Barclay James Harvest, 'Galadriel': a 1971 song about the queen of Lórien

The successful works of fiction by British writer J.R.R. Tolkien have inspired a multitude of musical themes for many years.

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In the 1960s, various rock bands released songs related to episodes and characters from "The Hobbit," "The Lord of the Rings," and "The Silmarillion." These themes were recurrent in progressive rock and heavy metal bands. The epic scope of Tolkien's work inspired many of these songs, but some also approached them from a lyrical and intimate perspective.

On February 5, 1971, the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest released the album "Once Again." This work included four tracks. At the end of side one (when music was still released on cassette tapes), the fourth track was titled "Galadriel," the name of one of the most famous characters created by Tolkien: the Noldor queen of Lothlótien (also called Lórien), a realm made up primarily of Wood Elves (the Nandor), a branch of the Eldar who never reached the Undying Lands after the call of the Valar. If all this sounds like gibberish to you, I recommend reading "The Silmarillion," in which this story appears.

The original version of the song had an orchestral accompaniment. It was composed by John Lees and performed using John Lennon's Epiphone Casino. The song was a simple and beautiful love song that made no reference to any specific event in Tolkien's work:

In 1974, on his first album with the Polydor record label, titled "Live", Barclay James Harvest released this version of "Galadriel" recorded during a concert:

Barclay James Harvest disbanded in 1997, giving rise to two bands that carry on their legacy: Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd, with Les Holroyd at the helm, and Barclay James Harvest through the eyes of John Lees, featuring the composer of "Galadriel." A remastered version of "Once Again" was released in 2002, which included this version of "Galadriel" recorded in a quadraphonic mix in 1973:

In the following video, published by Noddy Guevara 16 years ago, we can see and hear John Lees performing this song at a concert in Holmfirth, England, on October 25, 2009:

Here you can read the lyrics to this song:

She comes up with the morning sun
And tells me life has just begun,
Oh what it is to be young!

And in the early evening light
She brings me flowers from the sun,
Oh what it is to be young!

And if you see her you will know
She's like a shadow
Falling softly on the snow.

And in the early evening light
She brings me flowers for the night,
Oh what it is to be young!

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Image: Grok.