Ed Harcourt

Biography

Edward Henry Richard Harcourt-Smith (born 14 August 1977) is an English singer-songwriter. To date, he has released ten studio albums, two EPs, and thirteen singles. His debut album, Here Be Monsters×Here Be Monsters25 June 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Something In My Eye3:412God Protect Your Soul5:273She Fell Into My Arms3:494Those Crimson Tears5:095Hanging With The Wrong Crowd3:416Apple Of My Eye4:047Beneath The Heart Of Darkness7:198Wind Through The Trees6:459Birds Fly Backwards3:3010Shanghai3:4911Like Only Lovers Can4:54, was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Prize. Since 2007, he has been writing for other artists, including Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Paloma Faith, and has performed with Marianne Faithfull and the Libertines. His music is influenced by Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Jeff Buckley, among others.

Career

Harcourt was born Edward Henry Richard Harcourt-Smith on 14 August 1977, in Wimbledon, London, England.[1] The youngest of three, Harcourt is the son of Maj. Charles Harcourt-Smith of the Life Guards and also a former diplomat, and his wife Sabrina, an art historian. Ed began to study piano at the age of nine and achieved grade 8 when he was 17. He declined the offer to study music, citing "the idea of having to analyze, dissect and everything [of one piece of music] would completely destroy any enjoyment".
Before going solo, Harcourt played the bass and keyboards for Snug, a band formed at school in the mid-1990s by Harcourt, James Deane, Ed Groves and Johnny Lewsley. The band recorded two albums and a handful of singles together before dissolving.
In 2000, Harcourt recorded his debut mini-album Maplewood×Maplewood13 November 2000 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Hanging With the Wrong Crowd3:352I’ve Become Misguided4:103Apple of My Eye3:094Attaboy Go Spin a Yarn4:055He’s Building a Swamp3:206Whistle of a Distant Train3:39 EP straight to a 4-track recorder at Wootton Manor. After signing with Heavenly Records and releasing Maplewood in November 2000, Harcourt recorded his debut studio album Here Be Monsters×Here Be Monsters25 June 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Something In My Eye3:412God Protect Your Soul5:273She Fell Into My Arms3:494Those Crimson Tears5:095Hanging With The Wrong Crowd3:416Apple Of My Eye4:047Beneath The Heart Of Darkness7:198Wind Through The Trees6:459Birds Fly Backwards3:3010Shanghai3:4911Like Only Lovers Can4:54 with producers Gil Norton and Tim Holmes. The album was released in June 2001, and charted on the UK Albums Chart at No. 84. One month after its release, the album was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Prize. He later described the period as "very strange for me, I was naive, I knew nothing. I was used to making music in my room, so it felt very odd being on stage". In the US he signed with Capitol Records.
Following the non-album single release of the Brian Wilson cover "Still I Dream of It×Still I Dream of It4 November 2002 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Still I Dream of It5:242The Ghosts Parade5:35" in October 2002, Harcourt recorded and released his second album From Every Sphere×From Every Sphere17 February 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Bittersweetheart4:322All of Your Days Will Be Blessed3:433Ghost Writer4:184The Birds Will Sing for Us4:275Sister Renee4:446Undertaker Strut3:427Bleed a River Deep4:488Jetsetter3:569Watching the Sun Come Up5:4610Fireflies Take Flight4:3811Metaphorically Yours4:4712From Every Sphere7:36 in February 2003. The album became his highest-charting release in the UK, peaking at No. 39. The album also performed moderately well across Europe, peaking at No. 6 in Sweden, No. 25 in Norway, and No. 103 in France. From Every Sphere also yielded his highest-charting single to date, "All of Your Days Will Be Blessed×All of Your Days Will Be Blessed3 February 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1All of Your Days Will Be Blessed3:462Coal Black Heart4:553Blackwoods Back Home7:45", at No. 35. A second single, "Watching the Sun Come Up×Watching the Sun Come Up19 May 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Watching the Sun Come Up4:212Sugarbomb3:083Paid to Get Drunk3:47", was less successful, peaking at No. 79. After a steady schedule of tour dates in the UK, Harcourt's third album, Strangers×Strangers13 September 2004 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1The Storm Is Coming4:512Born in the ’70s3:153This One’s for You4:504Strangers3:305Let Love Not Weigh Me Down4:196Something to Live For2:327The Trapdoor4:498The Music Box3:269Loneliness2:5410Open Book4:4011Kids (Rise From the Ashes)4:3112Black Dress3:18, was released in September 2004. The album peaked at No. 57 in the UK and at No. 7 in Sweden, and produced the singles "This One's for You", "Born in the '70s", and "Loneliness×Loneliness14 February 2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Loneliness2:542Epitaph2:17."
