Wishbone Ash can trace its origins back to Torquay, Devon, England, a seaside resort in the southwest of the country. It was there that Martin Turner and Steve Upton first performed together; Turner on bass, Upton on drums, before moving to London in 1969 to seek fame and fortune. In the capital the decision was made to place an advertisement for a keyboard player and a lead guitarist. The resulting audition threw up two guitar leads, but nobody could decide who to choose and the trademark twin-lead sound of Wishbone Ash was born.
Ted (David) Turner and Andy Powell soon went through the poverty and growing pains of a new band, but were fortunate that Miles Copeland was championing their cause and a fairly rapid progression was achieved. The first Album, Wishbone Ash, was released in December 1970 and their second, Pilgrimage, surfaced just six months later to reach #6 in the NME charts. Great things were just 11 months away with the release of Argus (1972) -- possibly the band's best album; certainly their most commercially successful -- which reached #2 in the UK charts and went gold. Argus is considered to be one of the great rock classics of all time. The next album, Wishbone Four, only 12 months later, went silver.
After these early highs, Ted Turner decided that he had had enough, and left the band to be replaced by Laurie Wisefield. Although Laurie’s style was not to everyone’s taste, he was generally well liked by the fans and brought a slightly harder edge to the folk-tinged progressive rock that was the Wishbone Ash formula. Wisefield was a dynamic player and became an excellent partner to Andy -- they were to play together for a very successful 11 years and the MKII version of the band is very well thought of for most of its output. About this time the band became more influenced by America and would eventually move there.
The next album, There's The Rub (1974), was recorded in Florida and produced by Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk. Once again it was to do well, achieving silver disc status. There's the Rub included the instrumental piece F.U.B.B. Steve Upton was arrested in New Zealand for announcing at a concert it's full title. In New Zealand, swearing in public is a criminal offense, and when Upton announced the title at an outdoor concert, a woman sunbathing in her garden nearby complained to the mayor. Upton spent the night in jail, and the album reached #3 in New Zealand due to the publicity.
It was inevitable that a turkey was due and to fans Locked In (1976) fit this bill. This record was not released -- it escaped! Fortunately things were much better with the quality of the following albums and although the high chart positions were gone, the fans were enjoying some competent, well-crafted output.
After 11 years in the band, Martin Turner decided to leave. This move began a period of frequent changes of bass player with the likes of John Wetton and Trevor Bolder being two of the better known; however, Wishbone Ash always has attracted musicians of the highest order. A much more controversial move was the introduction of Clair Hamill to fill in some of the vocal talent Martin had taken away with him. Clair was not popular with the fans which was perhaps a little unfair. She had contributed backing vocals on Just Testing (Turner's last album (1980), which he had also produced) and had co-written the excellent Living Proof, which is still a crowd favourite today. Her stay was short-lived with Andy Powell taking on more vocal duties. Wisefield left in late 1985 and the band continued to tour with various replacements, but were very much in limbo until 1987 when a miracle occurred. Miles Copland persuaded the original lineup to reform for a project for a music charity that he was helping, and a Hammersmith Odeon concert which the BBC recorded resulted. The project produced an instrumental album Nouveau Calls (1987), which was very well received. Even better received was the fact that three years of the original lineup were to follow.
Just when things were going so well, Steve Upton decided to quit the business entirely in 1990, to be replaced by Ray Weston. Martin Turner carried on for another year before leaving to pursue a solo career, and Ted left two years later. The next five years saw lots of personnel changes, but eventually resulted in a good period of stability with Ray Weston returning and Bob Skeet joining on bass in 1998.
The new millennium has also seen stability in respect of Andy's guitar partner, with the last 6 years being filled by Ben Granfelt and subsequently Muddy Manninen, both of whom come from Finland. 2005 saw Wishbone Ash celebrate their 35th year. 2006 heralded the new album Clan Destiny (the first featuring Muddy as guitarist). 2007 saw the exit of long-term drummer Ray Weston, due to the increasingly hectic pace of band life. Joe Crabtree (formerly of The David Cross band) stepped up to fill his place. With regard to new releases, 2007 saw First Light, which features original recordings of the songs featured on their debut album, as well as some outtakes. Also released that year was the new album The Power of Eternity (partly featuring Joe Crabtree on drums), which coincided with the Autumn tour.
Wishbone Ash are still performing 150 gigs a year in the U.S. and Europe. They get very supportive crowds with good numbers turning out all over Europe -- the U.S. tends to attract smaller audiences, but very committed fans. If you want to hear classic Wishbone Ash, get ahold of Argus. Visit their web site www.wishboneash.com, where tour dates and albums, etc. can be obtained.
Persephone
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Always a fire in her eyes,
And the last time that I went to her
I could tell things weren't right.
I just don't care to see your years go wasting,
There's no longer magic in your eyes.
But your off-stage ways might be a bore -
You take a bow, you take a fall.
I came to be here in the footlights,
To live with you through every song,
And your face displays a peaceful field.
I can't believe the curtain has to fall.
Now I know your years were never wasted,
Tonight I saw the magic in your eyes.
