Listen to the cover below!
Sam Fender is pleased to share a stark, raw and heartfelt recording of Alan Hull and Lindisfarne's emotional 1970s folk track, "Winter Song."
As meaningful to the people of Newcastle as The Beatles were to the people of Liverpool, Lindisfarne might never have reached the dizzying heights of John Lennon's men, but in vocalist and songwriter Alan Hull, they had an artist whose music reached and touched millions, and who hundreds of thousands of Geordies, over the generations, remain fiercely proud of. A local legend.
Sam shares the lyric video in collaboration with People of The Streets, a UK organization that seeks to meet the less tangible needs of people experiencing homelessness. Founded in a university bedroom in 2017, People of the Streets is an international social enterprise that puts human stories at the heart of the public conversation on homelessness. Participants in their courses learn photography skills and develop a portfolio of visual and written work, which is then exhibited in a range of venues and offered for sale, with profits from each sale going to the creator of the work through a self-development fund administered by the participant in partnership with social workers. The video features a number of those photographs, sharing a perspective of the street from those currently living on it.
"Winter Song" carries a timely message of humility, reflection and reverence, and one that speaks to Sam on a very human level.
Sam Fender: "I wanted to do a Christmas song, and wanted it to be close to my home and my heart. For me, the words are more relevant this year than ever. Christmas won't be the same for a lot of people this year, and that's why I picked Winter Song. Alan Hull truly was one of the most fantastic and underrated writers of his time. Geordie legend.
"I hope I've done it justice, I'm really proud of it." Watch the clip here:
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