Let It Go

Predating the Frozen song by decades, Luba breaks through

I feel really bad about forgetting International Women’s Day, so I’m going to take the rest of this month celebrating women to talk about female artists (There’s plenty of male artists in the archive!)

If you’re a Canadian of a certain age, you knew of a song called Let It Go long before Disney came around. Luba came out of Montreal and in the 70s recorded traditional Ukrainian music. She then pivoted to pop music and signed as a solo artist in 1983. This is off that first album, Secrets and Sins.

She won 3 Junos (Canada’s Grammys) for Female Artist of the Year. She won her first because of this song. Part of that is thanks to her working with legendary producer Daniel Lanois. He gave her the confidence to follow her muse even in unlikely directions and took the heat when the label pushed back on the song. As she said:

The night I wrote “Let it Go” I was actually on my way to Hamilton to record my first album with Dan Lanois, and I called my best friend to say goodbye. I don’t know why but this melody popped into my head as we were talking. Once I got off the phone I picked up my guitar and started strumming. I didn’t have the lyrics yet but I just knew there was something there. So I wrote down the chords really fast because I was packing. Once I got into the studio, I told Dan I had this idea that won’t go away. He really liked it, and he helped take it to another level.¹

The thing that will strike you is that it’s a calypso song. It’s upbeat and danceable. I love the lyrics so much I can’t choose a segment to highlight. The song is all about being yourself without restriction. As she talked about it:

I came up with the phrase “let it go,” and it was sort of a female anthem. I had taken some women’s studies courses in university and was reading Simone de Beauvoir. I wasn’t trying to be heavy, but I guess I was feeling a bit like a fish out of water, being a woman in the music industry. Things were not what they are now. So I suppose maybe I felt the need to say these things to myself, but as I worked on the lyrics I realized this was turning into something bigger than just about me.

This song was later chosen to be part of the soundtrack of 9 1/2 Weeks. I couldn’t tell if it’s actually in the film or just on the soundtrack album. If anyone has seen the film, maybe you can tell me.

The video (which sadly only exists as this blurry version off a VHS tape) has Luba and her band flying in a blimp. They are surrounded, both in the air and on the ground, with people from every walk of life. We’re used to seeing diversity on our screens now - but this was 1984. She was making a statement. I can’t find any info on the vid to confirm but I seem to remember she was pulling from the Montreal gay scene for the performers.

Enjoy your song of the day! It’s a fun one.

1. Both quotes are from her interview with SOCAN Magazine.