I believe in love at first sight. After all, I fell in love with my partner the second I saw her, and we’ve been together for almost four decades. I also believe in love at first listen. That’s how I felt about Joan Armatrading the first time I heard her magical blend of singing and songwriting, way back in the mid-1970s – pure, blissful love.
Here’s the falling-in-love-with-Joan setting I found myself in. I was house-sitting at the opulent country home of a couple who owned a cutting-edge audio shop. I was a university student at the time, so I had studying to do. Nevertheless, I exercised my best procrastination skills by setting aside an evening to explore the couple’s wide-ranging collection of record albums and listen to some of my discoveries on their amazing stereo system.
Why did I select a Joan Armatrading album? I wasn’t sure I had even heard of her. But when I found a couple of her albums among the stacks, I was immediately drawn to her sweet face, framed in an airy Afro. As the turntable turned, I lounged on the leather sofa, just listening, and quickly realized I had made an excellent choice.
The evening drifted along, and Armatrading’s rich, resonant voice drew me in. Her lyrics alternately broke my heart, then soothed me, and sent me soaring with hope and joy. I was single at the time, not yet “out” as a lesbian, often feeling conflicted and alone. In those first listening hours, Armatrading’s 1976 song “Love and Affection,” her most commercially successful piece, struck me where it hurt. Here are the opening lines:
I am not in love, but I’m open to persuasion
East or West, where’s the best for romancin’?
With a friend, I can smile but with lover,
I could hold my head back
I could really laugh, really laugh…
I was well and truly hooked. I had fallen in love with Joan Armatrading at first listen.
Once you hear Armatrading sing, you can’t forget how her voice sounds. Today’s TV music-show judges would certainly call hers a “recognizable” voice. I’m no music expert, but I understand her voice is categorized as contralto, which embraces the lower range of the female voice. If you’re not familiar with Armatrading and need a reference, think of contemporary singers like Tracy Chapman, Cher and Stevie Nicks; among classical vocalists, famous contraltos are Marion Anderson (American, 1897-1993), Kathleen Ferrier (British, 1912-1953) and Maureen Forrester (Canadian, 1930-2010). Like these vocalists, Armatrading has vast range and depth. She can lift a lyric to the heavens and back, seemingly without effort, as she does in her 1977 song “Willow,” for example. Her musical influences are eclectic, and include folk, rock, reggae, soul, jazz and blues.
To add to her array of skills and talents, Armatrading writes her own songs, plays guitar and piano, and since 1986, produces her own albums at her home studio in England. Armatrading has released 21 albums since 1972 and is still going strong. On November 22, 2024, she released her most recent album, “How Did This Happen and What Does it Now Mean” on the BMG label. It’s on my “to-buy” list!
One more tidbit about my life as a Joan Armatrading fan: I actually met her! In July 1980, Armatrading performed at Camp Fortune, a ski resort near Chelsea, Quebec. Of course, July is off-season for skiing, but at the time, a hillside site there was used as a summer concert venue. Concert goers had to line up before entering the seating area, where they simply sat on the ground. It was casual and rustic, but beautiful. Pre-show waiting times could be long, so people often had to stand in line for quite a while. As a young teen, I had lost my right leg to cancer, and I use crutches to get around. I’ve always been quite agile but it gets tiring to stand for long periods. I was ready to tough it out. Luckily, a concert organizer spotted me and kindly suggested
I go on ahead to avoid the line-up. I happily accepted the invitation, not knowing the delightful surprise that awaited me: the spot he led me to was right beside the trailer that served as Armatrading’s “green room!” You can imagine my surprise when the star herself stepped out of the trailer and visited with me! She was just as cool and charming as I had imagined she’d be! I was somewhat starstruck, so I can’t remember what we talked about, but I do recall her easy-going manner and warm smile.
As an amputee, I sometimes say, “membership” has its benefits – my disabled parking permit gives me lots of parking options, a pair of socks lasts twice as long… things like that. But meeting Joan Armatrading on a warm July evening exceeded any “benefits” I could imagine!
But the real perks, awaiting anyone who hasn’t yet listened to her, is to take some time to explore Joan Armatrading’s songbook. And don’t rely just on my recommendation. Armatrading has been a major inspiration to many other singer-songwriters. She’s the definition of a talent whose career longevity is rooted in her passion for her art and her determination to stay true to herself. As she states on her website: “I write because I love it.”
Armatrading has received many awards and honours for her accomplishments, her work for charity work and for advancing equality. Among these are her 2001 appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and her 2020 appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), as well as a few honorary degrees and a BBC lifetime achievement award.
All these honours aside, just give her a listen. Perhaps, like I did, you’ll fall in love, too.
— Mary Trafford’s writing has appeared in Arc Poetry Magazine, Blue Heron Review, Canadian Woman Studies, Contemporary Verse 2, Gone Dogs, and other publications. She won Arc’s inaugural Diana Brebner Prize and second place in Vallum Magazine’s 2020 poetry contest. Mary lives with her partner and their dog in Chelsea, Quebec.
You can read Mary Trafford's poem "Spring soccer" in Issue 303 (Spring 2025). Order the issue now:
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