Beverly Glenn-Copeland's Personal Best

BEST FIT: This is such a beautiful, wildly expressive song that at first appears structurally quite simple, but, like many of the best songs, uses repetition and contrast to build something that feels wonderfully rich. What makes this song deserving of a place among your personal favourites?

BEVERLY GLENN-COPELAND: Two things, really. Firstly, I woke up one morning speaking Italian, which was quite surprising as I’ve never studied Italian. I wrote down the lyrics and asked a very good friend, who did speak Italian, if she could check that what I had written was correct, and she said it was perfect! So, I feel like that was transmitted and sent through to me, which was a really interesting experience.

The other reason is that the song is a reminder to us, as humans, that we need to slow down and stop rushing. We’re always rushing, always trying to do this and that. If we could just calm down and stop rushing so much, we’d invite in the best of ourselves, and the best of others too.

ELIZABETH COPELAND: For me, when I listen to this song, there are two things that really hit. First, it’s Maggie’s voice. The soprano line was sung by our dear friend Maggie Dace Hollis, who came from Latvia, and sadly left us in 2013 never knowing that her voice was going to be heard by the world. There’s such a kindness in her voice. To me, she sounds almost like Mother Earth or something.

The other thing is Glenn’s voice. I really love the contrast between the beautiful, long lines that Maggie is singing and the lines that Glenn sings, which are about the demands of daily life, about having to work all day and night to feed yourself and not knowing how you’re going to make things work. You can feel the anxiety building.

For me, this song is about making a wonderful connection with what is always there for us if we choose to go to it. Listen to the singer. Look at the beautiful blue sky. Stand out under the stars. And, ah, doesn’t this cup of tea taste delicious? There’s always a slower rhythm – a softer, longer energy – that’s available to us. But it does mean making a choice.

GLENN: Yes, and I think it’s all summed up in the line, “My mother says to me, enjoy your life,” which is something she did actually say to me. She was a wise woman, actually.

ELIZABETH: She was. You know, Glenn and his mother, Georgie, had come to a place of togetherness again before she left us. He was with her then, and held her as she was dying. So it really was a moment of realisation. We can’t necessarily do all the things we want to, or we feel we have to do, and life is so full of anxiety. But I think what we must do to enjoy our lives can be revealed to us, if we can just slow down and pay attention.

We also love what Romy did with the dance version she made. It’s so beautiful, and continues to be a way for people to discover Glenn’s music out on the dancefloor.

GLENN: Yes, that was really wonderful. I forgot about that!

Going back to Maggie for a moment, I understand that she was the one who kind of got you both together as a couple, which makes “La Vita” even more special.

ELIZABETH: Oh yes. When Glenn did a concert in 2002 to launch Primal Prayer, he invited both Maggie and I to sing backup. We hadn’t met before and we just kind of fell in love with each other as friends.

Then, in 2007, when I was going through a really difficult time – money was tight, I was a single parent, and it looked as though I might go bankrupt – I went out one night, looked up at the sky, and spoke out to the universe. I said to it, “I’ve done everything you’ve asked. I’ve done my best to be a good person and to help people, and you are not going to just leave me with nothing. I need a job. And while you’re at it, I want to find my mate.”

Later, when I went to sleep, I had this dream of Glenn. He was standing on a hill, backlit by a full moon, and so the next morning, when I woke up, I called Maggie and asked her what Glenn was up to these days. She said, “Oh my god, he’s just in the middle of getting a divorce. You’d be really good for him!” So Glenn and I met again at Maggie’s wedding that summer, and we’ve been together ever since. And, by the way, I did get a job! The only job I ever had. The HR person said, “I don’t know why I am hiring you. You have no relevant experience. But you seem really smart and I like your vision,” so I was able to pay down all the debut I was in and get myself back in some kind of shape.

GLENN: Honestly, if you have something you need in your life, send it to Elizabeth. She’ll pray for you and make it happen.

ELIZABETH: Yeah. Maybe I should start a little business for prayers manifested.

Alright, you know I have a list. Maybe I’ll send you something. So, Glenn, from what I understand, there were not many people before you who had combined operatic vocals with electronic music. Just a few. I was wondering if any of those earlier pieces had inspired you?

GLENN: No, not particularly.

ELIZABETH: Glenn doesn’t listen to a lot of music. He prefers to go and see dance.

GLENN: Yeah, actually dance is my favourite artform, and the second favourite is visual art. I love to write music and sing, but I don’t do it with any kind of concept in mind. It just comes to me as it is.

When you played “La Vita” in Manchester last year, I read that you added it to the setlist because the choir you were working with, F*Choir, had a special connection to it. What’s the story there?

ELIZABETH: One of their dear choir members who had passed relatively recently used to sing Maggie’s lines, so they wanted to do that song as a tribute to them. We also wanted to honour Maggie, because when Maggie left the world I think she felt quite discouraged that who she was an artist had never really been seen. Now millions have people have heard her voice and been touched by her voice.

It was a very emotional performance for all of us. When the choir first walked in, Glenn and I were almost weeping to see all these beautiful, diverse people being so openly themselves. You know, Glenn and Maggie grew up at a time when to be queer in any way was illegal. You could be thrown in the psych ward if people knew. So I remember thinking, “Maggie, love, wherever you are in the universe, I hope that you can see this. It’s what we’ve all worked and hoped for.”