Through 2005 Harcourt played some live dates with a side-project he called Wild Boar. In August 2005, the B-sides and rarities compilation Elephant's Graveyard was released as a digital download. In the same year he performed at the annual Meltdown Festival in London, supporting the Brian Jonestown Massacre and joining the curator Patti Smith for a rendition of "Pissing in a River". He was also part of the ensemble that performed the William Blake inspired Songs of Innocence.
Harcourt's fourth album The Beautiful Lie×The Beautiful Lie5 June 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Whirlwind in D Minor3:582Visit From the Dead Dog3:033You Only Call Me When You're Drunk4:294The Last Cigarette3:305Shadowboxing3:236Late Night Partner4:407Revolution in the Heart4:218Until Tomorrow Then3:579Scatterbraine2:4710Rain on the Pretty Ones4:1811The Pristine Claw3:1912I Am the Drug3:3513Braille5:3314Good Friends Are Hard to Find3:55 was released in June 2006 to generally favourable reviews, with Allmusic describing the album as "an invigorating and frequently gorgeous affair, essential for old fans and a good place to start for newcomers." The album was not as successful on the UK charts, peaking at No. 97. The Beautiful Lie was co-produced with Jari Haapalainen, and features contributions from The Magic Numbers, who sing backing vocals on "Revolution in the Heart×Revolution in the Heart2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Revolution In The Heart4:25"; Graham Coxon, who plays guitar on first single "Visit from the Dead Dog×Visit From the Dead Dog29 May 2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Visit From the Dead Dog3:052The Distance Between3:11"; and Ed's wife Gita, who plays violin throughout and sings duet vocals on the track "Braille". He later described the release as "the bête noire of the albums".
Harcourt recorded several tracks with the French jazz trumpeter Erik Truffaz for the album Arkhangelsk, released in early 2007. He also performed live with Truffaz's group to promote the album. In October 2007, Harcourt released the compilation album Until Tomorrow Then: The Best of Ed Harcourt, collecting material from the first seven years of his recording career. With the release he completed his obligations with Heavenly/EMI and the contract was not renewed. As a consequence he stepped away from his solo career as he was "really bored and sick of myself and my music. I had tried for seven years to make it and break into the mainstream and it didn't happen".
In 2009, Harcourt signed with Dovecote Records in the United States to release The Beautiful Lie stateside, as well as his new EP Russian Roulette×Russian Roulette5 May 2009 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Russian Roulette5:432Sour Milk, Motheaten Silk3:573Black Feathers3:314Caterpillar4:105Creep Out of the Woodwork4:086Girl With the One Track Mind4:53 which appeared in May of that year. Also in 2009, Harcourt composed the original music for the soundtrack to the Donnie Darko sequel S. Darko. In early 2010, he wrote a song called "Isabel" for the SOS Children's Villages Emergency Relief Fund in Haiti.
Harcourt's fifth studio album Lustre×Lustre14 June 2010 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Lustre4:062Haywired4:183Church of No Religion4:544Heart of a Wolf4:165Do as I Say Not as I Do4:126Killed by the Morning Sun5:087Lachrymosity3:078A Secret Society4:359When the Lost Don't Want to Be Found4:1210So I've Been Told4:2311Fears of a Father5:54 was released on 14 June 2010, the first on his record label Piano Wolf Recordings. The album was produced by Ryan Hadlock at Bear Creek Studios.
In February 2013, Harcourt released the album Back into The Woods×Back Into the Woods9 January 2013 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1The Cusp & The Wane2:392Hey Little Bruiser4:203Wandering Eye4:324Murmur in My Heart4:425Back Into the Woods4:266Brothers and Sisters3:347The Pretty Girls3:038Last Will and Testament4:479The Man That Time Forgot4:17 through CCCLX, the new label set-up by his manager Sean Adams. It was recorded during a one-day session helmed by Pete Hutchings at the Abbey Road Studios and featured his wife Gita on violin and Arnulf Lindner (cello). The release was supported by a headlining tour around England.
In January 2014, Harcourt released Time of Dust, a six-track mini-album on CCCLX. It includes the duet "Come Into My Dreamland" with Kathryn Williams. In 2015 he performed the 17-minute piece "Restoration" for the Belgian charity MusicFund. It was inspired by the BBC documentary Our World: Saving Gaza's grand piano broadcast that featured the work of the charity.
In August 2016, Harcourt released his seventh solo album Furnaces×Furnaces19 August 2016 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Intro1:432The World Is On Fire6:003Loup Garou4:534Furnaces3:535Occupational Hazard4:296Nothing But a Bad Trip4:217You Give Me More Than Love5:388Dionysus4:219There Is a Light Below2:5010Last of Your Kind4:5611Immoral5:1112Antarctica4:36, produced by Flood. It was described as "gently apocalyptic pop with billowy choruses".

