Song to the Siren (1970) – Tim Buckley

In 2019, around the early days of my Music Library Project I wrote an article about a scarcely known Australian movie called Candy starring Heath ledger and Abbie Cornish. Tim Buckley’s Song to the Siren features prominently in it; once at the beginning of the movie with Paula Arundell’s stunning version (seen at the end of this post with scenes from the movie) and Tim Buckley’s original at the end. In that article I mentioned Tim Buckley’s version briefly, but it didn’t do him justice. It felt like a duty to devote an entire piece to his rendition – so here we are today.

Saying this movie and song linger deep within my psyche would be an understatement. Song to the Siren ranks among the greatest ballads I’ve ever heard. I don’t know how to listen to this song without tears welling-up. Before diving into more details about the song and its creators, I invite you to first read these beautifully crafted words by Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett:

Long afloat on shipless oceans
I did all my best to smile
’til your singing eyes and fingers
Drew me loving to your isle

And you sang:
“Sail to me
Sail to me
Let me enfold you
Here I am
Here I am
Waiting to hold you”

Did I dream you dreamed about me?
Were you hare when I was fox?
Now my foolish boat is leaning
Broken lovelorn on your rocks

For you sing:
“Touch me not
Touch me not
Come back tomorrow
O my heart
O my heart
Shies from the sorrow”

I am puzzled as the oyster
I am troubled as the tide:
Should I stand amid your breakers?
Should I lie with death, my bride?

Hear me sing:
“Swim to me
Swim to me
Let me enfold you
Here I am
Here I am
Waiting to hold you”

Song to the Siren was released in 1970, on Tim’s album ‘Starsailor’. In tune with the “sailor” theme of the album, revolving around voyages, the song is heavily based on the mythical figure of Sirens, as seen in Homer´s “The Odyssey“. It beggars belief that Tim Buckley known for pioneering new sounds like he did in Lorca, tragically passed away without finding commercial success in his lifetime.

The following was extracted from the Wikipedia reference below:
Pat Boone was the first to release a recording of the song when it was featured on his 1969 album Departure, predating Buckley’s album. The song has become perhaps Buckley’s most famous due to a number of artists covering the song after his death in 1975.

Song to the Siren was written in 1967, but Buckley was dissatisfied with early attempts at recording it. It would finally appear on his album Starsailor three years later. In 1968, Buckley first performed the song solo in its original folk song style as a guest star on the series finale of The Monkees as seen below.

Lyricist Larry Beckett recalled to Uncut of Tim Buckley:
“I only saw him actually compose to my lyrics once, and it was ‘Song To The Siren.’ He looked at that page, which had only taken me a few minutes to write, days before, and started playing and singing the song as if it was already written. He made some minor adjustments and it was complete. We were astonished.“

Buckley and Beckett regarded this song as their greatest collaboration, with Beckett later stating “It’s a perfect match of melody and lyrics. There was some kind of uncanny connection between us.”

References:
1. A Little Known Australian Movie called ‘Candy’ and Tim Buckley’s ‘Song to the Siren’ – Observation Blogger
2. Song to the Siren – Wikipedia
3. Tim Buckley – Wikipedia