A Coming Of Age Track by Track pt5 of 12

5. Upon Hilly Fields

Hilly Fields is a small oasis of calm in between Brockley, Greenwich and Lewisham in South London. It’s one of those places that’s great to watch the sun go down, in this case over the Crystal Palace. Sometimes you just need to sit on hill and think about stuff.

I was listening to a lot of Neil Young’s ‘After The Gold Rush’ when I wrote this. He’s got an amazing way of saying nothing and everything at the same time. Totally loading insignificant words with the listeners hopes and fears. It’s an amazing and difficult skill.

So a bit of Neil Young and a bit of ‘Dirty Old Town’ By the Pogues and a sizeable chunk of ‘Wichita Lineman’.

The first line  “Ride a blue eyed horse” came from a photo that Ali took of a friends horse – a horse with blue eyes. And a horse with blue eyes is pretty freaky thing let me tell you. It’s like the horse can see into your very soul and know’s every bad decision you’ve ever made. All the other lines are romantic wistful notions really.

The only real anecdote I’ve go about this song, apart from every member of the band getting the chords wrong every time we practice, is when we recorded the vocals. Ali sang it through just a few times. By the third go she said “that was a bit boring wasn’t it? Shall we try something else?” I was in-front of the computer with tears streaming down my face. It was a performance of complete subtlety and tenderness and it really got to me. It’s a wonderful moment when someone can sing a song that you’ve written and transcend it so completely. And when the tears come, it’s time to stop and realise you’ve got something good.

I’m really happy with it. It’s a romantic song, laced with pain and loss…But without getting too maudlin here’s what the band have to say about it after a night out in Nottingham

Art says:  Every country, every culture has a Hilly Fields. This song’s poetic vision is beyond one man’’s experiences. It translates into any raised ground that is not made of concrete…. Actually, there was this girl…

Ivor: I used to live near there. The End.

Rust: Don’t Fear the Country.

Paul: It got the best response at the album launch from all the songs we did. It’s a timeless song.

Doll: I’ve had sevem Becks.(sic)

Andrew: Please can you all leave my hotel room?

Upon Hilly Fields 1 by Ruffa Lane Records