Saturday 30 January 2016

Buffy Sainte-Marie on 'Saturday Live' on Radio 4

This morning Buffy was a guest on the Saturday morning magazine BBC Radio 4 show, 'Saturday Live' presented by Rev Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir. She was in the pre-recorded guest spot about 'inheritance tracks', in other words, a song you inherited from someone and a song you'd leave behind as your legacy.  The songs are played with snippets of the guests talking about them and things related to them. It's a nice segment and they get guests from all over in that slot. Today the guest was Buffy.

Buffy chose 'If You Love Me, Really Love Me' by Edith Piaf, a song she sang as a child but has never sung it publicly. She said she loved Piaf's voice and it reassured her about the vibrato in her own singing voice. She spoke about learning to play the piano in her adoptive parents' house and how she is musically dyslexic despite being able to write for orchestras.

The song she'd leave behind is 'Carry It On' from her latest album, 'Power In The Blood'. She said she'd been very lucky to be able to travel all over the world and meet so many varied people over the years. She mentioned that she'd toured with Morrissey in 2015, how she sold the rights to 'Universal Soldier' for $1 and didn't fall for that again when Elvis recorded 'Until It's Time To Go'. She ended by mentioning her family, that she has a public life and a very private life and that she lives on a farm (and, as we all know, Buffy loves her farm and her goats).

Buffy was introduced with the usual 'native American... sung in Greenwich Village... Universal Soldier... Oscar winner...'. It would be nice to hear a more original introduction one day but it was a lovely surprise to hear Buffy on the radio on a Saturday morning. Well done to 'Saturday Live' for including her. Next time, get her on as a proper guest please - you know it makes sense. Oh, and learn how to pronounce her name as well. But thanks anyway!

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