Bic Runga Shares Christchurch Earthquake Anniversary Song

Monday this week marked ten years since Ōtautahi was struck by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, leading to 185 lives lost and the transformation of an entire city. The anniversary has been acknowledged in every which way, with a service held at the Christchurch earthquake memorial where the Prime Minister spoke, the names of the dead read aloud, and thousands of flowers cast into the city's rivers and tucked into the tops of road cones. Today Bic Runga, one of Ōtautahi's most prized gems, shares 'No One Walks This Night Alone', a song commissioned by the Christchurch City Council for the ten year anniversary of that life-altering day. Runga and 90-person choir The Vocal Collective will perform the memorial song this Sunday at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens as part of free concert Ōtautahi Together, where locals can also catch Holly Arrowsmith and Surfing USSR. 'No One Walks This Night Alone' is a gorgeous example of Runga's timeless songwriting, bearing tonal hints of both her breakout debut Drive and her sound on 2016 collection Close Your Eyes.

Bic Runga had this to say:

"As a Christchurch person this was a huge honour and I wanted to write something that was both solemn and hopeful. I know the people of Christchurch have suffered a collective trauma and it's been a really long road, and that the 10 year anniversary of the event was an opportunity to look forward, while of course never forgetting those who died and everything that was lost.

I was especially moved by the news images of the city that day ten years ago, especially after night fall, the loneliness of that first night, hence the title 'No One Walks This Night Alone'. The message of the song, even though the verses are anguished, is that we are all in this together collectively and that love is what gives us the strength to overcome great adversity.

No one should feel alone in the anguish that has occurred, this is something that has happened to us together as a city."

Listen to 'No One Walks This Night Alone' and take a moment to reflect...

Here's the livestream of Monday's memorial service...