Promenade (The Divine Comedy album)
Promenade is the third album by Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 1994 on Setanta Records. Background. Recording. "Promenade", like its predecessor, "Liberation", was recorded by frontman Neil Hannon and co-producer Darren Allison, with the addition of a string quartet, as well as oboe/cor anglais courtesy of Joby Talbot, thus marking Talbot's first appearance with the band. Talbot would go on to become the arranger for most of the Divine Comedy's post-"Casanova" work, even co-writing two of the band's songs. Concept. One recurring element in "Promenade  is water, mentioned in one way or another in the songs Bath", "A Seafood Song", "Geronimo", "The Summerhouse", "Neptune's Daughter" and "Tonight We Fly". The North Sea, itself, even plays a part in the album: producer Darren Allison made field recordings at North Blyth and Druridge Bay on the Northumberland Coast, which can be heard at the beginning of "Bath" and again in "Neptune's Daughter". Another recurring element is gods from Greek and Roman mythology: specifically, Aphrodite ("Bath"), Mercury ("Going Downhill Fast") and Neptune ("Neptune's Daughter"). Composition. "Promenade" is "a concept album about two lovers at the  sea". The album's style is even more classical-influenced than its predecessor, "Liberation". The string arrangements are reminiscent of the works of Michael Nyman, with whom the Divine Comedy would later collaborate. Hannon once said that after attending one of Nyman's performances he went up to the composer, handed him a copy of "Promenade", and jokingly said, "You can sue me if you like." Years later, Nyman said he did not remember the incident, but said he felt more "flattered than ripped off." References. "Promenade" is even more overtly literary than "Liberation". It opens with a quote from  Isaac Watts' hymn "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past" and ends with a quote from John Dryden's translation of one of Horace's odes (which is also sung as the chorus of "The Booklovers"). "The Booklovers" is a list of over seventy different authors. References to French New Wave cinema occur in two of the songs. "When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe" alludes to François Truffaut's "Jules et Jim", contains excerpts of dialogue from Jean-Luc Godard's "À Bout de Souffle" and contains the line "and when she asks for his ambition, Jean-Pierre  replies 'My mission is to become eternal and to die'", describing a scene in "À Bout de Souffle" in which a novelist character played by Jean-Pierre Melville replies "devenir immortel et puis, mourir". This song also contains a reference to Éric Rohmer's "Claire's Knee". "The Booklovers" contains the line "Tu connais William Faulkner?", also a quote from "À Bout de Souffle". The title of "When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe" alludes to the famous World War I quote "The lamps are going out all over Europe" by British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey. Reception. Neil  Hannon used to send all of his albums to American singer-songwriter Scott Walker, of whom Hannon is a very big fan. After Hannon sent Walker a copy of "Promenade", Walker sent him a letter back, stating that he particularly liked "The Booklovers". Track listing. All songs written and arranged by Neil Hannon 2020 Remaster Bonus Disc "Apropos Of Promenade" Personnel. Personnel per booklet. Musicians Production