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).
Early in the show’s run, “The Skye Boat Song” theme was sung by McCreary’s wife Raya Yarbrough, though new variations in different musical styles and languages were made to reflect the show’s many settings. For Season Six, Yarbrough performed the theme with Scottish Gaelic artist Griogair Labhruidh, while Season Seven featured Sinéad O’Connor.
“For the eighth and final season, there was only one singer I hoped to work with to craft a satisfying conclusion to this musical arc: the legendary Annie Lennox,” McCreary said. “I was delighted that Annie recognized the depth of the series’ narrative and channeled that into her heartfelt performance. The score for Season Eight is the culmination of more than a decade of work, and I am excited for fans to experience the final season, our new main title, and other musical surprises ahead.”
The final season of Outlander will premiere March 6 on Starz.
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