Remember how you were once allowed to travel between countries? 😉
Back in Feb of 2020, before the lockdowns took hold, I was over in the UK visiting my sister. We saw quite a few magpies, which brought to mind the children’s nursery rhyme, and the association of magpies with magic or prophecy.
Magic, mysteries, and magpies – perfect subject for a song, I thought!
For this song, I included some samples of magpie calls and wings. Although it’s a single, it follows the kind of structure I use in my longer tracks, moving from one theme to another to go on a journey from start to finish.
I also had an image in mind for the cover, of a super close up of the wings, making it something kind of abstract. It was hard to find anything that was high enough resolution to support this, but in my internet searching I was lucky enough to discover a fantastic image by Amanda Ubell and I got in touch and they gave permission for me to use the image, which was awesome.
I actually finished this up back in September, but was considering replacing my voice with a session singer. In the end though I decided to leave this personal with my own voice in it – fortunately it’s spoken word and no singing required!
The Spotify version of the track is embedded, but you’ll also find it on Apple, Amazon, etc. so whatever service you use, you can give it a spin and go flying with the magpie! Enjoy the track!
All the best,
Tom (Cu Sithe)