Fisherman's Blues (song)


"Fisherman's Blues" is a song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album of the same name. It was written by Mike Scott and Steve Wickham, and produced by Scott. The song reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, No. 13 in Ireland and No. 32 in the UK. A re-issue of the single in 1991 saw the song return to the Top 20 in Ireland, reaching No. 17.

Background

Scott began writing the song on a plane flight from New York to London, at the end of the Waterboys' North American tour in November 1985. During his time in New York, Scott had a meeting with the band's manager, Gary Kurfirst, however their relationship had become strained by this time. In his autobiography, Scott revealed: "I knew that the relationship was in terminal decline. I wanted out. Squeezed into seat 31F, I wrote down my feelings in verse on the back of my boarding pass, the beginnings of a new song called "Fisherman's Blues"." Some of the lyrics were also inspired by the W. H. Auden poem "The Night Mail".
The song was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland, on 23 January 1986 as part of the first session for the album of the same name. Speaking of the song's recording to Songfacts in 2013, Scott recalled: "I wrote the third verse in the studio. The music got written that day in the studio as well. I had the chords, but the tone of the song came from Steve Wickham's fiddle accompaniment."

Critical reception

Upon release, Music & Media considered the song to be a "spirited recording of Dylanesque folk", with "effective use of mandolin and fiddle" and "straightforward production". In a review of Fisherman's Blues, Spin commented on the song: "Scott strums his acoustic guitar as if every chord's a mile, while bandmates Steve Wickham and Anthony Thistlethwaite hasten his speed." Ian Abrahams of Record Collector described the song as "thrillingly evocative", adding: "Nailed in just two run-throughs, it's perfect, definitive and timeless." In his review of the album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic picked the song as an AMG Pick Track.

Formats

Charts

Chart Peak
position
Irish Singles Chart17
UK Singles Chart75

Personnel

The Waterboys
Additional personnel
Production