The Van Gogh of Music: The Story of Nick Drake
Summary
TLDRこの動画は、生前にはほとんど知られていなかった英国の歌手-songwriter、Nick Drakeの悲劇的な物語を描いています。彼は、彼の音楽が後になって世界的に有名になるとは思いも寄らなかったでしょう。彼の3つのアルバムは、純粋で真実の音楽であり、時系列に依存しない普遍的な感情を表現しています。彼の音楽は、彼の深い内面から夢のような詩を織り、50年以上の今でもタイムレスな美しさを持っています。
Takeaways
- 🎵 ニック・ドレイクは生涯で3つのアルバムをリリースし、現在では史上最高傑作の一つとされていますが、彼は生きている間にほとんど誰も彼の音楽を聴かなかったため、孤独で貧困して死んだ。
- 😔 ニックは内向的で、静かであり、極めて写真が少なく、ビデオフットiageは存在しない。
- 🏫 学びの機会は多かったが、ニックは常に遠い存在のように感じられていた。
- 🎶 彼の音楽は60年代の流行と無関係に、タイムレスな感じがする。
- 🌿 ニックは自然のイメージを多く使用し、それを使って自己の小ささを感じる。
- 🚫 彼の第一アルバム「Five Leaves Left」は商業的に失敗し、評論家からは「退屈」と言われた。
- 🌟 彼の第二のアルバム「Bryter Later」は前作よりもポップでエネルギッシュなサウンドに変わったが、再び失敗した。
- 🌙 彼の第三のアルバム「Pink Moon」は、彼の最期の作品であり、最も純粋で真実な作品とされています。
- 💔 ニックは抗う気鎮静剤の過剰摂取で死亡し、自殺とされ認定された。
- 📈 彼の死後30年ほどで、彼の音楽は徐々に知名度が高まり、多くの人々に愛されるようになった。
- 🎖️ ニック・ドレイクは今では史上最偉大なアーティストの一人とされ、彼の影響は21世紀の多くのアーティストに広まっている。
Q & A
ニコ・ドレイクはどの年代に生まれたか、またその生涯を要約するとどのような人物であったか?
-ニコ・ドレイクは1948年に生まれ、26歳の若さで亡くなりました。彼は非常に内向的で、静かな性格を持ち、音楽制作においても孤独な旅を進めていました。彼の音楽は生前はほとんど評価されず、販売されたアルバムのコピーも極めて限られていました。しかし、彼の死後30年ほどで、彼の音楽は再評価され、彼の曲は最も美しいものの一つとして認識されるようになりました。
ニコ・ドレイクの音楽が生前評価されなかった主な原因是什么か?
-ニコ・ドレイクの音楽は、その時代の主流の音楽シーンとは異なる、内省的で感情豊かな作品でした。彼はコンサートを開催することやメディアとのインタビューを拒否し、一般的な流行りの音楽と異なる、自己流の音楽を追求しました。その結果、彼の音楽は生前はほとんど知られず、販売されたアルバムのコピーも5,000枚を大きく超えることはなかったです。
ニコ・ドレイクの3つのアルバムはどのような特徴を持っていたか?
-ニコ・ドレイクの3つのアルバムは、内省的で感情を豊かに表現した作品であり、彼の繊細なギター演奏と独特の歌声が特徴です。彼の曲は、自然や人生、孤独、そして夢や死に関するテーマを扱っており、彼の音楽はその纯粋さと感情の深さで評価されています。
「ピンクムーン」というアルバムはどのようにして評価されるようになったか?
-「ピンクムーン」は、ニコ・ドレイクの死後30年ほどに再評価され始めました。このアルバムは、彼の生前の作品の中で最も純粋で感情豊かな作品の一つであり、彼の死後、徐々に多くのファンや批評家に発見され、今日では彼の代表作として高く評価されています。
ニコ・ドレイクの音楽が評価されるようになった背景にはどのような要因があるか??
-ニコ・ドレイクの音楽が評価されるようになった背景には、インターネットの普及が大きな役割を果たしました。また、彼の作品はいくつかのドキュメンタリーや本で紹介され、彼の音楽に対する理解が深まることから、徐々にファン層が拡大しました。さらに、2000年代には、彼の曲がコンマーシャルで使用され、彼の音楽に対する注目がさらに高まりました。
ニコ・ドレイクの生涯を通じてどのような教訓を得られるか?
