Land of the Northern Lights

Written: 1984

Writers: David Jenneson, Alan Hovden

Status: Published and recorded by Terry Jacks.

Genre and Style: Pop

Comments: Dave: This is pure commercial pop telling the story of a young woman marooned in some frozen town in the far North isolated and grieving over her lost lover. The melody is strong and somewhat grand, and lyrically it has some inspired flights of imagery.

Comments: Al: Terry’s recording never captured this song… over-prduced but probably my fault as well as I brought the demo that way. I think it could have been a classic Terry Jacks/Canadian song and still could be.

She feels the wind

Remembers him

And walks along the cold streets

Under the northern lights

Across the sky

They say the ships from long ago

Still voyage to the Americas

Their sails blow wild in the electric wind

She’s in the land of the northern lights

They shine on top of the world and light the darkness

Over the arctic night

She’s hiding under the midnight sun

She’s far away from the one whose face is now

A ghost in the northern lights

She turns her head toward the bed

And sleeps beneath the cold sheets

Under the northern lights

And dreams of him and the summer wind.

She’s in the land of the northern lights

They shine on top of the world and light the darkness

Over the arctic night

She’s hiding under the midnight sun

She’s far away from the one whose face is now

A ghost in the northern lights