Nick Drake only produced three albums during his lifetime — over the course of just over two years. So we will spend another day on his first album, Five Leaves Left. It is probably my least favorite of his albums, because I just don’t care that much for the production. That is not to say that it ruins the album. I love the album! But the next two are better.

Today, we are going to listen to “Cello Song.” It’s a remarkably upbeat song. It appears to be sung to the sun. And it includes such a positive image at the end: “And if one day you should see me in the crowd; lend a hand and lift me to your place in the cloud.” I suppose there are those who would like to interpret it as a desire for death. I get very tired of tendencies to create a single narrative for people’s lives — especially for people as complicated as Nick Drake.