By Maggie Kelly
Trigger warning: Mentions of Suicide and Depression
- Nick Drake (1948-1974): “An Enduring Genius”
A melancholic singer-songwriter I have a personal fascination with, Nick Drake was born in 1948 and brought up in rural England. Described as an “elegant, honest, and lost romantic,” Nick Drake was virtually unknown during his short 26 years of life and even shorter musical career. In fact, it wouldn’t be until over 30 years after his death that he would earn real recognition for his musical genius compacted into 3 short albums.
Withdrawn and quiet, Nick Drake grew up surrounded by music from his mother, Molly Drake, who had an undeniable and glaringly obvious influence on her son’s musical style. Once Nick Drake began doing various gigs around England, he caught the attention of Joe Boyd, a famous record producer, who saw the potential in Drake. Boyd offered him a full-time recording contract and wanted to create an album. To this offer, the introverted Drake simply replied, “Okay, sure.” This deal gave way to his debut album Five Leaves Left with intimate vocals and even more personal lyrics. However, Five Leaves Left would be poorly received by the public and the few live shows Drake played were sparingly attended and received apathetic and negative reviews. Drake’s following album, Bryter Layter, would meet the same fate as his debut album despite Bryter Layter being the singer’s attempt at creating a record the public would enjoy.
After two failed records and an aversion to playing live shows or sitting for interviews to promote his albums, Nick Drake was plunged into a deeper state of depression and social withdrawal. In 1970, Drake would give his final performance where he ultimately left the stage midway through a song and was never seen in the public eye again. Drake rarely left his apartment unless it was to buy drugs, but despite the perpetually dark state he found himself in, he was about to create his most brilliant work yet, Pink Moon. This short yet powerful record was made in just two days and was a stark contrast to his previous album. Unfortunately, the album’s timeless sound detached from the sound of the 70s would result in yet another commercial failure. This led to a roughly 2-year depressive episode that tragically ended in an overdose of anti-depressants in November of 1974.
Nick Drake’s music would only see mainstream success after Volkswagen featured his song, “Pink Moon” in a 1999 commercial. In the following years, the general public would also change their critical attitude to one of praise for each of his three albums, asserting Nick Drake was an overlooked musical genius. So how come Drake wasn’t recognized as a musical genius during his time? Even during Nick Drake’s career, his record label couldn’t pinpoint what was preventing his success, with their best bet being that Drake’s songs didn’t fit the typical 60s sound at the time. Others posit if he were American, he would have received fame as more simple composition and introspective lyrics were appreciated at the time. Regardless of the reason, Nick Drake eerily echoes his own future on track 9 of his debut album where he sings, “Fame is but a fruit tree / So very unsound / It can never flourish / Till it’s stalk is in the ground / So men of fame / Can never find a way / Till time has flown / Far from their dying day.”
- Ian Curtis (1956-1980): “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
Post-punk band inspired by the Sex Pistols that formed in 1976 in Manchester, England, Joy Division had a promising future. Unfortunately, during its short existence with the original four members, the band wouldn’t feel the success. Frontman Ian Curtis was 19 the year before Joy Division formed, working for the government and just married to Deborah Woodruff. Curtis struggled with depression throughout his life, and feeling inspired by artists such as David Bowie and The Velvet Underground, Curtis had gotten into the Manchester punk scene in hopes of making a musical escape from his mundane reality.
After a Sex Pistols show in 1976, some of Curtis’ friends he had met from the punk scene had formed a band and needed a lead singer to which Curtis enthusiastically became. The band was initially called Warsaw but would later change its name to Joy Division to avoid confusion with another band in the same scene. After playing various gigs, the band would release their first EP which is often regarded as an outlier from their more well-known post-punk sound. After this, they gained the attention of record label owner, Tony Wilson, who would help propel the band into stardom. However, just as the band began to rise, Ian Curtis’ health began to plummet. Curtis would experience his first seizure in 1978 and be diagnosed with epilepsy in the following year. Despite his deteriorating health, the band would collaborate with Martin Hannett to produce their most revered record, Unknown Pleasures, credited with largely defining the sound of the post-punk era.
Unknown Pleasures would send Joy Division to perform their first show overseas, but the pressures of touring took a toll on Curtis’ already dwindling health. By the time the band was about to release their second studio album, Closer, Ian Curtis was experiencing frequent seizures weekly, worsening depression, and the breakdown of his marriage. Just as the band was preparing to take on their first North American tour that gave the band its current fame, Ian Curtis would take his own life in May of 1980, at only 23 years old. After Curtis’ death, the remaining members would form another band, New Order, however bassist of Joy Division and New Order, Peter Hook, would go on to say that no group he has been a part of since Joy Division has felt the same, claiming it has always “lacked something.” On Curtis’ death, Hook remarks, “The great tragedy of Ian’s death was that all he really wanted was to be successful, and he missed it…by a week.”
- Connie Converse (1924 – Unknown): “A Roving Woman”
Although you still don’t hear her name often today, Connie Converse has been described as a pioneer for the singer-songwriter era and revered as a precursor to Bob Dylan. Originally from New Hampshire, Converse would drop out of college and move to New York City to pursue a career in music during the 1950s. Despite not growing up very musically, once Converse settled in Manhattan, she couldn’t help but absorb the inspiration and creativity surrounding her and she began “writing madly.” The musician would spend all her time writing songs of love, childhood, and experiences of being a woman. Although Connie Converse had some opportunities to promote and perform her music, the struggle to gain recognition became too overwhelming. Her innovative sound and lyricism, which marks her as revolutionary today, made her a peculiarity during her time.
Leaving for Michigan believing the New York City music scene had nothing more to offer her, Connie Converse worked as a secretary and then editor for a decade, without producing anymore music. The mundane routine began to weigh on her so significantly that she would eventually go on a sabbatical trip to London for 8 months. However, this trip would only prove to be beneficial to Converse for a short period of time before she decided to take another leap of faith in hopes of finding a better life. Converse allegedly wrote her friends and family letters detailing her continued dissatisfaction with her life and that she needed a fresh start. So, in August of 1974, Converse fled Michigan in her Volkswagen Beetle and successfully disappeared. She was never seen or heard from again. In the early 2000s, an old friend of Converse’s, Gene Deitch, would release various songs of Connie Converse on an album titled, How Sad, How Lovely. This album was listened to by thousands and although she is not widely known today, she has a dedicated and consistent fanbase who will keep her music and memory alive for years to come.