-ニコ・ドレイクの生涯から得られる教訓は、真の芸術は時間とともに変化することなくその価値が認識されること、そして成功を追求する過程での自己の忠実さの重要性です。彼は商業的な成功を求めることで自分の音楽を妥協しなかったため、生前は評価されなかったものの、後には彼の音楽の価値が認識され、多くのアーティストに影響を与えました。
ニコ・ドレイクの曲「Fruit Tree」はどのようなメッセージを持っているのか?
-「Fruit Tree」は、ニコ・ドレイクが自己の音楽キャリアに対する失望と孤独感を表現した曲です。彼は、有名であるにもかかわらず、自分の音楽が真に評価されないような存在であることを嘆き、その矛盾を表現しています。また、この曲は彼の音楽が彼の死後、真の価値が認められることを予感しているかのような予言的な要素も含んでいます。
ニコ・ドレイクの音楽はどのようにして現代の聴者に影響を与えるようになったか?
-ニコ・ドレイクの音楽は、彼の死後、徐々に多くの人々に発見され、その影響が広がっていきました。インターネットの普及により、彼の曲が世界中の聴者に到達し、多くのアーティストが彼の音楽に影響を受けることになりました。彼の繊細で内省的な曲は、多くの聴者にとって深い共感を呼び起こし、彼の音楽は今日でも新しいファンを獲得し続けています。
ニコ・ドレイクの音楽が評価されるようになった際、どのようなメディアや作品がその普及に寄与したか?
-ニコ・ドレイクの音楽が評価されるようになった際には、いくつかのドキュメンタリーや書籍がその普及に寄与しました。また、彼の曲がテレビのコマーシャルなどで使用されることで、彼の音楽に対する注目が高まりました。これらのメディアや作品は、彼の音楽の美しさと深さを広く伝え、彼の作品に対する理解を深めることで、彼の評価を高めることに役立ちました。
ニコ・ドレイクの生涯を通じて、芸術家にとって成功とは何であるかについてどのような考えを寄せられるか?
-ニコ・ドレイクの生涯から、芸術家にとって成功とは自分の芸術的表現を真に評価されることであると考えられます。彼は商業的な成功を求めることで自分の音楽を妥協しなかったため、生前は評価されなかったものの、後には彼の音楽の価値が認められるようになり、多くの人々に影響を与えました。成功は、時間や評価の波に左右されず、自分の芸術的ビジョンを追求し続けることにあると言えるでしょう。
ニコ・ドレイクの3つのアルバムの中で、どの曲が最も有名か、またその曲はどのようなテーマを扱っているか?
-ニコ・ドレイクの3つのアルバムの中で最も有名な曲の1つは「Northern Sky」です。この曲は、彼のアルバム「Bryter Later」に収録されており、愛と孤独のテーマを扱っています。彼の繊細なギター演奏と温かみのある歌声が、聴者に深い感銘を与える曲です。
ニコ・ドレイクの音楽が評価されるようになった背景で、彼の作品が持つ普遍的な価値は何であるか?
-ニコ・ドレイクの音楽が評価されるようになった背景で、彼の作品が持つ普遍的な価値は、内省的で感情豊かな曲と、繊細なギター演奏と歌声による自己表現です。彼の音楽は、人間の内面の深い部分に触れ、孤独や愛、夢や死に関するテーマを扱っています。その感情の深さと繊細さは、彼の音楽を時代や文化を超えた普遍的な価値のある作品にしています。
Outlines
🎵 ニック・ドレイクの悲劇的な生涯とその音楽の再評価
ニック・ドレイクは3つのアルバムをリリースし、その質が高いと今日まで評価されていますが、彼は生涯中ほとんど无人関心を集めることができず、26歳で孤独に死んだ。彼の音楽はその間にほとんど誰も聴かなかったため、彼は暗闇と貧困に沈んでいきました。彼の3つのアルバムは彼が生きている間に5,000部未満で販売され、コンサートはほとんど参加者がありませんでした。しかし、彼の死後30年ほどで、彼が持っていた芸術的な天才が認められ、今では彼のアルバムは最高傑作の一つとされています。
🎵 ニック・ドレイクの音楽制作の苦悩と挑戦
ニック・ドレイクのデビューアルバム「Five Leaves Left」は、彼のビジョンから遠い主流的なサウンドになってしまったため、最初は混乱したプロセスでした。彼はシンプルで密接なボーカロとwantedを求めていましたが、選ばれたコンポーザーはオーバーな主流サウンドを作り出しました。そこでニックは、大学の友人であるロバート・カービーに弦楽器と木管打楽器を作り直し、素晴らしいアルバムに仕上げました。
🎵 ニック・ドレイクの転機と失敗
2番目のアルバム「Bryter Later」では、主流の成功を目指して音악を変更しましたが、予想外にも失敗し、悪評を受け、前作よりも売上も悪くなりました。さらに、ニックのマネージャーも彼をクライアントから外し、英国を離れ、他の音楽プロジェクトに移りました。
🎵 ニック・ドレイクの最後の专辑和其孤独感
3番目のアルバム「Pink Moon」は、記録されたわずか2日間に収録され、28分しか続かず、歌詞は極端に短い。しかし、これは彼の最も個人的で誠実な作品であり、最も普遍的なテーマを扱うことで、彼の心の深い部分に触れています。
🎵 ニック・ドレイクの最後の年と孤独の戦い
ニック・ドレイクの最後の年は、孤独と戦う日々でした。彼は異なる職業を検討しましたが、最終的には父親の家に戻り、精神的な苦悩に打ち勝てませんでした。1974年、尼克は抗うつ薬の過剰摂取で死亡し、彼のキャリアは5年しか続かなかったです。
🎵 ニック・ドレイクの音楽の持続力と影響
ニック・ドレイクの音楽は、彼が死んだ後30年以上的时间里、徐々に評価され、今日では彼の3つのアルバムはすべて「史上最大のアルバム」のリストに含まれています。21世紀の主要なアーティストたちは、ニック・ドレイクの作品から影響を受けたと語っています。
🎵 ニック・ドレイクの音楽とその悲劇的な生涯の評価
ニック・ドレイクは、彼の純粋さと真実さが音楽業界に合わなかったため、成功を収めることができず、孤独と格差が彼を襲い、最後は自殺してしまいました。しかし、彼の音楽は彼の死後で再評価され、彼の3つのアルバムはすべて傑作とされ、彼は史上最大のアーティストの1人として認識されるようになりました。