Live

Harcourt performed with Patti Smith and her band as well as Marianne Faithfull during the 2005 Meltdown Festival and her 2014 tour.
Harcourt opened for The Gutter Twins on their European tour in 2008, as well as joining the group on stage to play guitar on some songs, most notably on their appearance on Later... with Jools Holland, performing the single "Idle Hands.". In December 2013 Harcourt made a guest appearance with Laura Jansen at Bush Hall, London to sing "A Call to Arms".
On 26 June 2015, The Libertines were the surprise special guests on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival 2015, with Harcourt joining them on stage to play piano. He also joined the band on stage during the Reading and Leeds Festivals Headline slots in August 2015.
In the summer of 2017, while on tour supporting The Afghan Whigs, Harcourt played rhythm guitar on stage with the band at their concert at NorthSide Festival (Denmark) as well as performing an exclusive, solo mini-concert, at a nearby allotment garden.
On 22 October 2017, Harcourt played (as band leader) the whole Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album live at the Philharmonie de Paris for Arte TV show along with Carl Barât and Pete Doherty (The Libertines), Barrie Cadogan (Primal Scream), Danny Goffey and Gaz Coombes (Supergrass), Steve Mason and others.

Songwriting

After the release of the Best Of collection Until Tomorrow Then in 2007, Harcourt changed career and became a songwriter for other acts. In 2008, he co-wrote the title track for the Paloma Faith album Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?, which reached #64 in the UK singles chart. In 2013 Harcourt worked with Sophie Ellis-Bextor on her fifth studio album Wanderlust, which Harcourt co-wrote and produced. He has written for and performed with Marianne Faithful on her Give My Love to London project in 2014. Other artists include Jamie Cullum, James Bay and Lisa Marie Presley. In 2015, Harcourt provided vocals for the track "Villain" from the album 8:58, a project by Paul Hartnoll.

Personal life

He is married to the singer and musician Gita Harcourt-Smith, née Langley, singer and songwriter in The Langley Sisters. Together, the couple have two children – a daughter, Roxy, and a son, Franklyn.

References in popular culture

In the video game Silent Hill: Downpour, his song "Here Be Monsters×Here Be Monsters25 June 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Something In My Eye3:412God Protect Your Soul5:273She Fell Into My Arms3:494Those Crimson Tears5:095Hanging With The Wrong Crowd3:416Apple Of My Eye4:047Beneath The Heart Of Darkness7:198Wind Through The Trees6:459Birds Fly Backwards3:3010Shanghai3:4911Like Only Lovers Can4:54" is played in the "Surprise" ending and "From Every Sphere×From Every Sphere17 February 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Bittersweetheart4:322All of Your Days Will Be Blessed3:433Ghost Writer4:184The Birds Will Sing for Us4:275Sister Renee4:446Undertaker Strut3:427Bleed a River Deep4:488Jetsetter3:569Watching the Sun Come Up5:4610Fireflies Take Flight4:3811Metaphorically Yours4:4712From Every Sphere7:36" plays on WLMN FM radio. The song "Watching The Sun Come Up×Watching the Sun Come Up19 May 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Watching the Sun Come Up4:212Sugarbomb3:083Paid to Get Drunk3:47" also plays in the end credits of the video game Alan Wake's American Nightmare. The song "Born In The 70s×Born in the 70s1 November 2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Born In The '70s2Only Happy When You're High3Born In The '70s4Born In The '70s (Music Video)" was also featured in the soundtrack for the show The Inbetweeners. In 2014, he wrote and performed the song "The Way That I Live" for the Burberry Christmas film From London with Love.