Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson guests on Ophelia, the new single from The Eden House singer Louise Patricia Crane. Ophelia is the third single taken from Crane's upcoming debut album Deep Blue, which will be released on Peculiar Doll Records on May 15.
"He was a dream to work with on this," says Crane. "He asked me for my lyrics, so he could get a feel for my emotions I was going for, and I find that his haunting flute on this song really does take it somewhere otherwordly."
Ophelia is based on the titular Shakespearean character and inspired by Sir John Everett Millais' painting of the same name. You can watch the new video in full below.
"For years I've been fascinated by Millais' rendering of Ophelia", says Crane, "I find the Pre-Raphaelites so alluring with their depictions of classic scenes from literature and legends, married with lush verdant scenery. When I was writing in my notebook for this album I became fixated on old flower books, engravings, how flowers once carried meaning.
"The botanical obsession is clear throughout my writing on the album! A few years ago, I'd just moved to Cambridge and I took a day to go around the London art galleries with a friend. To finally see Millais' Ophelia in the flesh for the first time was really quite breath-taking. The sadness in her glassy eyes, the placement of the flowers around her. The delicate lace of her dress. This balance of the romantic and the macabre is really alluring to me.
"When writing for this song I explored the meaning behind the flowers that surround Millais' Ophelia. The forget-me-nots stood out, to me they were a key feature of this piece. They carry their meaning in the name."
As well as Ian Anderson, Deep Blue also features guest appearances from King Crimson vocalist and guitarist Jakko Jakszyk and Pentangle and John Martyn bassist Danny Thompson.
