The Ghost Of Christmas: This Mortal Coil, “I Come And Stand At Every Door”

The amorphous This Mortal Coil project spearheaded by 4AD founder Ivo Watts–Russell and John Fryer produced a trilogy of albums containing some of the most melancholic and hauntingly beautiful music you will ever hear. Drawn from a well of mostly obscure psychedelic folk from the 60s and 70s as well as instrumental segues and passages that are performed by a rotating cast of musicians on the 4AD roster as well as friends of the label, This Mortal Coil redefined dark music while becoming a bedrock for future generations. One of the most striking numbers is “I Come And Stand At Every Door,” a folk interpretation of Turkish poet Nâzım Hikmet‘s poem “Kız Çocuğu” that was made popular by The Byrds on their album Fifth Dimension in 1966. The poem and song present  recollections from the ghost of a seven-year-old girl killed in the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This Mortal Coil’s rendition appeared on their final album, 1991s Blood, and is sung by Louise Rutkowski. All three albums in the series have recently been reissued by 4AD.

Tagged as: 1991, 4AD Records, Ivo Watts-Russell, John Fryer, Louise Rutowski, Nâzım Hikmet, The Byrds, The Ghost Of Christmas, This Mortal Coil