There I was, idly researching cetaceans on the company dime, when I came across Songs of the Humpback Whale. Released 55 years ago this month, this album of whale songs remains the bestselling environmental recording of all time, inspiring everyone from Pete Seeger to Kate Bush. I had to see what the fuss was about.
The five-track album was full of keening, alien songs as magical as they would have been in 1970. My favourite is Three Whale Trip: full of spine-tingling undulations, it feels both very intimate and otherworldly.
The album was compiled by Roger Payne, a bioacoustician and biologist who co-discovered whale song among humpback whales. It gave a voice to animals hunted for their meat and blubber, and helped fuel the Save the Whales movement.
At just 35 minutes long, the album is a quick listen, but it lingers. Give it a go as you drift off to sleep – and fill your head with ocean dreams.
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