The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #73954   Message #1287034
Posted By: GUEST,Alan Ross
02-Oct-04 - 06:04 PM
Thread Name: Origins: The Highland Road - Scottish song
Subject: RE: Origins: The Highland Road - Scottish song
Having looked at the dates of the author, style of poem, locations mentioned in it etc. I am now pretty certain there is no connection between this and my father's song of the same name. 'The Highland Road' by Stewart Ross was too modern [1965] and in the Kenneth McKellar or Andy Stewart style - so would not have inspired the poem. My father would not have been inspired either by the poem, and it seems to be just a co-incidence that one part of a line comes out virtually the same. The Highland Road is a commonly used inspiration in Scotland for music and poetry. It refers to a long road which passes through various parts of the Highlands. It gave my father the chance to throw in numerous references to heather, moor, mountains, glens. place names etc. as he was singing and recording for the tourists - in the cliched style of the time. Corny - but heck it's still on national compilations and was never meant to be high art!