Sound Bites: 'The Shining' by Badly Drawn Boy (June 2000)

What is it? 

It’s the first track on this June 2000 debut, Mercury Prize winning indie album from Mancunian Damon Gough aka Badly Drawn Boy. 

Where did you hear it? 

I borrowed my eldest brother’s CD and played it on the stereo in my bedroom. This was how I discovered most of the music of my teenage years. 

Why are you writing about it? 

It’s a beautifully simple song which captured the best of Damon Gough’s voice and sensibility. The mix of simple acoustic guitar melody, cello and French horn is balanced perfectly. I learned to play the riff on my beginner’s Epiphone acoustic guitar at the time; it involves a mix of strumming and picking at the same time. It took a while to master this, but when I pick up a guitar now it’s one of the first melodies I play. The artist celebrated the 25th anniversary of the album recently by playing tour of the UK. He played at the O2 in Oxford, but I missed it sadly. Other notable tracks on the album are, well, all of them - it’s indie magic from start to finish. If ‘The Shining’ shows Gough at his melodious best, ‘Fall in a River’ captures his surreal and experimental side. The album uncovered a raw talent, even if, arguably, he was never able to reach these heights again. An example of an artist who peaked at their first album? Maybe, but what an album.