Song of the Day 10/11: Renaissance, “Northern Lights”

Thanks to an unusually strong solar flare, the aurora borealis made a rare appearance over Delaware last night. Fittingly, I suppose, “Northern Lights” was a rarity, too. It was the only track by British rock band Renaissance to reach the singles charts, and that was only in their native UK – a bit ironic, considering their cult following was centered in the Northeastern U.S.

Despite the bardcore-sounding name, a legacy of its founding by a couple of ex-Yardbirds in the late /60s as a folk/rock/classical hybrid, the classic Renaissance lineup played orchestral prog highlighting Annie Haslam’s vocals and John Tout’s keyboards. They had their greatest run of success in the mid-’70s under the management of Miles Copeland III, capped by this single, which reached No. 10 in the UK in 1978. The band tried adapting to changing times in the ’80s but drifted apart before, fittingly, going through a couple of resurrections. Haslam still leads a version of it today. She lives in Bucks County, Pa.

“Northern Lights” isn’t actually about the aurora, but rather Haslam’s breakup with Roy Wood of ELO and Wizzard after a four-year relationship.

In case you doubted its chops, the band played the tune live during its appearance on the Philadelphia-produced Mike Douglas Show.