Nicholas Rodney Drake died in 1974 at the age of 26. Though his death was never officially ruled an accident or suicide, Nick suffered from crippling depression and spent the large part of his later life in a state of psychosis. He ultimately overdosed on antidepressants. As an artist, he was too anxious to perform live and would walk offstage mid-set when forced to get up in front of a crowd. Though he is now recognized as one of the greatest folk talents to ever live, he had great difficulty reaching audiences while he was alive, and never achieved any significant level of popularity, furthering his depression. Ultimately, Nick left us with three albums, each of which is perfect in its own remarkable way.
I first came across Nick Drake my Sophomore year of college (much to my poor roommate Devin’s chagrin, as I never turned him off), after watching Zach Braff’s “Garden State”. The film contained the song “One Of These Things First”, from his second album “Bryter Later”. I thought it was the most beautiful song I had ever heard. Back then, streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music weren’t on most folks’ radar. So I called my mom and asked her for an early Christmas gift: Nick Drake’s full discography on iTunes. Having no idea who he was, she probably thought I was insane, but I insisted that I absolutely must have all three records (which I could not afford). She bought them for me. Without them, I don’t know how I would have gotten through the years to come.
Nick’s final album, “Pink Moon”, was recorded while he was battling the worst of his psychosis. His producer claims that he was is such a poor state that he couldn’t even play the guitar and sing at the same time. This being the same man that played every song in perfect time with bizarre open tunings and otherworldly finger picking patterns, his voice perfectly tuned at all times in his earlier recording sessions. In fact, the album hadn’t even been planned. Nick called his producer up in the middle of the night and asked him to meet him at the studio. Luckily, he obliged to this odd request, otherwise a third album never would have been made. Nick retreated home to his parents after the album’s release where he would spend the rest of his life until his passing, living on a meager 20 British Pounds a week from his record deal. The last song on the masterpiece that is “Pink Moon” is called “From the Morning”. Seemingly a send-off to us all, drawing beauty from the dark and depressed, if not hope. In its own strange way, it is a sliver of light in an otherwise remarkably sad album. Something that I think we could all use at this current juncture.
I think the thing that sticks with me most about Nick is something that his sister said in a documentary. Something along the lines of “if he just knew that his music helped one single person get through, it would all have been worth it.” And so, Nick Drake, this is my thank you. This is my telling you that you helped this young man get through his most brutal and dark days in his younger years. This is my telling you that you continue to help me get through all of my days, whether dark or bright, cold or warm. Thank you for getting me through, and thank you for inspiring countless artists, and comforting countless souls with your talent.

*I recorded this song in the summer of 2018 in mine and Jacki’s apartment in Holyoke, MA. If you listen closely you can hear a car passing by, as we had to keep our windows open at all times during a vicious heatwave. I happened to stumble upon it about a month ago while recording my next album, which I’ll annoy you with in Spring 2021. I then sent it over to my wonderful producer Jon Sanders, who brought it to life with some magic and TLC.