The singer Paul Weller barely believed was human: “Where the fuck did that come from?”
A core principle of the punk scene that gave rise to Paul Weller and The Jam during the 1970s was the idea that anybody could form a band, provided they knew three chords and had something to say. Nevertheless, some of Weller’s key influences boasted a sound that was beyond imitation; otherworldly to an almost inhuman level.
It doesn’t take a gifted musicologist to deduce the key influences that Weller has harboured throughout his years. During the days of The Jam, for instance, their righteous youthful anger owed itself to the mod rock stylings of the 1960s, with groups like The Kinks and The Beatles leading the charge, much to the chagrin of Weller’s punk peers. Then, when his output evolved into The Style Council, it was the expansive realm of soul that occupied the largest part of his subconscious.
As for the illustrious solo career of ‘the Modfather’, his prevailing influences aren’t quite as cut and dry. He has, after all, explored a vast array of different sounds over the past three decades, stretching from sun-soaked lowrider soul to old-school R&B and even some harks back to his upbringing in the shadow of punk. Particularly in recent years, though, the influence of folk music has been pretty unavoidable, owed largely to the songwriter’s obsession with Nick Drake.
Those gentle acoustic tones with which Nick Drake’s sound is inseparably linked perhaps don’t lend themselves naturally to the image of Paul Weller. As his discography has matured, however, the songwriter’s most intimate, vulnerable efforts have marked notable highlights within his solo work. Despite his ever-expanding interest in the folk realm, though, Drake’s talents remain indecipherable for Weller.
Citing Drake’s second LP, Bryter Layter, as one of his all-time favourite albums during a chat with The Quietus, the songwriter heaped praise on the once-under-appreciated folk hero. “Bryter Layter just has great pop songs,” he shared. “Great playing as well. It’s a shame that he never caught people’s attention at the time. I think he was disappointed that he didn’t get the acclaim.”
“He’s such a one-off, just the sound of his voice and the tunes are very unique.”
Paul Weller on Nick Drake
Seemingly, a core part of Weller’s adoration for Nick Drake comes from that unique nature; nobody, even those who dedicate their existence to following in Drake’s footsteps, can truly create the same sound as the folk singer.
“Did you ever hear the record that they put out of his mum singing? It was funny,” Weller continued, highlighting 2011’s Molly Drake, compiled from home recordings from Nick Drake’s childhood home.
“I always think with Nick Drake that it’s like, ‘Where the fuck did that come from?’” Weller said, “It’s a little bit folk, but it isn’t really folk, there’s a bit of Donovan in there, but there isn’t really.”
According to Weller, it was Molly Drake who gave audiences the answer to Nick Drake’s otherworldly output. “And then I heard a home recording of his mum singing on the piano and thought, ‘Ah, that’s it…’ It must be something in the genes.”
So, although Nick Drake has been a constant source of inspiration for Weller, particularly during his more recent years, the songwriter is all too aware that he will never truly be able to evoke the same emotive mastery as the folk singer. Indeed, perhaps that is an inherent part of Drake’s appeal in the first place.
