Hannah Fury’s music is truly unique. There’s absolutely no other artist that I can think of to accurately compare her to, and I think that’s a high compliment in any review. I first stumbled upon her music via Epitonic back in the 2000 when The Thing That Feels was initially released.
The title of the song “It Was Her House That Killed Nessarose” immediately caught my attention then, because Nessarose is the name of a character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. I was excited to find that the novel was indeed the inspiration behind the song, and several others on The Thing That Feels. The novel, Wicked, is a dark and twisted take on the tale first set forth in Frank L. Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, retold from the Witch’s point of view.
Back then, very few people seem to share my obsessive love of the novel that would eventually become the basis of the musical Wicked. When I first heard of Winnie Holzman’s plans to write a musical based on the novel, I was disappointed to learn that Hannah Fury’s songs would not be included in the show. So disappointed that it took years for me to to like the musical’s soundtrack, because Hannah’s album seems a much more accurate portrayal of the grim story of the novel. Hannah says she would love for her music to be incorporated into a film based on the book, if one is ever made. But I digress.
The album opens with “Not Like You”. There’s a classical element to the piano, but the mood is necromantic and slightly ominous due to Hannah’s ghostly melodic vocals. “Love Today” follows with a slightly sweeter, but melancholy sound.
“Meathook” has very pretty vocals and piano that could play in a music box, yet there’s such an eerie feeling to the song. “Of Longing” is a short piano instrumental that leads into “Let It Show”.
“Let It Show”, “I Can’t Let You In”, “And Your Little Dog Too”, “All Is Not Well”, and “It Was Her House That Killed Nessarose” are the songs based on Gregory Maguire’s novel about Elphaba, the so-called Wicked Witch. These five songs in particular are extraordinary, I truly don’t know how to begin to describe them. The lyrics are heavy with references to the novel, so I’m not sure how they translate to those who haven’t read it. I suspect that the otherworldly vocals and harmonic music are enough to carry the songs even if you are unfamiliar with the strange characters Hannah sings about.
“And Your Little Dog Too” is more than just a catchy title. From the opening line “Surrender, Dorothy”, the song is the quintessentially creepy and peculiar track on the album. Sinister, yet amusing because of the subject matter. Whether you’ve read the novel or you’ve only seen the classic Judy Garland movie, how can you resist a song sung in the voice of the Wicked Witch threatening Dorothy over her dead sister’s magical slippers? Though since The Wizard of Oz is my favourite movie and Wicked is one of my favourite books, it would be impossible for me not to adore this song.
“It Was Her House That Killed Nessarose” is the other grand song of the album, again narrated by Wicked‘s Witch, Elphaba. It begins as a vengeful murder ballad and slides into a bittersweet, resigned tone that is so fitting for the outcast character it’s based upon.
“Of Longing and Otherness” is another piano instrumental, leading into the ethereal “Sweet Heart”. “Away” is another song that at first seems simply pretty and orchestral, until you realize the macabre story being told in the lyrics.
The last track on the album, “The Vampire Waltz”, was the first song that Hannah ever wrote. She was just sixteen when this dark tale of a vampire and his “eternal bride” found its way into her head. As with many of the songs on the album, the background voices echo and blend with Hannah’s lead soprano vocals and antiquated piano to create a Gothic epic that lasts just over 8 minutes. Forget Wicked, there should be a musical based on The Thing That Feels.
This has been one of the rare opportunities when an artist that I’ve admired for years has been gracious enough to allow me to share their music here. I hope you all enjoy her songs as much as I do.
Hannah Fury – It Was Her House That Killed Nessarose (mp3)
Hannah Fury – Meathook (mp3)
Hannah Fury – Away (mp3)
Muruch 
It may be worth noting that the title of “Of Longing and Otherness” is actually drawn from _Wicked_ — there’s a scene when Elphaba is in college and she and her friends are sitting in a cafe and Elphaba sings a song; Maguire describes the haunting melody as being of longing and otherness…while most readers might read that as a brief, throwaway line, Hannah Fury shows how brilliantly she understands the source material when she picks up on that line and uses it to describe the intro/outro of her _Wicked_ song cycle!
jburka – Thanks for pointing that out. It’s been a few years since I read Wicked, so I’ve long forgotten little details like that. 🙂