"One Great Thing" (Big Country cover, vocals only)
8,881
Published 2018-12-25
Part 1 is here: • Why Stuart Adamson was the greatest s...
Also, if you enjoy unconventional Big Country covers like this, be sure to check out my remake of "The Crossing" here: • "The Crossing" (Big Country cover) - ...
Like many Stuart Adamson (Big Country) songs, "One Great Thing" (1986) was a huge hit in the UK but didn't quite make it across the pond to the USA.
I was once told that the mark of a great song is if you can strip it down to just the vocal melody, and if it still flies you've got gold. The original version is full band rocker, so I decided to strip it down to just 4 voices. Suddenly you realize how incredible a songwriter Stu was, as this rocker is just as easily presented as a deep spiritual. RIP Stuart Adamson, you mastermind.
Lyrics:
ONE GREAT THING
by Stuart Adamson and Tony Butler, 1986
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
If there’s one great day, if there’s one great height
Let it be the time for peace, let it be the time of right
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
I’ve seen too much of what fighting has done
I’ve seen too much anger and I’ve seen it far too young
And talk will come to nothing
While the shouting still goes on
But we are only singers
And too many songs are sung
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
If there’s one great day, if there’s one great height
Let it be the time for peace, let it be the time of right
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
I’ve seen the way of martyrs
and I’ve seen the way of kings
I’ve seen the hope that love can bring
I only hope what pleases me will also pleasure you
For mine can never be the hands that make a dream come true
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
If there’s one great day, if there’s one great height
Let it be the time for peace, let it be the time of right
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
I’ve seen too much of what fighting has done
I’ve seen too much anger and I’ve seen it far too young
I’ve seen the way of martyrs
and I’ve seen the way of kings
I’ve seen the hope that love can bring
I only hope what pleases me will also pleasure you
For mine can never be the hands that make a dream come true
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
If there’s one great day, if there’s one great height
Let it be the time for peace, let it be the time of right
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
If there’s one great day, if there’s one great height
Let it be the time for peace, let it be the time of right
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
If there’s one great day, if there’s one great height
Let it be the time for peace, let it be the time of right
If there’s one great thing
To happen in my life
All Comments (21)
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Your arrangements and beautiful voice really bring forth attention to Stuart's words, which are otherwise kind of vying for attention with his blazing tunes. But you stripped away the music, and laid bare the emotion, and gave new meaning to his lyrics in ways I hadn't considered before.
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7.9K views for this is an absolute traversty…
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How many times can we hit LIKE?? Doesn't matter....we just hit like 100 x plus!!!!
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I'm so glad I clicked on part 2. Very beautiful. Breaks my heart. Breaks it and I miss him more times than I can count. So much of what Stuart wrote kept me afloat even though I ran aground.
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Totally surprised by this interpretation. Hauntingly beautiful!
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Beautiful!! Incredibly well done!!!
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This is genuinely a great quality reinterpretation of a very good song. It allows the meaning of the lyrics to come through..
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Heartbreaking... but full of soul.
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wow, a beauty job my friend, a very nice surprise . I think the boys would love this.
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Great job, you do Stuart and even Tony justice here, love how you interspersed bits of "In A Big Country" in there too! Stay alive!
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Just shared this on Barb's FB page...this is nothing short of truly AMAZING!!!!! Suz & Barb
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I like that ! Well done.
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I hope you do more treatments of Big Country like this, so please do my friend.
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Pure Perfection!!!!! Suzanne & Barbara
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Come up screaming
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wow
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Beautiful. Please tell us more about yourself. I've always thought Stuart's lyrics scan well as he is almost poetical in his style - a book of these was published about 20 or more years ago and it is an enjoyable read in its own right. Will you be recording any more versions of the great man's work?
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Thank you for this.
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Philosophical questionn: can we ever make peace? (or is it inevitable that we are haunted by our transgressions, and the echo of anger, or fighting forever?)
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John lewis Christmas ad right there 👍
