"Life in a Northern Town" is the debut single by British band the Dream Academy, released in March 1985. It is from their self-titled debut studio album The Dream Academy. The song was written as an elegy to British folk musician Nick Drake. Written by band members Nick Laird-Clowes and Gilbert Gabriel, the song was produced by Laird-Clowes with help from Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. The single reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1986. It is the band's highest charting single in the UK, the US, and Ireland. A cover version released in 2008 and recorded live by the American country music artists Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen was also a minor American hit that year.