Caledonia (song)
- For other songs known as "Caledonia", see "Jamie Raeburn", "Canada-I-O". For the jump blues song, see "Caldonia"
Caledonia is a modern Scottish folk ballad written by Dougie MacLean somewhere between 1974 and 1977.[1] and published in 1979 on an album of the same name.[2] The chorus features the lyrics "Caledonia, you're calling me, and now I'm going home". MacLean plays the song in the key of E using Open C tuning with a capo on the 4th fret.
The song has become something of an anthem for Scotland (the term "Caledonia" itself is a Latin word for Scotland). The song was featured in an advert on Scottish television for the Homecoming Scotland 2009, a campaign by VisitScotland which invited people to come home to Scotland in 2009 (the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns's birth). The advert featured a variety of Scottish actors, singers and celebrities, including Sean Connery, Sir Chris Hoy, Eddi Reader and Lulu, all of whom sang (or spoke, as Connery did) part of the song.[3]
An earlier song with similar sentiments is "Jean and Caledonia".[4]
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[edit] Cover versions
"Caledonia" has been covered by several artists. Dolores Keane recorded a popular cover of the song on her self titled solo album in 1988. A version by Frankie Miller was used in approximately 1990 in a television advertisement for Tennent's Lager.[5] Another cover version is included on the 2007 album release by Celtic Woman, A New Journey, sung by Lisa Kelly. The song is also covered by the singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini on a special version of his album These Streets; Nutini's version is a live recording.
Another cover was included as a hidden track on singer/songwriter Amy Macdonald's album This Is the Life and it has also been covered on Leon Jackson's debut album Right Now. In 2007 "Caledonia" was also covered by Celtic Thunder.[6]
Additional covers have been released by Fish, Tartan Terrors, Ruth Notman, Na Fianna, and Julienne Taylor. The majority of these covers have been by artists from either Scotland or Ireland, and it has been popular amongst artists specialising in Celtic music. Mary Black performed the song during her November 20, 2010 concert in San Francisco at Bimbo's 365 Club. It was covered by Norway's Hanne Krogh on her Vestavind album released in 1998. Ronan Keating too covered it on his album Winter Songs (2009). The song was further covered by Jackson Greenhorn in 2011 as part of an online demo, The Scottish Connection.
[edit] Cross references
- Compare with "Erin's Flowery Vale" also known as "The Irish Girl's Lament" or "Dobbin's Flowey Vale" (Roud 999, Laws O29) (plot) and references there
[edit] References
- ^ w-fm.com
- ^ Rock and roll years: the 1970s - Scotsman.com News
- ^ BBC NEWS | Scotland | Celebrities star in Homecoming ad
- ^ Robert Ford, Vagabond Songs and Ballads of Scotland (one-volume edition, 1904), pp. 237–239, "Jean and Caledonia"
- ^ "Tennent's Lager 'Caledonia' advert". Tennent's Lager. September 18, 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9h558Tz1E. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
- ^ "Celtic Thunder - Caledonia". Celtic Thunder. August 12, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0KZjmiL7xs&feature=channel_page. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
[edit] Other references
- Robert Ford, Vagabond Songs and Ballads of Scotland (one-volume edition, 1904), pp. 237–239, "Jean and Caledonia" (1 text, 1 tune)
- John Ord, Bothy Songs and Ballads (1930; Reprint edition with introduction by Alexander Fenton printed 1995), p. 116, "Jean and Caledonia" (1 text)
- Roud Folk Song Index #3801
