In February, when funds are low for ticket buying and no sensible person would consider holding an outdoor gig in the UK, the BBC steps in to do the country a huge favour. They turn over their Maida Vale studios to bands and other performers to record live for their audience, sometimes helped by the considerable musical resources available to the BBC, and of course, friends where necessary. Everyone performs at least one cover. This year’s season kicked off with a coup. Coldplay, augmented by Laura Mvula, performed some cherished hits, songs from their most recent album and chose as their tribute The Proclaimers’ classic “Sunshine On Leith.”
Leith is a lovely place. Walkable from Edinburgh city centre, it served as the port to the Scottish capital for many years. Now that that trade has reduced the town has a unique tourist attraction: Queen Elizabeth’s “yacht” (which is really a ship). However, it is important to note that no one is going there for the weather. The Firth of Forth is a small offshoot of the North Sea, which is only not called the West Baltic because it is separated from that sea by the cold, forbidding Scandinavian land mass of the Vikings. The point is, you can visit Leith quite happily without the sun, which is good really, as it is an infrequent visitor. In the same way, you can live your life without love, but many people would prefer it with someone to appreciate and appreciate them, and the song captures that message. You can arrive lonely but alive, and leave happy and fulfilled. That message is why Scottish people and others have taken the song to their hearts, including the fans of Hibernian FC.
Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman was brought up close to Leith (you hesitate to say within sight of, as the area frequently suffers from haar), so he might have acted as a consultant. Chris Martin, Will Champion and Mvula do not attempt Scottish accents (or all of the harmonies), but wear special eyewear to capture the essence of the Reid brothers. They do capture the nature of the song, though. During the development of the arrangement, everything audibly defrosts, from the stark vocal opening, telling of sadness and loss, to a warm, enveloping sound featuring backing vocals and strings. The sadness and darkness is dispelled, and love and sunshine are allowed in. A lovely message for a dark month!
Only Coldplay could ruin a great song