SHE MOVED THROUGH THE FAIR (1963) by Anne Briggs

[ashliesify]

shes fanaastic

[sidDkid87]

Beautiful.

[ElComadreja777]

I for one am very proud of my Saxon blood.

[deeboi2007]

@ElComadreja777 nothing wrong with that. You should always be proud no matter who you are

[Grayivan]

Um... Wow.

[Gluepack]

I was lucky enough to play in the house band at the Ipswich folk club and Anne lived in the area for a while. She often used to sing at the club and accompany us to gigs at pubs and clubs around the area. She was a young, beautiful, fragile woman with a hell of a voice, the true beauty of which was more apparent in live sessions than in the recording studio. To listen to her talk was often as beautiful as listening to her sing.

[SquiSac01]

does any<bodz know any good medieval movie with this kind of feeling :P ??

[gary1076]

Wow! Just amazing!!!

[susansharpsongs]

Wow, awesome version of this song. 

[WhoIsJimHardiman]

Wunderful voice and very touching collection of great pictures. I'm deeply impressed.

[shinypink69]

Having explored through several different versions of this song, (several of which were quite nice), this strikes me as the very best one. Breathtaking.

[Nataliarayac]

Her voice is something else, regardless of everything.

[ecureuil85]

This is beautiful. The simplest versions sung with love are the best.

[jaddajn1]

2 people don't know shit from clay

[deathwarmedup73]

been through a bunch of excellent versions of this tonight but this somehow hits the mark more than the others.

[katkrazy1000]

This song is amazing and completely beautiful with an eerie edge that sends shivers down my spine. Try 'The Band Played Waltzing Matilda' sung by June Tabor

[purplebanana1000]

@MegaPaddyo *Sung*

[purplebanana1000]

@MegaPaddyo Yes, it is a beautiful Irish song sang by a talented English woman.

[purplebanana1000]

Beautiful Irish song.

[TheBones1234]

Its great that people can sing like this ? I get the feeling Anne does not sing so much now. But would you like to be a fly on Anne Briggs wall ?

[cesare58]

Great singer. Only too sad she quit.

[stagethyme7]

I remember seeing her at The Troubadour in London (1970?), I think she sang every song she knew. She had on jeans and those long leather boots she used to wear. It was one of the most mesmerizing "concerts" I ever saw. She had a voice of magic and of angels.

[Owdfolkie]

Richard Thompson's 'Beeswing' is said to have at least been inspired by Anne Briggs, if not actually about her...

[buewgewstmeiers]

she was really beautiful

[FENNYMAN]

Speechless......... :)

[edgluhrs]

I've heard many versions. This is it.

[szcox]

I first heard Anne Briggs when I was about 11 yrs of age in the early 60's. I heard her singing in her prime for quite a while...I am sure that she is STILL in her prime as far as singing goes. A GREAT singer, and always an inspiration!

[michaelpiatnekmccoy]

This is the first I've heard of Anne Briggs. I grew up with Sandy Denny and Maddy Prior. Thank you for the prequel. I will listen to her work.

[ida1690]

this is wonderful ,great song great singer

[conrad152]

Thank you wilsonmcphert, for uploading this song. The beautiful photographs you use in the video enhances the song,very poetic,very beautiful.

[DottyWang]

"Anne Briggs' entire recorded output consists of about 30 songs" I have fifty-two - perhaps the writer means pure folk, as distinct from composed work..

[Yehudittx]

@irelephant Except then she made 2 LPs of self-penned "singer-songwriter" kind of songs. Which whoever encouraged her to do that instead of more trad music should be run out of town. Or, maybe it was her idea.

[b00i00d]

Thank you for posting this and for the lovely info!!!! Love that song and love her voice!

[ocserfal]

This is well sung, but this version butchers the song, partially omitting the most beautiful lines:

She stepped away from me, and she moved through the fair,

And fondly I watched her move here and move there

And then she turned homeward, with one star awake,

Like the swan in the evening moves over the lake.

[TheCompleteGuitarist]

@ocserfal I think it's worth considering that folk songs evolve over the thousand years or so that they have been being sung. I am sure that this one is not that old but everything changes as it is passed from one generation to the next.

[DaveBTHunt]

@ocserfal yes there's a chunk missing....something of a downer.

