Yesterday I was concerned that I might not be able to find very many songs about the number 3. I was actually proved wrong and a great selection was achieved but today those worries have returned. I cannot think of single song in which the number 4 appears in the title. So off we go to the research to see I am going to be proved wrong again.
“Four Strong Winds” is a song written by Ian Tyson and recorded by Canadian folk duo Ian and Sylvia. Tyson has noted that he composed the song in about 20 minutes in his then manager Albert Grossman’s New York apartment in 1961. A significant composition of the early 1960’s folk revival, the song is a melancholy reflection on a failing romantic relationship. The singer expresses a desire for a possible reunion in a new place in the future but acknowledges the likelihood that the relationship is over. The song has a clear Canadian context and subtext, including an explicit mention of the province Alberta as well as references to long, cold winters. It is considered the unofficial anthem of Alberta. Neil Young recorded the song for his 1978 album Comes a Time, with harmony vocals from Nicolette Larson. It has received significant airplay over classic rock radio stations and has become part of Young’s concert repertoire, including featured performances during Young’s yearly appearances at Farm Aid benefit concert.
“The House of Four Doors” is a track from In Search of the Lost Chord, the third album by The Moody Blues, released in July 1968 on the Deram label. In Search of the Lost Chord is a concept album around a broad theme of quest and discovery, including world exploration, music and philosophy through the ages. The latter eing the theme of the “House of Four Doors”.
“Four Sticks” is a song by Led Zeppelin from their 1971 forth album. The title reflects drummer John Bonham’s performance with two sets of two drumsticks. The song was difficult to record, and required more takes than usual. John Paul Jones played a VCS3 synthesizer on the track. The song has an unusual time signature, featuring riffs in a mixture of 5/8 and 6/8. Only one live performance has been identified – in Copenhagen on their 1971 European tour – and preserved on some bootleg recordings.
“Four Letter Word” is the fourth single from the Kim Wilde album Close. It was released at the end of 1988—the year that had seen Wilde release a best-selling album, have four international hits and support Michael Jackson on the European leg of his world tour. The song marked the first occasion in Wilde’s then eight-year career where she released a straight ballad as a single. It also marked her last release of a song written by her father and brother (who had written the majority of her early hits together). It became her third consecutive UK Top 10 single from “Close”, reaching number 6.
“4 in the Morning” is a song by American singer Gwen Stefani from her second studio album The Sweet Escape (2006). It was written by Stefani and co-written and produced by Tony Kanal. Interscope Records serviced the song to US contemporary hit radio in May 2007, as the album’s third single; elsewhere it was released in June 2007. Described as one of her favourite songs on the album, Stefani began writing the song while pregnant and finished with Kanal, drawing inspiration from Roberta Flack and Billy Idol records.
“Four Love Songs” is an unreleased song by an English singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding and something of an unrecognised gem. It written around the release of her 2010 album Brights Lights but has so not found its way into a official release.
