Let the River Run

The story of how a song from a classic 1980s movie became an inspirational anthem for a 21st-century generation.

Carly Simon’s ‘Let the River Run’ was originally conceived as the title track for the 1988 movie ‘Working Girl. It went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It also went on to win the affection of people around the world.

Initially thought of as a ‘hymn for New York’, ‘Let the River Run’ encapsulates the spirit of striving for a better life.

As Carly Simon puts it herself, “I wanted it to be large, I wanted it to be vast – it’s about bringing forth a common desire into the world”.

In more recent years it has become an anthem for Woman's Rights Movements and global initiatives aimed at making a better life for all.

Featuring interviews with:

* Carly Simon * Ginny Suss - music producer and part of the team who organised the Women’s March on Washington * Elisabet Barnes - Ultra Marathon Runner * Nina Ritzen

Music from The Resistance Revival Chorus.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.

Producer: Nicola Humphries

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2019.