LISTEN: Charity song ‘Let Nature Sing’ debuts on UK singles chart
“Let Nature Sing” comprises two and a half minutes of pure birdsong, featuring 25 of Britain’s most endangered bird species.
Blackbirds, robins, woodpeckers and warblers are among the song’s guest vocalists, each recorded between 2016 and January 2019. It was put together by Bill Barclay, the music director at Shakespeare’s Globe, and British folk singer Sam Lee.
According to the Official Charts Company, “Let Nature Sing” ranked at number 11 of the midweek United Kingdom singles chart, which also features new music from Stormzy, Taylor Swift and Lil Nas X.
The song’s popularity is not entirely surprising. Data shows that birdsong is among Britons’ most popular alarm tone, after the traditional beep. In a recent poll undertaken by YouGov, 82 percent of respondents said birdsong made them feel positive.
The track is an initiative of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which aims at raising awareness about the ongoing extinction crisis of birds.
“Since 1966, we have lost more than 44m birds in the U.K. alone,” said RSPB’s South-East Regional Director Nic Scothern to the Guardian.
“The U.K. is one of the world’s most nature-deprived countries, which is truly shocking. We know that culture can inspire action, so, by using that, together with the power of humans’ inherent connection to nature, we can achieve something remarkable,” she added. JB
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