- 2024-08-30
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MUSIC
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Frankie Archer Announces New EP “Pressure and Persuasion”, Premieres New Song “Barbara Allen” on BBC Radio 2
Northumbrian electro-folk singer-songwriter Frankie Archer has announced her upcoming EP “Pressure and Persuasion” will be released on October 4, 2024.
The EP comprises a 4-track and tells the stories of four women and girls from centuries past who navigate the same expectations that are put on women today. Produced by Frankie Archer and Jim Moray.
Frankie Archer said of the EP, "These stories tell of girlhood and womanhood. Pressures to behave, to speak, to look a certain way. To be attractive but not try too hard. To be chatty but not too opinionated. To be sexy but not a slut. To say ‘thank you’ to a creepy advance because it’s just a compliment. To smile when a man tells her to - because women shouldn’t look miserable, god forbid angry. To marry the right person. To support a man. To be a mother. To give their body in exchange for flattery and gifts. To be persuaded after saying ‘no’ because women should be nice and agreeable. Listen to the parallels between these stories from hundreds of years ago and womens’ experiences right now and think - what’s going on here and why can’t we move on?"- From the EP, she premiered a new song “Barbara Allen” on BBC Radio 2 The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe.
The song is the second single off of the EP, following “Lovely Joan” released back in April.
The track was written and produced by Frances Archer, with production by Jim Moray.
The accompanying music video was directed by Frankie Archer herself.
Frankie Archer said of the song, “It's about a mean, cruel-hearted woman (irony there). It’s 350+ years old but is dripping with the same expectation that’s laid onto women today.”
She continued, “Barbara Allen is summoned to the deathbed of John, a man she doesn’t really know, so he can tell her he loves her, and expect her to love him back. In some versions of the song he tries to guilt-trip her into it 'For I am sick, I’m very bad // One kiss from you will cure me.' Barbara rejects this random man and is branded ‘cruel-hearted’. In most versions she actually dies of sorrow the day after he does (often this is told as a warning to girls not to be so cruel).” -
She added, “In my telling of the song I explain that Barbara isn’t cruel, and John is actually a bit unreasonable for expecting her to - out of nowhere - immediately love him and kiss his dying mouth (grim) and heal him. 'It’s not for me to fix you, John', she says. The song definitely turned into a band song rather than a folk tune, but the lilting 6/8 hi-hat in the verses keeps the trad feel. I also (sacrilege) added a kind of pop chorus. A lot of trad songs don’t have choruses but this one needed it to reinforce over and over again the message: 'I don’t owe you anything / I didn’t ask for your attention / Lechery is not a compliment' - comments that our society was not ready to hear a woman say 350 years ago and still apparently struggles with today.”
Photo by Rob Irish - source : BBC Radio 2
