Annie Lennox has recorded a new rendition of the classic Scottish folk tune “The Skye Boat Song” for the eighth and final season of the hit series, Outlander.
The new opening credits sequence featuring Lennox’s performance premieres today exclusively on Rolling Stone. It begins with Lennox singing in a tender a cappella, though she’s soon accompanied by swelling strings as she pushes her voice to a characteristically mighty peak.
“I’ve loved and sung ‘The Skye Boat Song’ since I was a young girl growing up in Aberdeen,” Lennox tells Rolling Stone. “It represents such an iconic part of Scottish culture and history and it’s a real honor to have been asked to record it for Outlander’s final season.”
Though it has its own original set of lyrics, the melody from “The Skye Boat Song” has long been paired with Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1892 poem, “Sing Me a Song of a Lad That Is Gone.” This version has served as the theme for Outlander throughout its run, though composer Bear McCreary tweaked the words slightly (“Sing Me of a Song of a Lass That Is Gone”) to reflect the show’s protagonist, Claire Fraser (played by Caitríona Balfe).
The final season of Outlander will premiere March 6 on Starz.
Annie Lennox isn’t sold on celebrating turning 70 as her mind is full of more pressing matters - namely, changing the world for the better.
The Scottish singer-songwriter and activist, who swapped the UK for Los Angeles, is a staunch feminist and vocal supporter of women’s rights, who practices what she preaches.
She’s set to headline SISTERS: Annie Lennox and Friends at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 6 March 2025, which will mark her first UK show since 2019.
The special event is in support of non-profit organisation The Circle, raising funds to help women and girls facing violence and injustice accross the world.
