LAVENDER

EMI 1578 was an Australian 7" 45 RPM single with the single version of "Lavender" (3:40) on the a-side, backed with "Freaks." The same two songs were released as a single in Europe, Canada, and the US. (The UK 12" maxi-single (EMI 12MARIL 4) had the extended "Lavender Blue" on the a-side, with "Freaks" and "Lavender" on the flip side.)

Back in 1985, this single would've been an essential purchase for Marillion fans, as the version of "Lavender" is very different from the album version on Misplaced Childhood, while "Freaks" was a non-LP flip side.

It's pretty amazing that these two songs - - which are among Marillion's best four or five - - were originally released on the same single.

I became familiar with both tunes from their inclusion on Marillion's live The Thieving Magpie, and I had no idea that "Freaks" wasn't an album cut. After all, why would such a great song be left off the album? Maybe, since Misplaced Childhood is a concept album, the song just didn't fit the concept. A few years later, that Thieving Magpie version of "Freaks" was released as a single in the UK, becoming a minor hit.

"Freaks" describes a scenario in which young Thatcher-era social outsiders discover they're not alone. It reminds me a bit of Devo's "Through Being Cool" ("If you live in a small town, you might meet a dozen or two young alien types who step out and dare to declare: We're through being cool!"), but the small-town alien types in the Devo song take action against the straights, making "Through Being Cool" a fantasy. The social standing of the freaks in the Marillion song never changes, as lead singer and lyricist Fish is still repeating he refrain "stop staring at me" as the song fades. It's interesting to note that Fish doesn't overplay his hand by arguing that the freaks are facing some existential threat. It would've been easy to make this an "us-versus-them" song, and I'm sure it would've worked just fine. But instead we have a substantially more nuanced lyric which still sounds authentic today.

And then there's "Lavender." It's based on a folk song known as "Lavender's Blue," "Diddle, Diddle," or "The Kind Country Lovers." According to the Traditional Ballad Index at California State University - Fresno, the song was in existence in England before 1685. Half of the chorus lyrics of the Marillion song are taken from the traditional text, to which contemporary verses are added. In fact, the first verse refers to the folk song itself: "I heard the children singing... it seemed to be a song for you / the one I wanted to write for you." The single version only includes the first verse, which is reprised, in truncated form, as a coda. The music, as far as I know, was written by the band.

"Lavender" is endearing without ever threatening to get sappy. It's also very accessible, although no special effort seems to have been made to make it radio-friendly.

The fact that "Lavender"/"Freaks" is pop music (albeit prog-laced) has no bearing on my rating. It does, however, impact what works I compare it to. It might not rise to the level of best pop singles ever ("Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever," "I Get Around"/"Don't Worry Baby," "When Doves Cry"/"17 Days"), but "Lavender"/"Freaks" is nonetheless easily among the top 1% of all singles, at least in my opinion. However, in terms of the Prog Archives rating scale, I'm comparing "Lavender"/"Freaks" not to other singles, but to albums like Close to the Edge and Dark Side of the Moon. In that respect, it's very difficult (though not impossible, I'd suppose) to award five stars to a single.

So: "Lavender"/"Freaks" is a five-star single, and a four-star "album" on the Prog Archives scale. An essential part of any neo-prog collection, and recommended to any prog-rock fan.