Northern Lights (song)

"Northern Lights" is a song performed by the progressive rock band Renaissance, released in 1978 from their album A Song for All Seasons. It was the band's only hit single, reaching No. 10 on the UK singles chart.

Song information

"Northern Lights" entered the UK singles charts on 15 July 1978 and remained there for 11 weeks, peaking at No. 10. It was at No. 7 on Melody Maker's Top 30 Singles chart on 19 August 1978. Renaissance performed "Northern Lights" live on The Mike Douglas Show on 4 May 1978 in the U.S. The single was featured on Top of the Pops on 13 July 1978, and 10 August 1978. It was awarded a Silver disc on 1 September 1978 by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Lyrics

There is no actual reference to the Aurora Borealis in the lyrics; it is merely a play on words in the title. The first verse begins with: "Destination outward bound, I turn to see the northern lights behind the wing..." suggesting a different meaning. Songfacts.com quoted lead singer Annie Haslam as commenting:

Northern Lights

Northern lights is a common name for the Aurora Borealis (Polar Aurorae) in the Northern Hemisphere.

Northern Lights or Northern Light may also refer to:

Books

Films

The Golden Compass (film)

The Golden Compass is a 2007 British-American fantasy-adventure film based on Northern Lights, the first novel in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials. Directed by Chris Weitz, it stars Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Tom Courtenay, Christopher Lee, Nicole Kidman and Sam Elliott. The project was announced in February 2002, following the success of recent adaptations of other fantasy epics, but troubles over the script and the selection of a director caused significant delays. At US$180 million, it was one of New Line Cinema's most expensive projects ever, and its middling success in the USA contributed to New Line's February 2008 restructuring.

The story depicts the adventures of Lyra Belacqua, an orphan living in a parallel universe on a world that looks much like our own. In Lyra's world, a dogmatic ruling power called the Magisterium is conspiring to end tolerance and free inquiry. Poor, orphan, and Gyptian children are disappearing at the hands of a group the children call the Gobblers. When Lyra discovers that Mrs. Coulter is running the Gobblers, she flees. Rescued by the Gyptians, Lyra joins them on a trip to the far north, to the land of the armored polar bears, in search of the missing children.

Northern Lights (Northern Lights album)

Northern Lights is the self-titled debut album by the progressive bluegrass band Northern Lights, recorded in 1976 under the Revonah Records label.

Track listing

Personnel

References

External links