Elizabeth Fraser reveals her absolute favorite song
(Image credit: Far Out / Alamy)
When you press play on any Cocteau Twins song, you know it’s them – not just because of their distinctive reverb-drenched guitars or their extensive use of a drum machine, but also because of Elizabeth Fraser’s otherworldly vocals. The singer truly embodies her dream-pop label, her vocals so ethereal you could only hear them in the distant echo of a dream.
Fraser joined the band at 17, and the following year the Cocteau Twins reached perhaps the most impressive milestone for a group – the release of their first album. Garlands was released in 1982 and sonically followed the tradition of gothic rock artists of the time such as The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees. But the band was anything but a departure; instead, they demonstrated a unique talent for combining dark and mysterious guitars with Fraser’s hypnotic voice, which she often distorted and warped to sound frightened, ghostly, or simply incomprehensible.
Cocteau Twins established themselves as one of the most influential alternative bands of the 80s and early 90s with albums such as Victoria Land And Heaven or Las Vegas. But, incredible as it may sound, Fraser had never seen herself as a singer before Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie asked her to join their band. But as soon as she said yes, her life changed forever. The singer’s ability to immerse herself in each song and give herself completely to it with whatever was required – be it operatic drama, animalistic wails or tender melodies – made the Cocteau Twins unforgettable.
For Fraser, singing became very personal. She often sang abstract words and sounds, creating meaning and emotion from every sound she could conjure. When she wasn’t doing that, she picked words out of foreign language books and felt more comfortable singing words she didn’t understand and instead giving them her own meaning. She reached deep into the depths of her soul and brought out raw emotion.
There is definitely a sense of vulnerability in many of her performances, a quality that Fraser deeply admires and has always felt inspired by. In 1993, she told Melody Maker about her admiration for Nina Simone, whose “vulnerable” nature has always fascinated her. “I’ve learned so much about her through her stuff,” Fraser explained. “She’s so vulnerable. And I can really relate to that. A lot of her songs are about being fallible. She’s a really troubled person. And troubled people are attracted to each other. I guess that’s why I’m attracted to her. We’ve both had tough lives. She’s relatable.”
It’s no surprise, then, that Fraser chose one of Simone’s songs as her absolute favorite – “Wild Is The Wind.” The song is from her album of the same name and is not an original composition by Simone – it was penned by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington – but her interpretation is one of the most famous. Originally recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1957, Simone’s version was released in 1966 and is simply beautiful. Simone’s voice is full of emotion and quiet power, and moves through the song with such effortless sensitivity that you wonder how a person could be blessed with such an amazing voice.
Fraser added: “Especially the live version; this live version that I have is just fucking, I don’t know, I just don’t have the vocabulary. I listen to Nina Simone mostly when I’m really down. The better I feel, the more I can relate to her.” Although Simone sang with much more coherence than Fraser most of the time, it’s clear that the Cocteau Twins singer was inspired by how Simone could use her voice and fill it with so much passion.
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