🎵 ニック・ドレイクの音楽とその悲劇的な生涯の評価
この記事では、ニック・ドレイクの音楽とその悲劇的な生涯、そして彼の死後の評価について述べています。彼の音楽は彼が死んだ後30年以上的时间里、徐々に評価され、今日では彼の3つのアルバムはすべて「史上最大のアルバム」のリストに含まれています。21世紀の主要なアーティストたちは、ニック・ドレイクの作品から影響を受けたと語っています。
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Nick Drake
💡Depression
💡Musical Genius
💡Commercial Failure
💡Posthumous Recognition
💡Introverted Personality
💡Artistic Vision
💡Legacy
💡Tragic Life
💡Timelessness
Highlights
Nick Drake, despite releasing three critically acclaimed albums, died alone and penniless at 26 due to lack of recognition during his lifetime.
Drake's music was considered dull by critics during his time, with his albums selling less than 5,000 copies while he was alive.
Nick Drake was a withdrawn and quiet individual, with very few photos and no known video footage of him existing.
Drake's career took off nearly 30 years after his death, with his music now recognized as deeply emotional and beautifully written.
Nick Drake's upbringing was filled with a love for poetry and music, influencing his melancholic sound.
Drake's debut album, 'Five Leaves Left', was a commercial failure, selling less than 5,000 copies and receiving mixed reviews.
The production process for 'Five Leaves Left' was chaotic, with Drake desiring an intimate sound that contrasted with the mainstream style of the time.
Drake's second album, 'Bryter Later', was a shift towards a more mainstream sound, but it still failed to achieve commercial success.
Nick Drake's final album, 'Pink Moon', was recorded in just two days and is considered his most personal and honest work.
Despite the critical and commercial failure of 'Pink Moon', it has since become regarded as one of the most darkly beautiful albums ever made.
Nick Drake's music was too pure and real for the music industry at the time, and he refused to conform to the expectations of the business.
Drake's music feels timeless and transcends the trends of his era, connecting with listeners on a universal level.
Nick Drake's legacy has grown posthumously, with his music now celebrated and influential among modern artists.
Drake's struggle with depression and isolation is palpable in his music, which has resonated with listeners even decades later.
The tragic story of Nick Drake highlights the disconnect between an artist's talent and the recognition they receive during their lifetime.
Drake's music has been recognized as some of the best ever made, with all three albums included on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time list.
Nick Drake's impact on modern musicians is evident, with artists like Radiohead, Iron & Wine, and Bon Iver citing him as a major influence.
