I Talk to the Wind

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"I Talk to the Wind"
Song by King Crimson
from the album In the Court of the Crimson King
Released12 October 1969 (1969-10-12)
Recorded29 July 1969
Genre
Length6:05
LabelAtlantic
Composer(s)Ian McDonald
Lyricist(s)Peter Sinfield
Producer(s)King Crimson

"I Talk to the Wind" is the second track from the British progressive rock band King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969).

Starting immediately after the cacophony that ends "21st Century Schizoid Man", the mood of this song is a stark contrast; it is serene, simple and peaceful. Ian McDonald's flute begins the song, and is one of the lead instruments throughout.[3] He also plays a classical-inspired solo in the middle of the song as a "C" section and a longer one at the end as a coda.

An earlier demo version of this song may be found on the now out-of-print LP A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson, which featured Robert Fripp (guitar), Peter Giles (bass), Michael Giles (drums), and Ian McDonald (flute), along with Judy Dyble (formerly of Fairport Convention) on vocals.[4] This version was more up-tempo and lighter in instrumentation. The Young Person's Guide recording and another demo of the same song were recorded in 1968 by Giles, Giles and Fripp. However, the song did not actually appear on a Giles, Giles and Fripp record until The Brondesbury Tapes (1968) was released on CD in 2002.[5] There are actually two recordings of "I Talk to the Wind" on this CD; one features vocals by Judy Dyble, and the other features vocals by Peter Giles.

Personnel[edit]

Opus III version[edit]

"I Talk to the Wind"
Single by Opus III
from the album Mind Fruit
B-side"Sea People"
Released15 June 1992 (1992-06-15)[6]
Studio
  • Fluffy Trees
  • PWL
  • The Bunker
Genre
Length4:06
LabelPWL International
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Opus III
Opus III singles chronology
"It's a Fine Day"
(1992) 		"I Talk to the Wind"
(1992) 		"When You Made the Mountain"
(1994)
Music video
"I Talk to the Wind" on YouTube

In 1992, the song was covered by English electronic music group Opus III, whose lead vocalist was Kirsty Hawkshaw. It was released in June 1992 by PWL International as the follow-up to their successful "It's a Fine Day" and the second single from their debut album, Mind Fruit (1992). The single peaked at number six in Finland, number 52 in the United Kingdom and number 162 in Australia. The accompanying music video for "I Talk to the Wind" is similar to the video for "It's a Fine Day", featuring Hawkshaw with her head shaved and dressed in a silvery bodysuit with silver boots and silver make-up.

Critical reception[edit]

AllMusic editor MacKenzie Wilson felt the group's "crafty version" of King Crimson's "I Talk to the Wind" "composes a dreamy synthetic wave." He also noted Kirsty Hawkshaw's "dove-like vocals transcended into freewheeling soundscapes".[7] Randy Clark from Cashbox wrote that her "childlike and breathy voice blows through this dance track like a gentle breeze."[8] Dave Simpson from Melody Maker viewed it as "another sublime reinvention".[9] Andy Beevers from Music Week opined that the song is similar in style to "It's a Fine Day", "but is nowhere as special."[10] Roger Morton from NME praised it as "excellent".[11] Siân Pattenden from Smash Hits gave it two out of five, remarking that "the flutes whisper along merrily with the bubbly syntheramic background".[12]

Track listings[edit]

  • Europe 7-inch single (1992)
  1. "I Talk to the Wind" (edit) – 4:06
  2. "Sea People" – 6:00
  • UK 12-inch single (1992)
  1. "I Talk to the Wind" (extended mix) – 6:11
  2. "Sea People" – 5:33
  • UK CD single (1992)
  1. "I Talk to the Wind" (edit) – 4:06
  2. "I Talk to the Wind" (12-inch extended mix) – 6:11
  3. "Sea People" – 6:00

Charts[edit]

Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) 162
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 88
Finland (IFPI)[14] 6
UK Singles (OCC) 52
UK Dance (Music Week)[15] 48

References[edit]

  1. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "I Talk to the Wind – King Crimson | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  2. ^ Murphy, Sean (28 March 2017). "The 100 Best Classic Progressive Rock Songs: Part 3, 60–41". PopMatters. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  3. ^ "From the Court to Foreigner – The Story of Ian McDonald". The Music Court. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Young Person's Guide to King Crimson (I Talk to the Wind)". Judy Dyble. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  5. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Giles, Giles & Fripp". All Music. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  6. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 13 June 1992. p. 17.
  7. ^ Wilson, MacKenzie. "Opus III – Mind Fruit". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  8. ^ Clark, Randy (31 October 1992). "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. p. 5. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  9. ^ Simpson, Dave (18 July 1992). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 30. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  10. ^ Beevers, Andy (13 June 1992). "Dance" (PDF). Music Week. p. 6. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  11. ^ Morton, Roger (18 July 1992). "Long Play". NME. p. 34. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  12. ^ Pattenden, Siân (10 June 1992). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 55. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. 18 July 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 29. 18 July 1992. p. 14. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  15. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 27 June 1992. p. 22. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
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