Thursday 23 February 2017

Buffy Sainte-Marie and Tanya Tagaq 'You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)'

Buffy Sainte-Marie has teamed up with fellow Polaris Award winner Tanya Tagaq to record a new song, 'You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)'. The song was inspired by the dogsled racer George Attla who competed in the first Iditarod dogsled race in 1973 and was recorded in October 2016. There's a podcast of Buffy and Tanya recorded at the same time that gives background to them getting together, the song, current and native American politics that's worth a listen.



It's fascinating that the song was actually written back in the (late) 1960s for the film 'Spirit Of The Wind' about George Attla and it sounds fresh and right up to date. It calls on people to take a stand for what they believe in, be confident and be proud. It's very appropriate for the politics of today and I love the shout out to Standing Rock at the end.

There are additional verses not included in this version of the song and, in the podcast, Buffy says she's going to record a longer version of the song so let's hope it's included on the new album she's currently recording in her home studio.

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