Transcripts
despite releasing three albums that are
today considered some of the best ever
made Nick Drake died alone and penniless
at 26 years old because almost no one
listened to his music while he was alive
he had become obscure and impoverished
after years of depressive struggling and
Failure to Launch his career all three
of his albums sold less than 5 000
copies while he was alive and his
concerts were poorly attended with most
critics writing that his music was dull
at best while today we recognize that
Nick Drake's music is a deep and
captivating tapestry of emotion that
contains some of the most beautiful
songwriting you'll ever hear Nick Drake
was considered not much more than an
obscure failed singer while he was alive
as a person he was withdrawn and quiet
enough to the point where there are only
a handful of photos of him in existence
and no known video footage at all
Nick Drake's career didn't take off
until almost 30 years after he died but
once he finally received recognition for
being the artistic genius he was his
albums have since been recognized as
some of the best ever made
so why did Nick Drake's career suffer
while he was alive and what changed
after his death to make him the legend
he is today let's talk about the tragic
story of Nick Drake the Vincent van Gogh
of music
[Music]
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monthly or wait until the end for more
information Nick Drake was always a
reserved person to put it politely he
didn't have a bad life growing up in
fact Nick's life was quite good from a
young age but almost everyone who met
him over the years noticed that he
seemed like he was never all there he
was detached depressed and cold even as
early as Elementary School while Nick
Drake was born in Burma modern day
Myanmar thanks to his parents careers he
grew up in rural England after his
parents moved back when he was five his
father was an engineer and his mother
had a lifelong passion for poetry music
that would end up being hugely
influential on Nick's music later as her
amateur home recordings were full of
fatalism foreboding and depressive
emotions and very frail sounding vocals
and piano much like the sound that Nick
would develop later on
[Music]
love lies in the arms of change as a joy
cat is a pain
and no one knows
Nick was given a lot of opportunities as
a kid all in all he had a pretty good
life his parents sent him to a private
school from the age of nine until high
school and he eventually got involved
with sports like sprinting and rugby and
instruments like piano clarinet
saxophone in the school orchestra and
even singing in his own band but when
you look through all of the writing
about Nick all of the biographies and
histories of his life most people still
say that he was quiet aloof and
generally hard to get to know even when
he was a teenager everyone from his
family to his friends seemed to only
know him from a distance in the words of
his composer Robert Kirby Nick was in
some strange way out of time when you
were with him you always had a sad
feeling of him being born in the wrong
Century if he would have lived in the
17th century as a royal composer he
would have been alright Nick was an
elegant honest lost romantic a friend
from his university said that he would
never say much and he had never done his
homework either he was simply going
through the motions and didn't
participate in school at all given that
the 1960s was the decade of hippies and
ideas like trying to find yourself and
exploring Yourself by the time Nick
Drake was finished with high school in
the mid-1960s he was smoking as much
weed as possible dropping acid all the
time traveling to Morocco with his
friends to find drugs and playing his
guitar in the Town Center for fun
wherever he was at one point he studied
in France for a few months where a
friend of his from this time says that
he would sometimes show up to her
apartment in the middle of the night to
play his guitar but he would never look
at her and he would never talk he just
played songs stared off into the
distance and then left she said I'm
still not sure who I met and for someone
who was so elusive he had an
unmistakable presence that Drew people
in when he was finally back in England
around the age of 20 Nick started
playing guitar and singing in coffee
shops and clubs and it wasn't long
before he ended up being introduced to
the now legendary record producer Joe
Boyd who after just a few months of
listening to Nick's demos recorded on
tape in his college dorm saw a huge
potential in him and offered him a
full-time recording contract Joe Boyd
would later tell the story of offering
Nick a recording contract telling him he
wanted to make full album with a
promotion cycle through a major label
and how the only thing next said in
response was okay sure Nick dropped out
of college to work on his first album
five leaves left but the production
process ended up being a chaotic mess
Nick's vision for the album was that he
wanted it to be intimate with simple
close-up vocals not like the shiny pop
Reverb sound that was in style at the
time but the composer they had picked to
put the songs together ended up creating
an overly mainstream and watered down
sound regardless so Nick wanted to
restart everything from scratch and have
his college friend Robert Kirby
completely redo the strings and woodwind
instruments Joe Boyd thought it was a
pretty bad idea to bring in a college
student with no experience to do such an
important job but it ended up working
perfectly and Nick Drake's debut record
five leaves left came to life as a
masterpiece album with Moody Melancholy
lyrics that stand in contrast to the
smooth warm peaceful welcoming
instrumentals
[Music]
