Feature Song: “Iron Sky”
My introduction to my featured song, “Iron Sky,” came via a YouTube video I watched of Mo Jamil Andeniran performing the song for his blind audition on The Voice UK in 2017, which he ended up winning, and deservedly so as far as I am concerned. The passion and vocals of that blind audition were off the charts. I had forgotten about that performance for a while, but it popped back up recently and, after watching it again, I decided to do a little digging.
The original version of the song is by a Scottish singer/songwriter by the name of Paolo Nutini, and was recorded for his third studio album, Caustic Love (2014). The song has been described as a “slow burner,” with one publication describing it as being a “stirring blend of conscious-soul and deep-soul.” Paolo Giovanni Nutini (1987) is from Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, the son of an Italian/Scottish father and a Scottish mother. His debut album, These Streets (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart, and was followed by Sunny Side Up (2009), which debuted at number one on the same chart. Both these albums have been certified quintuple platinum. Five years later, he released the above-mentioned third album, which also debuted at number one. After a long hiatus, he released his fourth album, Last Night in the Bittersweet (2022).
I have listened to Nutini’s original of “Iron Sky” many times over, especially the live version recorded at Abbey Road on February 26, 2014, which I am sharing with you below. When I first listened to it in its entirety, it became apparent that the cover that first introduced me to the song was not only a shortened version, but missing a key passage, which in the accompanying video presents itself as a voice-over. The lyrics of the song are indeed very poignant with its central message of criticizing the greed, fear, and dehumanization perpetuated by dictators under fascist regimes, as he urges people to resist the control of “machine men with machine minds and machine hearts” and emphasizes the power of the people to create life that is free and beautiful. Sitting here at my computer in Los Angeles writing this, all I can do is shake my head and sigh! The missing voice-over is as follows:
To those who can hear me, I say – do not despair.
The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed –
The bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress.
The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power
They took from the people will return to the people.
And so long as men die, liberty will never perish…
Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men
Machine men with machine minds and machine hearts!
You are not machines! You are not cattle!
You are men!
You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful
To make this life a wonderful adventure
Let us use that power – let us all unite.
If this sounds vaguely familiar to you, as it did to me the first time I heard it, you are probably a movie buff. This is the part of the final speech given by Charlie Chaplin in his 1940 film, The Great Dictator. At that time, it was considered a revolutionary moment in political rhetoric and cinema. The speech serves as a powerful humanist plea, in much the same way that Nutini’s lyrics of “Iron Sky” did seventy-four years later, and today, eleven years after the penning of this song, that plea resonates loud and clear.
Even though the two covers of this song do not contain this speech, the power of the lyrics and the passion needed to present them are present in their own unique way. The second cover by Toby Lee is one that I recently discovered when deciding to present this for my first DUTC of the new year. I first discovered this amazing guitarist the same way I discovered Mo Jamil (as he goes by now), watching YouTube videos. Toby Lee is a British guitarist who became a global sensation after posting a tribute video to B.B. King in 2015 when he was ten years old, followed by performing at B.B. King’s Blues Club that same year. In 2016, he played Zack in School of Rock at the New London Theatre. This was followed by performances with Ronnie Baker Brooks in 2017 and with Joe Bonamassa at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019. His acoustic cover of “Iron Sky” with two other guitarists was recorded in November of 2024, with Lee, now nineteen, displaying not only his guitar “chops,” but his vocal skills as well.
Enjoy!
Paolo Nutini. “Iron Sky” recorded at Abbey Road, 2014.
Mo Jamil Adeniran. “Iron Sky” cover from his 2018 album, Evolve.
Toby Lee. “Iron Sky” cover recorded at the We’re Not Worthy Farm, November 2024.
Bonus video. Since I mentioned Lee becoming a global sensation at ten, I felt a video showcasing that early talent was needed. The following is Lee performing live with legendary American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Walter Trout. Trout has played with John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thorton, and Joe Tex, and was a member of Canned Heat and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Seeing him share the “shredding” duties at sixty-four years old with a ten-year-old is a must see. It’s long, but well worth it, especially near the end!
Los Angeles 2026
Wow that was awesome. I don’t know the song or Paolo Nutini. But that blows me away. I did know a bit of the Toby Lee story and recall some of the initial buzz . I know a bit of Trout but have never seen that clip with Lee. Incredible.
Thanks. Yeah, it blew me away too the first time I watched it.
Wow, this is a powerful song that sadly is more timely than I would want it to be. I also enjoyed the covers.
Walter Trout is “the real deal,” as far as I’m concerned – no B.S. from this man. I had a chance to see him at a small venue in New York City in April 2019 and thought he was great.
And 10-year-old Toby Lee? OMG!
Yup, that is very true. I know , nobody should be able to shred like that at 10!
Was somehow not familiar with this amazing song, but am familiar with Paulo Nutini, who I keep thinking is from Italy! Be that as it may, he’s a talented musician and songwriter, and his live performance of the song is riveting, as is the beautiful and passionate version by Mo Jamil Adeniran. And speaking of talented, Toby Lee is a genuine musical prodigy! His cover of “Iron Sky” is equally beautiful and passionate, and wow, that tour-de-force performance with Walter Trout is magnificent! A great post, North!
He is a very talented artist to be sure. The passion in that performance at Abbey Road is off the charts, and both covers are extremely respectful of that passion. Yeah, been a fan of Walter Trout for some time, he can “shred” with the best of them. Thanks!