Written by clarinetist Acker Bilk for his young daughter & originally named "Jenny" after her, the piece "Stranger on the Shore" was later used as the theme tune to the 1961 BBC TV drama series called Stranger on the Shore, and has been know as that ever since.
I remember watching the serial as a child with my Mother and the haunting music became a favourite of hers.
I remember watching the serial as a child with my Mother and the haunting music became a favourite of hers.
In fact it was the first UK recording of the 1960s to reach Number One in the US charts.
We listened to "Stranger on the Shore" together many, many times over the years and the more I learnt of my Mothers past, the more it's melancholy chords seemed to sum up her life.
When she died fours years ago this early morning and I subsequently had to choose a piece of music for her cremation, it was the obvious choice.
We listened to "Stranger on the Shore" together many, many times over the years and the more I learnt of my Mothers past, the more it's melancholy chords seemed to sum up her life.
When she died fours years ago this early morning and I subsequently had to choose a piece of music for her cremation, it was the obvious choice.
A late afternoon image taken @ Brighton, last November - the TV drama was filmed there...
"Here I stand, watching the tide go out
So all alone and blue
Just dreaming dreams of you
I watched your ship
As it sailed out to sea
Taking all my dreams
And taking all of me
The sighing of the waves
The wailing of the wind
The tears in my eyes burn
Pleading, "My love, return"
Why, oh, why must I go on like this?
Shall I just be a lonelyStranger on the Shore?"
Words by Robert Mellin
So all alone and blue
Just dreaming dreams of you
I watched your ship
As it sailed out to sea
Taking all my dreams
And taking all of me
The sighing of the waves
The wailing of the wind
The tears in my eyes burn
Pleading, "My love, return"
Why, oh, why must I go on like this?
Shall I just be a lonelyStranger on the Shore?"
Words by Robert Mellin
3 comments:
I never knew the name of that song before. I remember it from "Mr. Holland's Opus", one of my very favorite movies!
I enjoyed listening to the song again. Very nice post.
As a Somerset person, I have to comment.
Acker was from Somerset, he was by all accounts a really nice man. He wrote this music after watching the sunset on Weston Super Mare beach and a lonely walker on said beach, way back in the early Sixties.
Having lived not far from there and seen many sunsets - I always appreciate this piece of music.
L and L
Anon
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