will you never fall five moves left is
full of simple yet beautiful songs like
River man fruit tree and time has told
me that paint a picture of life from a
lens of quiet composure everything is
comfortable sounding no part of this
album blasts you away with some dated
sounding 1960s Pop Style which can sound
so overwhelmingly boring today in this
way it feels Timeless because it's so
subdued and subtle even when Nick's
songwriting detaches itself from reality
and his lyrics touch on more strange and
conceptual ideas the beauty of his
guitar keeps the music grounded in a
familiar and comfortable
when the game's been fought
newspaper
lost much sooner
songs on fruit tree River Man in The
Cello Song feel particularly beautiful
as he eloquently touches on themes of
Life Death Fame and unfruit tree in
particular seems to almost predict his
own future he sings famous but a fruit
tree so very unsound it can never
flourish till it's done
famous but a fruit tree
sovereign
can never fly
till its stock is in the ground
so many Fame
you never find a way
[Music]
sings life is but a memory it happened
long ago you can feel his disconnect
from The Real World in that way I think
while the music may feel smooth or
simple beneath the calm surface there is
a dreamy surreal universe that could
only exist in the mind of a true artist
he draws heavily on images of Nature and
the way that nature exists outside the
human Spirit he uses it as a force to
illustrate his own insignificance in a
Melancholy way and it feels this way the
whole record through mysteriously
beautiful or most importantly it's
Timeless I have no appetite for 60s
music but this is different it doesn't
feel like it relies on any of the trends
that made the 60s sound like the 60s
it's too disconnected from reality to
really remind you of anything when you
listen to it it truly shows us how much
of a genius Nick Drake was but at the
same time it made the album a massive
commercial failure it's been written
that Joe Boyd next manager fully
believed that Nick was going to follow
in the footsteps of Leonard Cohen and
sell 100 000 copies on his debut album
from out of nowhere but ultimately five
leaves left sold less than 5 000 copies
and they got little to no radio airtime
which was a hugely important aspect of
Music promotion at the time it was more
or less a flop why exactly the album
failed is uncertain it could be that
Nick just didn't have enough Mass Appeal
with intricate guitar playing subtle
Melodies and deep songwriting without
choruses or hooks or rock band
instrumentals but either way the album
just didn't take off magazine critics
wrote that it was poetic yet boring and
it didn't help that Nick refused to do
interviews with radio shows or
newspapers and because five leaves left
didn't get good reviews or sell many
copies Nick Drake's parents were very
angry that he decided to leave
University and keep making music they
wrote him multiple letters about how
finishing school would give him a good
sense of security that music never could
and much to their dismay as well as NYX
things only got worse from there Nick
didn't have an apartment so he would
just Drift from friend to friend and
stay on people's floors and couches
eventually his manager paid for him to
get a room in a shared apartment while
they were still trying to promote and
sell five leaves left they were able to
book a few small concerts that ended up
being yet another string of massive
disasters which only drove Nick deeper
into the state of introversion and
anxiety that already had him in a
negative State of Mind each of the
concerts they played the audience seemed
angry that there were not enough
choruses and sing-alongs in Nick's songs
and one artist who was present wrote
that the audience completely missed the
point and it was extremely painful to
watch this negative experience only made
Nick more reluctant to perform live
which meant a few concerts he was
willing to do were poorly attended and
awkward but Nick was still so talented
that his entire team continued to
believe in his talent and potential to
succeed and they pushed on to try again
for another album unfortunately at this
point they felt like they were playing
from somewhat of a defensive position on
the back foot and Nick felt compelled to
switch up his formula to take yet
another shot at the mainstream success
he wanted brighter later sounds a lot
different than five leaves left you can
hear that he was really trying to make
an impact with his music he wanted to
succeed he wanted to be famous and I
think in a way that attitude of trying
to orchestrate a comeback to nothing but
Doom the album from before it was ever
released and sure enough brighter later
once again sold poorly and got bad
reviews so much so that Nick's manager
dropped him as a client and moved away
from the UK to focus on other musical
projects in the U.S but brighter later
is still a beautiful album The
musicality is significantly more diverse
than anything else Nick Drake ever made
taking inspiration from Bossa Nova Jazz
pop and an overall livelier more
energetic sound
[Music]
thank you
what will happen in the evening in the
forest for the weasel with a teeth that
bites so sharp this was Nick Drake's
shot at Mass Appeal and he did a great
job but it just didn't work after the
failure of brighter later Nick's career
more or less fizzled out to my ears
brighter later doesn't have the same
magical special feeling as five leaves
left it has a much more normal sound its
production is less thoughtful and deep
and more Poppy and impersonal one of the
big reasons why this change happened was
because Nick and his producers and
manager didn't know why the first album
failed but their best guess was that it
was missing the more pop appeal
