The song is backed by a 12-strong string section heavy on violas. It's likely that Drake desired to evoke the English composer Frederick Delius with this piece.
This song is primarily in a 5/4 timing with occasional shifts to 4/4. Drake's Cambridge friend Robert Kirby, who did the string arranging for Five Leaves, was unable to work on this track and Scottish composer Harry Robinson had to fill in. Kirby explained to Mojo June 2009: "Dave Brubeck's 'Take Five' aside, that was the only time in my life I'd heard a piece of music consistently in 5/4. I could not for the life of me work out how to write a piece of music that didn't stagger along like a spider missing a leg, how you crossed over and missed the bar lines. But Harry's string arrangement is scarcely in 5/4- it goes along like a limpid river all the way, moving regularly and crossing over all the beats and the 5/4 with it."
Back in 1958 Robinson had a UK #1 hit as the leader of Lord Rockingham's XI with "Hoots Mon."
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