Five Leaves Left

Five Leaves Left was Nick Drake’s debut album, released on July 3, 1969 by Island Records.

The album was recorded between July 1968 and June 1969 at Sound Techniques in London, England, and was produced by Joe Boyd.

The title of the album refers to the message printed at the near-end of a pack of Rizla cigarette papers, which Drake probably used for both tobacco and marijuana. The name strikes a sense of foreboding, as the last few moments of fall before winter. Furthermore, the fact that Drake would come to commit suicide five years after its release gives the album an eerie and tragic significance.