characteristics like drum and bass
tracks to make the songs catchy
entertaining and radio friendly and all
sorts of different pop influences to
make them stand out from each other even
though that was originally not what Nick
wanted for his music in some ways he
felt forced to make the change towards a
sound that would hopefully be more
marketable but ultimately it was not
foreign
[Music]
even though they had tried to make a
record that would sound more
conventional more normal more
entertaining it was somehow an even
worse failure than his first record
right off the bat the reviews were bad
critics called it well made but awkward
and it sold even fewer copies than five
leaves left despite having such
beautiful songs as northern sky and one
of these things first things just got
worse Nick's mentor and manager Joe Boyd
who had originally secured his record
deal gave up on Nick's career and moved
the US to work on film soundtracks and
with his recording contract in shambles
after two failed records and a string of
horrible concerts Island Records had no
real interest in continuing to work with
Nick Drake in the summer of 1970 he gave
what would be his final live performance
and he ended up walking off the stage
halfway through a song never to be seen
in public again
shortly after in 1971 Nick Drake was
prescribed antidepressants by his doctor
which ended up not helping him at all
things only continued to get worse with
his sister later describing him as
becoming disheveled and emotionally
absent only ever leaving his apartment
to buy drugs but as Nick's mental state
got worse it turned out that he was just
around the corner from the creative
breakthrough of a lifetime the most
honest beautiful and personal album he
would ever make even though his record
label wasn't interested in the third
Nick Drake album with his managers
feeling like he had wasted whatever
potential he did have to succeed in the
industry he ended up unexpectedly
bringing them a new album anyway at the
end of 1971. the album that would
immortalize him as a genius for decades
after his own life ended pink moon was
recorded in a span of just two days and
it was only 28 minutes long with an
average song Length of less than two and
a half minutes and the pink moon is the
polar opposite of the rest of Nick's
releases it is incredibly quiet simple
and intimate it's far less Poppy and
mainstream than anything he had ever
made before I would say it's one of the
most personal albums ever recorded with
the most honesty and the least pretense
of any music I've ever heard it's a
diary in musical form and it sounds so
pure that it feels like it's from
another world not our world of
corruption capitalism exploitation of
Art and the commercialization of Pop
Culture Nick's world is a different one
A more mystical Universe where he
battles his inner demons in a languid
phantasmal way that leaves you sitting
in Wonder as to how one person could
possibly create a sound with such depth
and honesty again like I said before it
feels like Nick Drake was just too real
for our world somehow even in his
darkest moments as he was tormented by
failure criticism and isolation there
was still an innocent mysticism in
everything he made pink moon feels
unreal in the same way as childhood
memories can feel unreal maybe overly
real Everything feels special when
you're young even something as simple as
a summer at night time and because Nick
Drake was so sincere he was able to
capture emotions that most other artists
never could listening to songs pink moon
things behind the sun parasites and free
ride it feels like you're looking deep
into his soul only to find something
both ominous and innocent at the same
time it's Eerie yet relaxing hauntingly
beautiful one of the best albums ever
made and the solitary sound of his
guitar playing against the organic kiss
of his impromptu recording setup feels
like a journey into a place that you've
just never been before it's like staring
at the night sky as a kid not knowing
what's out there in the darkness in many
ways it feels like you aren't meant to
hear it Nick paint pictures of the
natural world in a very untouched way
using the imagery of forests rivers and
trees to remind us of the insignificance
of human life the most striking thing is
though is how its Darkness doesn't make
you feel unsettled the way he describes
depression loneliness and isolation is
more peaceful than anything some of the
most brilliant songs on pink moon
include parasite which is a dark and
almost disturbing meditation on his
feelings of being an outcast I think
it's not only the most brilliant song he
ever made but it's one of my favorite
songs of all time as he's saying lifting
the mask from a local clown feeling down
like him you get a true sense for how
Nick Drake saw the world as if he was
not part of it
[Music]
sailing downstairs to the northern line
watching the shine of the shores
hearing the trials of the people there
who's together
can we see me
if I am parasite of this town while pink
moon is made beautiful with imagery of
nature and love and life it's also an
expression of some of the darkest
emotions humans could feel on songs like
place to be he expresses this idea that
as life goes on things only get darker
and darker until we realize how utterly
alone and doomed we are as if that's the
true nature of reality to be alone
forever despite the song placed to be
only having three verses of lyrics he
confronts his struggle with depression
in a more self-aware way than he ever
had before he admits that his loneliness
feels impossible to shake off and he
thinks he might be doomed to feel this
way for the rest of his life similarly
the song things behind the sun addresses