The song "Persephone" by Wishbone Ash is a tribute to a fading starlet. The lyrics describe the singer's encounter with Persephone, whose light continues to shine, and yet he observes that the magic in her eyes has faded over time. The song explores themes of age and decay and how even the brightest stars must come to terms with the fact that their time in the limelight may be limited.
The lyrics suggest that the singer cares for Persephone and wants to see her succeed, but he realizes that her off-stage persona may not be as exciting as her on-stage performance. He acknowledges that while she may have outshone everybody in her prime, she may now struggle to compete with the younger generation. The song concludes with the singer reflecting on the beauty he once saw in Persephone's eyes, even though the curtain has now fallen, and he knows that her years were not wasted.
In summary, "Persephone" is a poignant commentary on the fleeting nature of stardom, the inevitability of aging, and the struggle for artists to stay relevant.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a light that shines on Persephone,
Persephone is an important and captivating presence.
Always a fire in her eyes,
Persephone is passionate and full of energy.
And the last time that I went to her
I could tell things weren't right.
The singer noticed that Persephone seemed different, unhappy or troubled during their last interaction.
I just don't care to see your years go wasting,
The artist is concerned with Persephone's wellbeing and doesn't want to see her waste away her life.
There's no longer magic in your eyes.
Persephone no longer seems as bright and lively as before.
In your time, you could outshine everybody else around,
Persephone used to be a star, outshining everyone else in her prime.
But your off-stage ways might be a bore -
However, her behavior away from the spotlight might not be as interesting or exciting.
You take a bow, you take a fall.
Persephone has experienced both success and failure.
I came to be here in the footlights,
To live with you through every song,
The artist is devoted to being on stage with Persephone and supporting her throughout her performances.
And your face displays a peaceful field.
Persephone's face is serene and calm, hinting at a sense of resignation.
I can't believe the curtain has to fall.
The singer is saddened that Persephone's career and life are coming to an end.
Now I know your years were never wasted,
The artist has come to believe that Persephone's life had meaning and purpose.
Tonight I saw the magic in your eyes.
The singer has witnessed Persephone's talent and energy once again, realizing that she still has the ability to shine.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRENDAN PERRY, LISA GERRARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hasan Bouzo
lyrics
There's a light that shines on Persephone,
Always a fire in her eyes,
And the last time that I went to her
I could tell things weren't right.
I just don't care to see your years go wasting,
There's no longer magic in your eyes.
In your time, you could outshine everybody else around,
But your off-stage ways might be a bore -
You take a bow, you take a fall.
I just don't care to see your years go wasting,
There's no longer magic in your eyes.
I came to be here in the footlights,
To live with you through every song,
And your face displays a peaceful field.
I can't believe the curtain has to fall.
Now I know your years were never wasted,
Tonight I saw the magic in your eyes.
ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝΙΟΣ
There's a light that shines on Persephone,
Always a fire in her eyes,
And the last time that I went to her
I could tell things weren't right.
I just don't care to see your years go wasting,
There's no longer magic in your eyes.
In your time, you could outshine everybody else around,
But your off-stage ways might be a bore -
You take a bow, you take a fall.
I came to be here in the footlights,
To live…
John .Reyna
One of the most underrated classic rock songs of all time.
Guitar Overkill
Who underrated it?
Steven Wilkinson
He's right only Ash fans would know about this lovely song ... sadly.
RoeserFan1
I gotta concur. I may be clueless but I'm 56 and only had a vague idea of this band until Steven recently started talking them up on BOC sites. I am extremely impressed. First listen to this song today and I love it and just bought it on iTunes. Sorry I missed them for 45 years!
Steven Wilkinson
When you have absorbed some Ash here's another to try at your leisure :-
Check out "On a Storyteller's Night", "Les Morts Dansant", "The Spirit", "Soldier of the Line", "Sacred Hour", "The Lights Burned Out" as an introduction to another of England's great rock bands that lived in the shadow of Zep, Sabs, Lizzy etc & that is ....... MAGNUM.
A glorious band (esp from about 77-85) & they actually got their big break supporting BOC in the UK in 1979 on the Mirrors tour.
The whole of the "Chase the Dragon" & "On a Storyteller's Night" albums are fabulous but those songs are good samples ...
Steven Wilkinson
Roeserfan - Check out the live Cologne version of Persephone from 4/12/76 on here .. not only is it a great live version but you can see who plays which guitar parts between Powell & Wisefield with the excellent Martin Turner on vocals & bass guitar ... the Live Dates 2 version on here is also a fabulous one ..
Dave Pyke
This is one of those songs that if the solo at the end was 20 minutes longer you still wouldn't tire of listening to it. Just a great band ☺️
KP
Well said 👏
Louis Ward
I cry every time I hear this song even after nearly 40 years.......My girlfriend was pregnant & we picked Persephone if it was a little girl....but we lost the baby in a car accident August of 1979 & our relationship never recovered....Eileen I'm sorry I blamed you....I hope you have had a full & happy life.....& for Persephone, my unborn daughter, I love & miss you & your memory.....
Orrin Garn
Louis Ward A very powerful and sad song...music is able to express sadness in our souls like no words can...god bless...