Hope Eyrie
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| Filksong | |
|---|---|
| Song Title: | Hope Eyrie (a.k.a. The Eagle Has Landed) |
| Composer: | Leslie Fish |
| Lyrics: | Leslie Fish |
| Melody: | original |
| Date: | 1969-75 |
| Subject: | Apollo 11 |
| Other: | |
| External Links: | |
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Hope Eyrie is a filksong by Leslie Fish. It speaks of the Apollo 11 landing as a feature of permanence and hope in our ever-changing lives and world.
It is reported that she started writing the song after watching the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and that it took six years to complete.[1]
Wikipedia summarises the popularity of this song:
Her song "Hope Eyrie" is regarded by some as being as close to the anthem of American science fiction fandom as is possible in such a disparate group.[2]
Filksong critics also praise the song:
Leslie Fish's song honoring the Apollo 11 mission; it embodies the hope of the space program. The anthem of filk singing. Always sung with respect and solemnity. Many filkers actually insist on standing at attention during this song.[3]
Leslie Fish speaks about the song:
...Which songs am I proudest of? Well, there are a lot of them, but I'd have to say that "Hope Eyrie" heads the list. It's gone the farthest and influenced the most people. Oh, the tales I could tell about that one -- how it came to be written, how it became the anthem of the fandom/pro-space movement, how it was translated into Polish, smuggled into Poland and became the underground anthem of Solidarnosc...[4]
Hope Eyrie won the "Pegasus Award" in 1984 for "Best original filksong.[5]
References
- ^ Mary Creasey, Random Factors, quoted on Leslie Fish website.
- ^ Leslie Fish (Wikipedia), last updated 14 November 2024.
- ^ Filk.com and DAG Production, Filking 101: The Folk Music of Science Fiction, 2007.
- ^ Mary Creasey (ed.), Excerpts from an autobiographical letter by Leslie Fish, Prometheus Music, Fall 1992
- ^ The Pegasus Awards