[msrennafire]

What a voice, what a legacy - you stopped when you pleased, Annie Briggs, and I'm glad you sang.

[greenmudbug]

I am an American with Welsh and Irish roots and am proud of it. The music that Anne sings allows me to discover where I came from and her voice stirs my soul to it's very core. God bless her and all the love her music. By the way, I am from Texas and as hard headed as any a Welshman there be.

[snoopy12464]

Anouke79

I don't need others to appreciate our musical heritage for me,I appreciate it more than most. Maybe you misread my message.Anyway this recording is the most beautiful version that I know of one of the most beautiful songs ever.

[AnnihilatingAngel]

Gorgeous beyond words.

[snoopy12464]

ZeNotRussian.I am a native Brit and I agree with you,we sadly do not appreciate our great musical heritage, glad that you do. As for Anne Briggs and this song, they were made for each other. Heaven on Earth

[Anouke79]

@snoopy12464 Don't worry, others appreciate it for you hehe :)

[MissPandora1967]

Sublime..just beautiful ..thanks Sophie ;)

[ZeNotRussian]

@MissPandora1967 Have to say that is the great pity that some English stop being proud of the own culture in now days. I am from Caucasus live in UK ,i discovered sincere beauty of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish folk songs. Wish people, particularly native one, have a urge to re-connect with their roots.

[edwards21416]

@ZeNotRussian About time we connected, i'll say everything is racsist when you say what you want to say about what we the British are loosing folk singers cant even get that into songs so what chance do the people of these Islands have.

[danensis1]

@ZeNotRussian

It doesn't help that the BBC are slowly destoying regional folk-music programmes one by one. A few years ago they took Henry Ayrton off Radio Humberside, and at Christmas the brilliant Folkwaves programme was scrapped.

[Sylaq]

@danensis1 Couldn't agree more. The BBC seem to have a deep rooted mistrust of anything indigenously English. I know this because I used to work for them and experienced it first hand.

[AaranAardvark]

@ZeNotRussian There is a very strong movement in England and all parts of the UK to connect with our folk music/ traditional roots. I suggest you catch some of the festivals, pub singers nights and folk clubs that abound all over the UK, seek and ye shall find in abundance!

[Deebemc]

@ZeNotRussian This is the finest British folk voice in modern times.....(Jeanie Robertson apart)....have loved hearing similar acapella voices from around Europe. As one jazz great once said, "all music is folk music....music for the people"......

[odanak100]

@ZeNotRussian truer words never spoken. Remain defiant to the culture rapists

[pixiesean999]

@ZeNotRussian It's Irish, not English...

[femmepop]

@ZeNotRussian This is an Irish folk song.

[scruttles]

Thank you Anne. Thank you.

[Maguirearch]

This song was written by Patrick Collum From ( Longford ?) Ireland...The Melody is supposedly much older...and I am unsure if any one know who composed it

[irishjanet]

sends shivers up my spine

[caferive]

Beautiful, simple, pure....perfect...!!!

[sheajg]

wow so beautifull! at 1:15

[greenmudbug]

When I hear Anne sing I am taken back to a more simple and innocent time in my life that I miss very much. She gives me back my youth for just a moment like no other artist can do. God bless Anne Briggs, an Angel from God.

[2112studdard]

Her voice almost moves me to tears every time I hear it. Like an angel.

[captstrang]

"Anne Briggs' entire recorded output consists of about 30 songs" - puts me in mind of robert johnson

[billyscottbrandt]

I like this...check out the American Routes Documentary..

[viking1au]

Fabulous that she appears in Part 1 of the Bert Jansch doco, Acoustic Routes, to be found on Youtube. She sings a Bert Jansch solo that she has previously recorded. (As had Bert.).Anne is remarkable & should have continued.

[robibm2003]

Fucking killed.

This is unfortunately a case of a singer sabotaging her own career because of insecurity. Too bad. This was phenomenal. Glad you posted this. I am a big fan of people like Frankie Armstrong and Maddy Prior but had never heard of Briggs. Going to have to explore her stuff.

[clean3]

@robibm2003 You seem to know a great deal about someone that you've 'never heard of'; Anne Briggs didn't want 'stardom' or anything that went with it.