I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever (#1)
Last modified: 01 Oct 2001
Artist: Delirious?
Label: Furious Records
Date: Oct 2001
And The Singing Goes On (Part 1)
Surprise and intrigue are nothing that unusual in the Delirious? camp - after all, this particular bunch of five hot heads have been doing the business at the shiny end of the charts for over five years - but things have been getting just that little bit more fascinating of late. OK, so there have been the usual 'oohs' and 'aahs' over recent releases, with fans praising the summer's album 'Audiolesson Over?' as the band's most adventurous yet, but news is on the way out of a forthcoming release that might just get tongues wagging even more. On December 10th Furious? Records will be releasing a song that a few of you might well have heard of before: 'I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever'.
For the die-hard anoraks who've followed the band's success over recent years, 'I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever' rings serious bells. Originally recorded as a midfield workhorse for their debut recording, the track became a solid favourite overnight. Well, not quite overnight: in the distant days of 1994 the band was very much a small time concern. Gigs were in local halls, tapes were sold out of the boot of the drummer's Cavalier and successful gigs were celebrated by the means of a bulk order of egg fried rice paid for out of the band's kitty.
So why release something so obviously then right now? It's not nostalgia, creative drought or wayward artistic sensibilities: for Delirious? the plot behind 'I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever' is as genuine as they come. Re-recorded to be the cornerstone of a forthcoming Best Of compilation, the song has taken on a whole new lease of life. Where the original wore its heart on its sleeve and made little attempt to fool anyone otherwise, this latest version is a whole generation further on. 'It was amazing' says Stu G, 'to end up with a song that is so familiar but recorded in a way that sounds so fresh.'
The magic ingredient seems to be a healthy dose of the Grant Choir. Adding tonnes of soul to the closing sections of the song, their vocals perfectly compliment the more brooding beginning created by the band. When all's done 'I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever' has ended up as genuine, as uplifting and as pertinent a song as Delirious have ever recorded. It's living proof that great songs exist beyond their recordings.