From Neil Young to Nirvana: Songs inspired by the northern lights
As they gracefully dance across the night sky, the northern lights – the aurora borealis – defy basic characterisation. The explosion of extraordinary hues, including gold, green, purple, and pink, looks the way certain music sounds, like a slice of melodious spectacle and a dazzling meteoric display.
The northern lights can be glimpsed in places close to the Earth’s poles, like Scandinavia, Canada, and Alaska. But the best view frequents spots near the magnetic poles with excellent weather. Iceland is a hotspot for lovers of the lights with its breathtaking landscapes and clear skies, while Norway’s Lofoten Islands and Finland’s Lapland region are also famous for their incredible displays of the aurora borealis.
While most cultures view the lights as nothing more than a wondrous spectacle, many indigenous cultures believe the aurora borealis to be a manifestation of spiritual beings or ancestors, with legends and folklore passed down through generations to explain their existence. For some, witnessing the northern lights is considered a spiritual experience, imbued with a sense of awe and reverence for the natural world.
For musicians, the mesmerising light show serves as a powerful muse, inspiring reflections on everything from romantic entanglements to profound spiritual encounters. Take St. Vincent, for example, who drew upon the northern lights as a metaphor for contemplating life’s uncertainties. In her song, ‘Northern Lights’, she looks upon the aurora borealis and interprets it as a symbol of impending apocalypse.
There’s a complex sense of fatal contemplation as she sings the poetic words: “It’s a champagne year full of sober months / Through my maudlin days, through my dry moments / I saw the northern, northern lights / Convinced it was the end of times / I saw the northern, northern lights.”
A more straight-forward inclusion of the concept of the northern lights is in Neil Young’s song ‘Pocahontas’, which begins with an ethereal image depicting the display to set the scene: “Aurora borealis/The icy sky at night/Paddles cut the water/In a long and hurried flight.” While the rest of the song thematically explores the tragedy and loneliness of modern prejudice.
Skilled wordsmith Joni Mitchell also alluded to the Lights in her song ‘Little Green’, comparing the beauty of the luminous display to an unforgettable concert experience as she sings, “Like the nights when the northern lights perform”. Even Kurt Cobain found inspiration in the impressive colours when he penned ‘Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow’, proving his prowess in seamlessly referencing the display within a categorically abstract composition.
Songs inspired by the northern lights:
- Joni Mitchell – ‘Little Green’
- Nirvana – ‘Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow’
- Renaissance – ‘Northern Lights’
- Neil Young – ‘Pocahontas’
- St. Vincent – ‘Northern Lights’
- Fred Astaire – ‘You’re All the World to Me’
- Meat Puppets – ‘Aurora ‘Borealis’
- Frank Zappa – ‘Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow’
