
But there was no simple explanation or quote that captured what he was feeling
to tell of changes he could feel her make in him
He wanted to convey that she was changing him in ways he couldn't put into words
just by being there
Simply by being in his life, she had a profound impact on him
so good just to walk in the light
It felt refreshing to be surrounded by positivity and happiness
may the moon shine down on love every night
May love be a constant positive force in their lives, just like the moon
sometimes it seems the only things real
Occasionally it feels like the only things that matter are the intangible, like emotions
are what we are and what we feel
What defines us are our true selves and the emotions we experience
Contributed by Jayce W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Breno de Camargo
Stepping out of the gray day she came
Her red hair falling like the sky
Love held them there in that moment
With the whole world passing by
He could look through all of his books
And not find a line that would do
To tell of changes she had made in him
Just by being there, oh
So good just to walk in the light
And may the moon shine down on love at every night
And sometimes it seems the only things real
Are what we are and what we feel
Songwriters
Read more: Incredible String Band - Red Hair Lyrics | MetroLyrics
john clewes
All those years ago, and still a masterpiece unheard by so many. Poor them.!!!!
Stäni Steinbock
Poor? Well, didn't they get to tour at least the Western world and make a nober of wonderful records and didn't they have many many fans who'll never forget them? Did they ever have to go to a day job?
john clewes
LMFAO, obviously, by ' poor them ' I meant those not aquainted with this superb song, NOT the bloody band !!!
Miyuki Shijisha
One of their most beautiful songs.
Bonnie Speeg
Gorgeous voices and people. thank you ISB. Long live your sounds. Listened since 1968. I have red hair and that kind of sustained me while the ISB became what/who they are/were/shall be.
Robert O Reilly
RED HAIR .......one of the lost gems of all time. What a classic !!
Eleanor Alice
How wonderful to see them all again- so lovely, so young, hopeful, full of joy- with this beautiful song and the lovely photos. Thank you so very much-
Magne Hilllestad
I wish I could see the world as beautiful as this
Stäni Steinbock
Can't stop loving this song and this album. So happy to have the vinyl version in my shelf about a meter from my back, and the music within reach of my minimac!
GMB MNO
Just beautiful. Fantatstic band, so much love :)