Cartouche

A cartouche is an Egyptian artifact; this song was not though inspired by ancient Egypt as Candice Night fans might imagine, but by a kitchen! Blackmore's Night have been big fans of the former Iron Curtain countries from the early days, and the sentiment is mutual. The kitchen in question is from the 16^th Century, and underground. Ritchie and Candice once recorded one of their songs - "Way To Mandalay" - at the bottom of a mine in Poland.

Running to 3 minutes 48 seconds, "Cartouche" is the fourth track on the 2003 Ghost of a Rose album; with words by Candice and music by Ritchie, it is a show opener, often with audience participation and a display of enthusiasm including from Mr. Blackmore, who usually looks glum at the best of times.