his feeling of being an outcast because
he's tormented by other people's
perceptions of him which makes him feel
deeply alienated as we already discussed
Nick had long felt like an outsider in
his life which made him reluctant to do
concerts and interviews and radio shows
which in turn only made him more of an
outsider as his beautiful music went
unappreciated by The General public it
was a self-destructive cycle which only
made it harder for him to continue down
the path of being a musician no matter
how amazing his music was he was deeply
disconnected from the world in a way
that made him feel smaller and more
isolated than ever as he sings don't be
shy You Learn to Fly
don't be shy Learn to Fly and see the
sudden days
[Music]
I just want you to realize just how
disconnected Nick was and the way that
he was able to transmute that experience
into a feeling of foreboding and
Sinister emotion it's absolutely
brilliant despite its roughness and the
small size of its scope pink moon is by
far one of the most Darkly beautiful
albums ever made it's Nick Drake's
Masterpiece his defining body of work
recorded in just two nights just 28
minutes long it sounds as fresh today as
it did when it was released 50 years ago
and it touches on some truly Universal
Topics in a way that almost no other
music had to that point in history and
even though they had previously given up
on him Nick's label was immediately
convinced that pink moon would be his
big break they saw amazing potential in
the music and they tried their hardest
to get Nick to promote the album with
concerts and interviews again he refused
but when pink moon was released to poor
reviews and even worse sales Nick Drake
realized he had failed again it wasn't
long before his label gave up on him
entirely and stopped sending the 20 a
week retainer they had been paying him
at one point it was said that he
couldn't afford to buy new shoes or get
haircuts and it only got worse from
there Nick considered different careers
like joining the Army or becoming a
computer programmer but even though he
got a job in a programming office he
quit within the first few days of work
and ultimately Nick could no longer
afford to live alone and he ended up
back at his parents house shortly after
pink moon was released
in many ways the final years of Nick
Drake's life were somewhat like that of
a ghost people in his life talk about
how he would disappear from home for
hours and only return when he ran out of
gas in his parents car Robert Kirby the
composer of Nick's first two albums
later said that he would arrive and not
talk he would sit down listen to music
have a drink and sleep on the couch but
the next day he would be gone and three
months later he'd come back or sometimes
he wouldn't the months after pink moon
Nick had a nervous breakdown and he
ended up being hospitalized for more
than five weeks finally he was
prescribed antidepressants he tried to
start working on a fourth album in the
summer of 1974 but he was unable to
bring any of his ideas to life and the
record was left alone as a failed idea
and in November of 1974 two and a half
years after the release of pink moon a
two and a half year period of mental
deterioration and struggle Nick was
found dead from an overdose of
antidepressants at the age of 26. his
entire career had been just five years
long
his father wrote in his diary that day
the worst day of Our Lives the housemaid
had looked in on Nick at 11 45 and found
him lying across the bed she went in and
found him dead after desperate phone
calls we got the doctor and shortly
after an ambulance which was of course
too late the doctor said Nick had been
dead for some hours the contents of a
tryptosol were missing and so ends in
tragedy our three-year struggle while
Nick Drake left no suicide note his
family believes he killed himself on
purpose as it was later found that he
died from taking a significant number of
antidepressants all at the same time to
the point where the coroner ruled that
suicide was undoubtedly his cause of
death just 50 people a small group of
family and friends attended Nick Drake's
funeral the music industry did not mourn
at all I wouldn't even say he was
forgotten because he was hardly ever
known in the first place it's often said
that during what remained of their lives
his parents Molly and Rodney Drake
perhaps even with gratitude would
welcome the small but steady trickle of
people who discovered their son's music
and for whatever reason arrived at their
door in this way they kept a connection
to him though they would be gone
themselves before his work found the
wider consideration and respect it
deserved
but if we fast forward 30 years Nick
Drake had become an underground Legend
thanks to a handful of documentaries and
books his albums went from selling 2 000
copies in 1999 to over 70 000 copies in
2000 thanks to an American Volkswagen
commercial from that year today in 2023
Nick Drake has over 2.5 million monthly
listeners on Spotify with tens of
millions of streams across most of his
songs and the critical attitude towards
his music has changed too in 2003 all
three of Nick's albums were included on
the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums Of
All Time list well in 1999 the guardian
named brighter later the best
alternative album ever made on
rateyourmusic.com pink moon is the 28th
highest rated album ever made major
artists of the 21st century like
Radiohead iron and wine and Bon Iver
have discussed that Nick Drake's work
from his subtle yet genius guitar
playing to his surrealy innocent
songwriting had a major influence on
their own development as musicians but
why is Nick Drake considered among the
greatest musicians to ever ever lived
today while almost no one ever listened
