‘Castles in the Air’
The term ‘Castles in the Air’ appears in many works of poetry, long form literature and song, from the late 18th century to today.
Perhaps the most famous song version in contemporary popular culture is American singer/songwriter Don McLean’s version from 1970. It is also the title of a British fantasy-dystopia novel for young adults by Diana Wynne-Jones published in 1990. On a more local note, the Sydney band ‘The Hoodoo Gurus’ had a hit with a song called ‘Castles in the Air’ in 1998. None of these contemporary pop songs has the same tune as our 19th century tune from Rouse Hill Estate, but the idea remains the same.
This version of the song with words by James Ballantine and music by Robert Adams was very popular in Australia from the mid-1850s to the 1890s. The Rouse Hill Estate version is an early printing by the Sydney music publisher and retailer J.R Clarke. The National Library of Australia holds many copies of this song, with local publishers in Sydney and Melbourne as well as imported copies from Britain.
Watch the performance
Listen to Luke Byrne introduce and perform ‘Castles in the Air’ and then have a go yourself! We have added other versions to inspire you further.
This video was recorded at home in 2020 during a COVID-19 lockdown.
1:48
3:05
Supported by: City of Sydney
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