‘Suzanne and I’: Anna Calvi’s stirring recreation of ‘My Winnipeg’
For those already aware, the Mercury Prize-nominated virtuoso guitarist and singer-songwriter Anna Calvi has always been recognised for the cinematic quality of her music. Scorching hot tracks like ‘Black Out’ seep their way into your system like a drug and could easily slot themselves into the legendary catalogue of James Bond theme tunes. However, Calvi’s inspirations and references have always been far more understated.
Calvi has worked on various projects over the years, including the behemoth of the upcoming Peaky Blinders original film soundtrack—in fact, the musician has been working on anything and everything other than recording an album—but one stand-out piece of work that remains throughout her discography is ‘Suzanne and I.’
Legendary musician and producer Brian Eno sang backing vocals on this track, the arrangement an all-blazing, tangerine-speckled sunset driving through a canyon. Calvi told The Guardian that she drew on My Winnipeg, a surrealist-inflected feature film about director Guy Maddin’s home town, for this track. She explained: “There’s a film called My Winnipeg about a guy who really wants to leave a town, but he can’t because everyone keeps falling asleep. It’s a really dreamlike film with surreal images of frozen horses in white snow. I had that in mind when I wrote ‘Suzanne and I’.”
Her vocals, at times reminiscent of PJ Harvey, Siouxsie Sioux, and at other times Edith Piaf, are a sultry, slow burn undulating between hushed, barely-there whispers and fearless, theatrical outcries. Calvi claims it’s the first and only time a film has inspired her in such a profound way. She has previously cited Gus Vant Sant’s My Own Private Idaho as one of her favourites, but only My Winnipeg has made her put pen to paper. She has also been influenced in a visual way by a number of different mediums over the years, including art and painting, and strives to create music that fully envelops her listeners.
She explained: “I’ve always been drawn to the visual side of creativity. I’ve always painted – I nearly went to art school. It definitely affects the way that I write because I really see music as well as hear it, and I always try to make sure that the music is telling a story as much as the lyrics are.”
Following the release of her 2018 album Hunter, known for its epic ballads and blossoming chord progressions, Calvi has been pushing full steam ahead with her work on Peaky Blinders, releasing an EP in 2022 entitled Tommy, a collection of songs inspired by the fictional arc of the show’s lead Tommy Shelby. The EP, Calvi’s latest release to date, also featured covers of Nick Cave’s ‘Red Right Hand’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘All the Tired Horses’.
Calvi has also announced her collaboration with visionary theatre director Robert Wilson in a re-telling of the classic American novel Moby Dick. Taking to Instagram, she posted a statement sharing her excitement: “I am excited to announce that I have collaborated again with the acclaimed and iconic theatre director Robert Wilson our new opera Moby Dick. It was an honour to write the songs for this epic novel by Herman Melville and for it to be our second opera collaboration after The Sandman in 2017.” The première took place on September 7th at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus and will continue to be performed until February 2025.
In the 13 years since she released her self-titled debut album, the singer has reached a rarefied level of critical acclaim, bewitching her devoted fans, press and critics alike, her soothing vocals and guitar work crafting a lullabied blend of dark romance and atmospheric pop, solidifying her as one of the UK’s most beloved and memorable artists.
