Ae Fond Kiss tops Burns songs poll For A' That

Published on Thursday 22 January 2009 21:09

SCOTSMAN readers have voted Ae Fond Kiss their favourite Burns song in an online poll.

The paper launched the survey in its Recommends supplement last week and readers were able to listen to a selection of 20 of the Bard's finest songs before clicking on the one they liked best on www.scotsman.com.

Perhaps surprisingly, Burns's Hogmanay anthem Auld Lang Syne only slipped in at fifth place, with 9 per cent of voters choosing it as their top Burns song. Scots Wha Hae scooped 10 per cent of the vote, and O My Luve's Like a Red, Red Rose was in third place, with 17 per cent of votes cast.

Runner up was A Man's A Man For A' That (20 per cent) and the winning song, Ae Fond Kiss, romped home with nearly a quarter of the vote, or 24 per cent.

Dr Fred Freeman, producer of the 13-volume series, The Complete Songs of Robert Burns for Linn Records, described the winning song as "a somewhat sentimental piece" in his original notes on the 20 choices. He added, however, that the love song was redeemed by its haunting melody.

Commenting on our poll results, Dr Freeman added: "In some ways it is entirely predictable, if a little disappointing, that the general public have voted songs like Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation, Ye Banks and Braes o Bonie Doon and My Heart's In The Highlands as their favourites. That is akin to creaming off a great artist's best selling tunes for a greatest hits CD.

"This divide in opinion is like asking Jimi Hendrix today what his favourite songs are, and his answers would be considerably different to what his fans would say. That is because, as the artist, he would know better than anyone how he played, and what the inference of each different chord was."

But Dr Freeman added: "It is heartening to see that some of the lesser known songs – in my view, the better material – start to creep in at the bottom end of the top ten.

"Bonie Wee Thing is an excellent Burns song that people would not have known before, which in my opinion is infinitely better than the first seven in this poll. It is one of Burns' finest love songs, drawing a simple contrast between his delicate appreciation of the lass, Deborah Davies of Tenby, and his unrequited passions."

The song in second place, A Man's A Man for A' That, was chosen to be performed at the reopening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. It was described by Dr Freeman as "probably Burns' most famous composition of equality and universal brotherhood". Of the song voted third, O My Luve's Like a Red, Red Rose, Dr Freeman said: "(This] is a prime example of Burns' notion of "ballad simplicity" with its use of monosyllables and simple repeated rhetorical patterns to make his most direct, and most famous, statement about romantic love."

To marks Burns' 250th anniversary on Sunday, every copy of The Scotsman tomorrow has a free CD containing eight of Burns' finest songs. Colin Cook, the artist liaison officer at Linn Records, which has produced the CD, said: "It is interesting to look at the split in the votes over the top five songs.

"I am not surprised that Auld Lang Syne comes in at number five. I guess it is more of a song that people identify with globally, rather than something pertaining specifically to Burns.

"Ae Fond Kiss is a popular song so, again, it's no surprise to me that this has come up trumps."

Prince backs celebrations with tribute to the bard

PRINCE Charles has paid tribute to Robert Burns' 250th birthday by reciting two of the Bard's best-known poems for a major new archive of his work.

His backing for the Homecoming celebrations came as it emerged almost 3,000 Burns Suppers were now signed up to take part.

A host of big names have also been confirmed for the official gala Burns Supper at Alloway, the Ayrshire birthplace of the poet, that First Minister Alex Salmond is hosting on Saturday.

The prince recorded his take of My Luve Is Like A Red Red Rose and My Heart Is In The Highlands at Dumfries House in Ayrshire earlier this week. Robbie Coltrane, Robert Carlyle, Alan Cumming and Bill Paterson have helped create a new online record of Burns's work, to be launched by the BBC on Sunday.

The centrepiece Burns Supper of the Homecoming celebrations will feature performances by singers and musicians Sandi Thom, Karen Matheson, Karine Polwart, James Grant and Roddy Hart.