CALEDONIA writer Dougie Maclean says he would love Rod Stewart to sing his famous anthem as he gets ready to pick up a Special Recognition award at this years Specsavers Scottish Music Awards.
Caledonia, which Dougie wrote in 1977 as a ‘wee homesick song’ in his twenties, has been covered around the world and is seen as an unofficial anthem for Scotland, played regularly at football and rugby matches, weddings and funerals.
But despite being covered by everyone from Dolores Keane to Amy Macdonald, Dougie says he’d love Rod to do his own take on it.
He said: “It’s a fantastic thing as a songwriter to have a song that has become a part of common culture. I always thought Rod Stewart would sing a great version of it. I don’t think he has ever done it.”
Caledonia is just one of hundreds of songs written by Dougie over a careers spanning forty six years.
He said: “As I grow older my music becomes more personal. Music is quite magical. My daughter was at school what her daddy did and she said ‘my daddy is a magician’. Music brings a lot of pleasure whatever story is behind it.”
Dougie’s songs including The Gael have soundtracked films like Last Of The Mohicans as well as having actors like Sean Connery quote them.
He said: “I did an advert for Visit Scotland and I got to meet Sean Connery who had to read a line from Caledonia in it. It was done in a film studio. You’re standing there and thinking ‘There’s James Bond and he’s saying the words of my song and it’s nice’.”
Yet despite his success he says he is not rolling in riches.
He said: “I’m not minted and have not treated myself to anything other than guitars by Jimmy Moon, my pride and joy. I have three of them and they are the tools of my trade.”
For Nordoff Robbins fundraiser Scottish Music Awards on Saturday, Dougie plans to play a special song which he wrote after meeting a very sick girl in Rachel House years ago.
He said: “I was very lucky to sit in the music therapy for terminally ill kids and wrote a song called The Gift which came from watching a wee girl who got music therapy. I often thought I’d love to give the song to the mother.”
Five Caledonia Covers
Frankie Miller (advert for Tennents Lager)
Paolo Nutini (T In The Park)
Amy Macdonald (on album This Is The Life)
Ronan Keating (on album Winter Songs)
Sir Sean Connery, Lulu, Amy Macdonald, Sandi Thom, Eddi Reader, Brian Cox, golfer Sam Torrance, multi Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy and Scottish international rugby players Thom Evans and Kelly Brown(Homecoming Scotland ad 2009)
