There's a Blind Man Playin' Fiddle in the Street

"There's a Blind Man Playin' Fiddle in the Street"
Danish single sleeve.[1]
Single by Tages
B-side	"Like a Woman"
Released	8 February 1968 (1968-02-08)
Recorded	16 January 1968 (1968-01-16)
Studio	Europafilm, Stockholm
Genre	Psychedelic pop vispop
Length	1:57
Label	Parlophone
Songwriter(s)	Göran Lagerberg
Producer(s)	Anders Henriksson
Tages singles chronology
"Mohair Sam" (1967) "There's a Blind Man Playin' Fiddle in the Street" (1968) "Fantasy Island" (1968)
Audio
"There's a Blind Man Playin' Fiddle in the Street" on YouTube

"There's a Blind Man Playin' Fiddle in the Street"^{[nb 1]} is a song written by Swedish bass guitarist Göran Lagerberg, initially recorded by his band Tages. In December 1967, Tages released their fifth album, Studio, which largely was inspired by and saw influences from Swedish folk music; this had a major impact on Lagerberg. Inspired by the Beatles' single "Strawberry Fields Forever" / "Penny Lane" from a meeting with club owner Styrbjörn Colliander, Lagerberg composed the song in a more commercial tone than Studio, while still retaining the genre's influences. First released as a single on 8 February 1968 in Sweden, the song also received release in Denmark, Finland, Norway and the UK, where it was Tages' fourth single release.

"There's a Blind Man" is a "mini-suite", featuring two distinct sections, of which one consists of an intermezzo of fiddles being played together with a counter-melody on guitar. The verses and chorus alternate between major and minor chords. Lyrically, Lagerberg was inspired by a man that often could be seen playing a violin on the streets of Gothenburg. Tages recorded the song in January 1968 with Anders Henriksson producing. The song received critical acclaim in both the Swedish and British press, who mostly praised the chorus and fiddle interludes. Commercially, the song reached number 10 on Tio i Topp in Sweden and number 20 on Danmarks Radio chart in Denmark, becoming their final top-10 release in the former country. In retrospect, it has been considered one of Tages' best singles.

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