Kurt Nilsen & Elin Gaustad: Water is Wide

I love this song. And also, incidentally, Kurt Nilsen. Elin Gaustad's new to me, but she's got a lovely voice too. =)

One of the things I get asked, (generally at work and whatnot), as a 'social, conversation-maker' type question is - so what sort of music do you like?

I tend to say I like quite a few different things... but if I mention 'folk' (which I know, I know, is a horribly broad category to use), all I get is totally blank looks.

People familiar with this song (which is still alive and well!), may not, in turn, realise that it's probably a Scottish folk song which has been sung in one form or another for the past 400 years. Scarborough Fair is another good example of a popular song that goes back to the 1600s or so, that isn't commonly identified as a folk song.

Scarborough Fair's particularly neat, because it's sung with the man asking the lady to win him back - which was really quite transgressive for the general period in which the song was written. For loads of interesting little details (and nuggets! ahem),have a look here. Grain of salt of course, since I'm 'quoting the intarwebz!'. Also, I don't think that site was the originator of the interesting information... but I can't find the original site anymore. Ohnoes. :(