SONG OF THE DAY
“The Cave” by Mumford & Sons (Sign No More, Island Records/ Glassnote Records, 2009).
INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– “The Cave” is the third single by London folk quartet, Mumford & Sons released from their debut album, Sigh No More.
– It was released in the UK on 1 March 2010.
– It was the second single in the US, after “Little Lion Man”.
– Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy Blog gave the song a positive review stating: “Mumford & Sons were something of a weird folksy sting in the tail of 2009. Of all the guitar groups doing the rounds, they wouldn’t have been many people’s prediction for chart success. Nevertheless, BBC and commercial radio alike fell in love with the hooky “Little Lion Man” and follow-up “Winter Winds”, propelling the band’s debut album Sigh No More to gold status and into the public consciousness. Now, third single “The Cave” finds Marcus Mumford and mates trying to keep that momentum going. In truth, it’s not as catchy as either of the singles that came before, despite ploughing the same charming folk-rock furrow. With the genre often demanding Holden Caulfield levels of authenticity, some critics may well question the band’s beardy credentials, but that’s their loss. On its own terms, “The Cave” is a solid bit of hope-filled jangle-pop (“And I’ll find strength in pain / And I will change my ways”) with a pleasing enough mix of twang and swoon to convert a few more music fans to the Mumford cause.”
– “The Cave” first entered the Australian Singles Chart on 12 February 2010, almost a month before its release, placing at #81 in Triple J Hottest 100. The song has currently peaked at #31 making it Mumford & Sons’s second single to make an impact on the Australian Singles Chart.
– On 19 February 2010 “The Cave” debuted at #43 on the Irish Singles Chart, making it Mumford & Sons’s second single to make an impact on the Irish Chart. The following week the single climbed to #29, and on 5 March 2010, “The Cave” reached a new peak of #20, beating “Little Lion Man’s” peak placement of #21. “The Cave” then debuted in the Irish Top 10 on 26 March 2010 at #10.
– “The Cave” first entered the UK Singles Chart on 7 February 2010, at #88. The following week, the single climbed 18 places to #70 and then climbed a further 7 to #63. The single then climbed to #51, and on 7 March 2010, following the physical release of “The Cave”, the single climbed to #37, making it Mumford & Sons second Top 40 hit in the UK. Despite climbing to a peak of #26 on the UK iTunes Chart, the single remained at a fixed position of #37 for three weeks. On 28 March 2010 the single climbed 5 places to #32, where it remained for two weeks. On 11 April 2010, the single climbed 1 place to a current peak of #31.
– Marcus Mumford is an English lead singer of Mercury Prize-nominated band Mumford & Sons. He plays the guitar, drums and mandolin with the band.
– Marcus was born on January 31, 1987 in Anaheim, California. His family (who are all English) moved back to England when he was six months old.
– He attended King’s College School in Wimbledon where he met fellow band member Ben Lovett.
– He went on to study classics in the University of Edinburgh but returned to London to focus on his music career soon after. It was in Edinburgh that he penned most of Mumford and Sons debut album, Sigh No More.
– He began his musical career playing drums for Laura Marling on tour, along with the other current members of Mumford and Sons. It was through touring with Laura and playing impromptu gigs of his early writing they decided to set up the band.
– Marcus Mumford is heavily influenced by the lyrical talents of Joel Charles Clayton.
– In his spare time Marcus has a book club on the Mumford & Sons website. He writes “book reports” about the books he is currently reading and encourages others to add and or give suggestions for other books.
– He is in a relationship with Laura Marling.
– His parents John and Eleanor Mumford lead the Vineyard Church network.