Fatshaudi commissioned works

We commissioned a range of musicians to create new compositions for our Dream Feast program, part of Vivid Food 2026. One of the musicians, Fatshaudi (Brisbane-based producer Rachael Ryan), shares her experience below.

My songs ‘In all my memories’ and ‘Running to you’ were developed in response to sheet music held in the Caroline Simpson Library Collection. I was particularly drawn to the sincerity and tenderness of the poetry in the romantic ballads ‘’Tis true we’ve lov’d together’ and ‘Don’t you remember love’. These works express longing, devotion, memory and companionship in ways that still feel familiar today. Rather than re-creating these archival songs, I reimagined their sentiment in the present day through the inclusion of contemporary experiences such as phone calls and bonding over internet music discoveries, creating a dialogue between historical expressions of romance and the ways intimacy is experienced and communicated today.

‘’Tis true we’ve lov’d together’ ballad

Words by R C B, music by J F Poulter, 1830s
Caroline Simpson Library Collection, Museums of History NSW
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‘’Tis true we’ve lov’d together, For many changing years, 
That we’ve shar’d each others sorrows, And wept each others tears 
Ours is no transient fleeting love, Which like the rainbow plays, 
That wreaths the memory just as long, As it enchants the gaze, 
’Tis true we’ve lov’d together, For many changing years, 
That we’ve shared each others sorrows, and wept each others tears 
Our passion is no sun born flower, A moment brings to light 
That wastes its bloom in one brief day, And withers in a night. 
But love hath wordless melody, An eloquence no tongue, 
Can ere express in human breath, Or sing in sweetest song, 
’Tis true we’ve lov’d together, for many changing years, 
That we’ve shared each others sorrows, And wept each others tears 

‘Don’t you remember love’

Poetry and melody by James Worrell, arranged by G Conran, c1848
Caroline Simpson Library Collection, Museums of History NSW 
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Don’t you remember love, The day when I first met you, 
’Twas in the hawthorn glen love, Where the crimson poppies grew 
There I whisper’d the sweets of love, So charming and entrancing, 
That sly Cupid would have blush’d love, Had he met your eyes so blue 
Oh don’t you remember love, The day when I first met you 
’Twas in the hawthorn glen love, Where the crimson poppies grew. 
Oh don’t you remember love, The day when I first met you 
’Twas in the hawthorn glen love, Where the crimson poppies grew. 
Thy cheeks are like the poppies love, Thy eyes the violets blue;
Thy breath the scented lily love, Thy teeth the pearly dew; 
Oh rapture how entrancing love, those sparkling eyes so blue; 
I shall bless the day we met love, Where the crimson poppies grew. 
Oh don’t you remember love, The day when I first met you, 
’Twas in the hawthorn glen love, Where the crimson poppies grew; 
Oh don’t you remember love, The day when I first met you, 
’Twas in the hawthorn glen love, Where the crimson poppies grew. 

‘In all my memories’

Words and music by Fatshaudi, 2026. © Fatshaudi

Hold on
To every word you say
Like magic
You make everything okay
I like knowing
You’re just a phone call away 
Dancing alone, happy and
Without a care
In the world
Just as long as
I’m your girl
I close my eyes
And I see you
In all my memories
And the whole world
Feels like it’s full
Of possibility
Can’t wait to run
Into your arms
When I see you again
And I’ll make sure
To hold you close
Until the very end
Do you remember
How we were on our first date
I’ve been thinking
’Bout how much our lives have changed
When I’m with you
Time just seems to slip away
But we’ve got our whole lives, to share and
It doesn’t matter
What we do
Stick together
Like glue
I close my eyes
And I see you
In all my memories
And the whole world
Feels like it’s full
Of possibility

‘Running to you’

Words and music by Fatshaudi, 2026. © Fatshaudi 

Pick up your hand and rest it on my knee
This has all happened so quickly
I didn’t know that you lived on my street
Maybe some things are just meant to be
Running, to you
Running, to you
Running, to you
Running, to you
I liked you from the second that we met
’Cos of songs we found on the internet
Fell in love making a duet
Can we stick together till the end
Running, to you
Running, to you
Running, to you
Running, to you
It’s fun to stay up talking through the night
Made it to sunrise for the second time
Open the window to the morning sky
I like to see the world through your eyes
Running, to you
Running, to you
Running, to you
Running, to you

‘Crescent moon’

Words and music by Fatshaudi, 2026. © Fatshaudi  

Lay on my bed halfway undressed
Chin on hand and knees bent
Thoughts circling in my head
Looking through letters that I’ve been sent
Boxes of trinkets
And photos of my old friends
Crescent moon
In the sky
Oh you know
What it’s like
To stay awake while the city sleeps
And get some distance from everything
When it gets dark I like to believe
That you will always be here with me
Switch on my karaoke machine
And flick through my CDs
To practise my singing 
These songs bring back long-lost memories 
Of sleepovers and dance routines
Little girls with big dreams
Crescent moon
In the sky
Oh you know
What it’s like
To stay awake while the city sleeps
And get some distance from everything
When it gets dark I like to believe
That you will always be here with me