to him when he was alive I think there
are a few main reasons why first of all
his music was too pure and real for the
music industry at the time even back in
the 70s you really had to play the
industry game with your persona and your
music you had to play concerts go on
tour do festivals sit for interviews and
Nick just couldn't bring himself to do
it all he wanted was to make music
nothing more nothing less but even more
importantly than that he wouldn't water
down his sound for any reason either
when you listen to Nick Drake's songs
they feel perfectly Timeless there's no
stylistic corneas that makes pink moon
feel old or dated even though it came
out more than 50 years ago from the
beautiful surreal cover art to the
poetic lyricism to the intricate guitar
playing pink moon is a magical album
It's removed from reality in a way that
most music isn't and because of that he
speaks not to his decade or his culture
or his Trends but the deepest contents
of his heart in a way that universally
applies to everyone who hears his music
as he sang When I Was Young younger than
before I never saw the truth hanging
from door
and everything
it expressed feelings from deep inside
his soul in a way that reminds us not of
the hippie movement or the folk movement
or the 1970s you don't have to be
connected to Nick or his culture or time
in any way to recognize just how
beautiful this is that's what makes him
truly unique as a 23 year old if I
listen to this I understand what he's
saying and where he's coming from in a
way that I really don't with most other
70s artists he touches on the darkness
that sits inside all of us in such a
pure way that his Spirit can live on
through the music more than 50 years
later you can understand who he was so
the way that he put his darkest thoughts
into dreamlike poetry between impeccable
guitar skills doesn't feel old it feels
Timeless John Wood the producer behind
pink moon said that he truly to this day
doesn't understand how Nick wasn't more
popular he thinks if Nick had maybe been
American where introspective thoughtful
artists were more popular like Leonard
Cohen and Bob Dylan he maybe could have
been a big star but Nick was far more
alienated than even they ever were and
in England the expectations for easily
digestible single Style music drowned
Nick out of the industry and Nick just
couldn't bring himself to sell out to
find that thing ultimately Nick Drake
was a genius artist who was lost in time
he had the talent and the spirit to be a
star but he was born in the wrong era it
wouldn't be until the internet age more
than 30 years later that pink moon would
be rediscovered and become a legendary
piece of music
in the end Nick Drake's greatest
strength as an artist is the same thing
that killed him he wanted to be famous
and he wanted to be recognized for his
efforts and talents and because it never
happened he just kept channeling that
fear of failure into better and better
music that became less and less Popular
until tragically he died after just
three albums if he had survived I think
it's possible he would still be working
today and he would probably be
recognized as one of the greatest
artists alive his music feels more
personal than anything else his
contemporaries made and that's why it
still sounds good 50 years later it was
truly sincere and Brilliant but Nick
never made the impact he wanted to make
and his lifetime is remembered as a
tragedy more than anything would he be
remembered as a genius today if he had
given up after one album and gone on to
become a normal person somewhere in
England I don't think so tragically like
many of the greatest artists we loved
today Nick was only acknowledged once he
was no longer there to enjoy it in the
words of one of his greatest songs fruit
tree from five leaves left famous but a
fruit tree so very unsound it can never
flourish till its stock is in the ground
so many Fame can never find her way
famous but a fruit tree
so very unsung
[Music]
till its stock is in the ground
[Music]
so many Fame
you never find a way
in this flower
far from that dining
[Music]
Nick Drake who was barely recognized
while he was alive yet many years later
would be recognized as one of the
greatest artists of all time seemed to
understand even from the beginning that
he just like a fruit tree would have to
be buried in the ground before his
artistic output the fruit of his life
would truly come to life and be
understood for the beauty it contained
unfortunately his prediction came true
while Nick Drake suffered from
depression and isolation his whole life
he seemed to understand that his music
would set him free and he truly did make
three of the best albums of all time the
tragedy of it all is that he never lived
to see himself become a legend but the
Twisted fact is that he may never have
become a legend at all if he hadn't died
yes we can say if only he had been a
better live performer if only he was
willing to be interviewed he might have
succeeded but in a simple fatalistic way
he just wasn't
his death in many ways is the final
piece of the puzzle he had created with
those somber and ominous yet deeply
beautiful albums even though success is
all he wanted he wasn't made for this
world he was a ghost who made haunting
music and his art only started to make
sense and it was seen from a distance
the same distance from which his
dreamlike music holds the world around
it his music was a personification of
the deepest parts of his soul cold and
detached on the surface but deep down
warm alive and full of life removed from
time but at the same time one of the
greatest and not just his time but all
time I'm Philip this is Volkswagen thank
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