The Raven

The Alan Parsons Project

About The Raven

"The Raven" is a 1975 song by the Alan Parsons Project from their album Tales of Mystery and Imagination, and first song of the band. The song is based on the Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same name; the song was written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, and was originally recorded in April 1975, at Mama Jo's Studio, North Hollywood, Los Angeles and Abbey Road Studios, London. It was one of the first rock songs to use a vocoder, developed by EMS, to distort vocals. It is also one of the few songs by the band featuring the vocals of Alan Parsons, who sings the first verse through the EMI vocoder. Actor Leonard Whiting performs the lead vocals for the remainder of the song, with Eric Woolfson and a choir as backing vocals. The single appeared on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart peaking at #80 in October 1976. The 1987 reissued version of the song contains a guitar solo near the end, before the "Quoth the Raven"/"Nevermore, nevermore, nevermore, never!" refrains and a few licks between the lyrics. 


Year:
1997
4:08
69 

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The clock struck midnight
And through my sleeping
I heard a tapping at my door
I looked but nothing lay in the darkness
And so I turned inside once more
To my amazement
There stood a raven
Whose shadow hung above my door
Then through the darkness
It spoke that one word
That I shall hear forever more
Nevermore
Thus quoth the raven, nevermore
And still the raven remains in my room
No matter how much I implore
No words can soothe him
No prayer remove him
And I must hear for evermore
Quoth the raven, nevermore
Thus quoth the raven
Nevermore

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The Alan Parsons Project

The Alan Parsons Project was an English progressive rock band, active between 1975 and 1990, consisting of singer Eric Woolfson and keyboardist Alan Parsons surrounded by a varying number of session musicians. more »

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Written by: ALAN PARSONS, ERIC NORMAN WOOLFSON

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Artist
"The Raven" is a song originally composed by The Alan Parsons Project, a British rock group which was active from 1975 to 1990. Alan Parsons, a key member of the band, was a famous audio engineer who worked on notable albums such as The Beatles' "Abbey Road" and Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon."
Album
The Alan Parsons Project released "The Raven" as part of their debut album, "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" in 1976. The album was a concept album with songs based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe.
Lyrics
The lyrics of "The Raven" are heavily influenced by the poem of the same name by the legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe. The poem narrates a man's descent into madness following a talking raven's repeated utterance of the word, "nevermore".
Song Characteristic
"The Raven" was the first song ever to use a digital vocoder to create a robot-like voice effect, thus marking a significant milestone in the history of rock music.
Cover Version
The musical group Gregorian, known for their 'Gregorian chant' style of music, performed an enchanting version of "The Raven." This cover version is considered unique due to the Gregorian chanting style, contrasting to the original electronic rock version.
Technical Aspects
In 1987, "The Raven" was re-mixed for the album "The Best of The Alan Parsons Project," and Eric Woolfson provided a new vocal track. Woolfson was an original member of The Alan Parsons Project and had contributed as a vocalist on the original track.
Alan Parson Solo Version
Alan Parsons released yet another version of "The Raven" on his 2004 solo album, "A Valid Path." This interpretation featured the collaboration with other artists and was broadly classified under progressive electronica music.
Song Reception
"The Raven," although not the most commercially successful song, is considered one of The Alan Parsons Project's signature songs, being frequently played at their concerts, and continues to enjoy popularity among fans.
Music Video
The spooky atmosphere created in the original "Raven" video was well-suited to its dark theme, featuring a flying raven and visuals inspired by Poe's works. These gothic elements added a thrilling element to the song.
Other Versions
Besides Gregorian and Alan Parsons himself, many other artists and bands have covered "The Raven", thus attesting to its popularity and influence in rock music.

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    The Raven

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    Top Hot 100 Songs 1976

    Billboard #80


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