SLS: Let The Music Speak For Itself

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For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday Jim is inviting us to play a song from a compilation or greatest hits album. His post Apart From Making Money tells all. The is a rather large field from which to choose, I think, as any artist that has lasted longer than one album probably has a compilation to their name. I ran through the list of usual suspects and decided to eschew the obvious, mainstream ones for a favourite band of mine of whom you probably haven’t heard, unless you have been paying very close attention here! That band is Merry Hell, an eight piece folk rock band from the North West of England. I have played them for SLS once before, a year ago, and on a couple of other occasions as well – both for Tuesday Tunes and more recently for my post for St George’s Day, which was built around one of their songs.

Merry Hell formed in 2010, out of what remained of a previous band – The Tansads – and have at their core the three Kettle brothers, John, Andrew and Bob, as well as John’s wife Virginia. They have released eight albums to date, the most recent of which, Rising Of The Bold, came out two days ago. They write their own songs, which are a mixture of stirring tunes with a social context plus several which display their collective sense of humour. For today’s purposes I am playing you three of their songs, which were included on a compilation they released in May 2023, Let The Music Speak For Itself. In keeping with their nature, this was generously packed with 28 songs – none of your 12 track ripoffs for them!. They aren’t exactly a chart band, so this wasn’t a regular ‘greatest hits’ collection – in fact, this was the only time in which they have entered the UK charts: the album spent one week at #49 before it bid its farewell. They prove that chart success doesn’t always come to those who provide quality, though, as this first song shows:

They are a great live band and I really like the intimacy of that performance from their days as a six piece, cramped into a narrowboat! Before I forget, here are the lyrics:

 

And though we stumble from the edge
Our bottle gone, we drank the dregsOur fingers still cling to the ledgeWe need each other now
As borders crumble, land and seaBored with ideologyThe skinhead and the refugeeWe need each other now
Rise up, rise up, you hopeful menAnd women who might try againAnd with one voice your message sendWe need each other now
We turn away and turn aboutEverywhere mistrust and doubtAnd one by one our lights go outWe need each other now
And while we sit upon the fenceIn harmony and dissonanceThe bells toll out intolerance
We need each other now
Rise up, rise up, you hopeful manAnd women who might try againAnd with one voice your message sendWe need each other nowYeah, we need each other now
And as I watch the setting sunI’m slow to stand and quick to runAnd my brother asks whose side I’m onWe need each other now
Rise up, rise up, you hopeful menAnd women who might try againAnd with one voice our message sendWe need each other now
Rise up, rise up, you hopeful menAnd women who might try againAnd with one voice our message sendWe need each other nowYeah, we need each other nowWe need each other now
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriter: John Kettle

 

We Need Each Other Now was the opening track on their fourth album, Bloodlines, released in late 2016. The song I featured for St George’s Day, Come On England, was also on that album. They were written as a response to the UK’s referendum on the EU, which gave us Brexit. Like many, the band recognised that the Leave campaign based their approach on a mixture of hatred, xenophobia and lies, and these songs were a call for the return of the country’s traditional values of inclusion, tolerance and decency, which had somehow got lost along the way. Their call for us to support each other was valid then, came to the fore again during the pandemic and is needed ever more these days, with the party which has come out of that campaign making huge inroads in polls and elections with the same mix of tactics. You might think you have it bad in the US, guys, but it seems that the British public is doing its best to catch up.

Sorry for the detour, but I felt you needed to know the background to the song. I promised you a couple more, but without the homily this time. This one is fun, pure and simple, albeit with a social comment context, and has a lovely video to match its spirit:

The Baker’s Daughter was on Merry Hell’s third album, The Ghost In Our House, And Other Stories, which was released in March 2015. The song was written by Virginia Kettle, who said the idea for it came to her when she got involved with the restoration of a local flour mill: “The combination of the atmospheric building and the glorious weather that summer made this story dance mischievously in my head.” Some of the video was shot there: it is Bunbury Watermill in Cheshire, which has a history going back to the 11th century and was mentioned in the Domesday Book.

I’m closing today with another video which highlights the band’s sense of fun:

Loving The Skin You’re In was the opening track on the band’s second album, Head Full Of Magic, Shoes Full Of Rain, which was released in May 2013. It is another written by Virginia, and the fun moves in the video may have diverted your attention from the serious meaning of the lyrics. Again quoting Virginia: “The words in this song feel more valuable to me now than ever before. I’ve been approached many times lately by people struggling to find acceptance because of being different and who have taken inspiration from the lyrics. Inclusivity means a great deal to our band. When we play this live, we play it for everyone who feels marginalised in our society.” A message we should all take to heart.

That’s all for today, and I hope you’ve enjoyed them. I’m off to see who other SLS participants are playing – I’m kind of expecting some duplications but I think I might be in a subset of one with my choice!

Take care, and I’ll see you again for Tuesday Tunes 🎶

 

37 thoughts on “SLS: Let The Music Speak For Itself”

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    • It probably will, but I’m not sure they want huge fame anyway. They have found their niche and are popular and well-respected within it. An upcoming of festival appearances awaits them.

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    • I’m pleased you enjoyed them. I love this band! They don’t have a high profile here, beyond the folk music circuit, and I chose them deliberately to give them some promotion 😊

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    • Thank you, Jim, I’m pleased you enjoyed these. They aren’t full time as a band, and make their videos on very small budgets, calling in favours due and featuring friends and family. I think they’re great, and they write superb songs.

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  13. I had never heard of Merry Hell, so this was a lovely introduction. This is definitely the kind of music it is fun to see live and know all the words to. Very enjoyable presentation all the way around, Clive.

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  17. It would be difficult I imagine to pick just three from Merry Hell. They represent hope and belief and when I hear them I am grateful they are here. I must admit I’m a little in awe of Virginia, she is a superb song-writer – but then they all are in slightly different ways. They compliment each other fantastically well.

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    • Choosing three from twenty eight wasn’t easy! In the end I just went with favourite videos to give people a sample of their music. As a band they write consistently good songs, and are blessed to have several in their ranks who can do that. Without Virginia they would still be The Tansads: she has added a whole new dimension for them.

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      • You’re absolutely right, she has added something extra and her personality shines on-stage, blending really well with Andrew’s. Bob, the soul of the band, is such a lovely, humble guy. Well done for raising their profile!

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