i never would have guessed i could miss someone so bad
Notes From The Departure Lounge
Andrew Gold, the American singer-songwriter died this week aged 59. For those of you who don't know Gold, it's almost certain you will have heard one of his hits or certainly heard an album to which he contributed.
My first recollection of Gold was after I fell in love with an (admittedly pretty ropey) cover version of his single Never Let Her Slip Away by the band Undercover back in 1992. I then sought out the Gold original which I adore to this day. For anyone who has fallen in love with someone who lives in another town or in another country, the lyrics of Never Let Her Slip Away probably resonate extremely strongly.
A few years later my mum (of all people) encouraged me to listen to a favourite song of hers, coincidentally also by Gold. Lonely Boy remains one of my favourite singles of all time, to the point where, in the days before downloading, I finally got to own a copy of the song by buying a double CD compilation album simply for that track. Is it based on his own life? The dates of the song all match, but Gold has always strenuously denied it is autobiographical. Either way, it's a great, great record.
And then, whilst researching my book 101 Forgotten Pop Hits of the 1980s I discovered quite by chance that Gold was also partly responsible for one of my favourite songs of the 1980s. 10cc's Graham Gouldman was the other half of the band Wax and Gouldman spoke warmly of Gold and his talents during our interview. Their single Bridge To Your Heart failed to make the top Ten in the UK, which is criminal considering it's one of the best pop records you'll ever hear.
During our chat, Gouldman shared an anecdote with me about the introduction to Bridge To Your Heart. Apparently, Gold miscounted during the intro to the song and had to correct himself. However, instead of re-recording that part, it was left in the final cut of the song. You can hear it clearly, and it's never failed to make me smile every time I've hard the song since....
Of course, Gold will also be known for working alongside greats such as Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel, John Lennon, Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell, Cher and Celine Dion. He was truly a jack of all trades - a multi instrumentalist, songwriter, performer, vocalist, producer and engineer.
Aged just 59, the world has lost a truly brilliant singer and songwriter. There aren't many people that can claim to have written three songs that feature in my top 100 favourite songs of all time, and so in that respect Gold was in a very select group of musicians.
Andrew Gold, the American singer-songwriter died this week aged 59. For those of you who don't know Gold, it's almost certain you will have heard one of his hits or certainly heard an album to which he contributed.
My first recollection of Gold was after I fell in love with an (admittedly pretty ropey) cover version of his single Never Let Her Slip Away by the band Undercover back in 1992. I then sought out the Gold original which I adore to this day. For anyone who has fallen in love with someone who lives in another town or in another country, the lyrics of Never Let Her Slip Away probably resonate extremely strongly.
A few years later my mum (of all people) encouraged me to listen to a favourite song of hers, coincidentally also by Gold. Lonely Boy remains one of my favourite singles of all time, to the point where, in the days before downloading, I finally got to own a copy of the song by buying a double CD compilation album simply for that track. Is it based on his own life? The dates of the song all match, but Gold has always strenuously denied it is autobiographical. Either way, it's a great, great record.
And then, whilst researching my book 101 Forgotten Pop Hits of the 1980s I discovered quite by chance that Gold was also partly responsible for one of my favourite songs of the 1980s. 10cc's Graham Gouldman was the other half of the band Wax and Gouldman spoke warmly of Gold and his talents during our interview. Their single Bridge To Your Heart failed to make the top Ten in the UK, which is criminal considering it's one of the best pop records you'll ever hear.
During our chat, Gouldman shared an anecdote with me about the introduction to Bridge To Your Heart. Apparently, Gold miscounted during the intro to the song and had to correct himself. However, instead of re-recording that part, it was left in the final cut of the song. You can hear it clearly, and it's never failed to make me smile every time I've hard the song since....
Of course, Gold will also be known for working alongside greats such as Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel, John Lennon, Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell, Cher and Celine Dion. He was truly a jack of all trades - a multi instrumentalist, songwriter, performer, vocalist, producer and engineer.
Aged just 59, the world has lost a truly brilliant singer and songwriter. There aren't many people that can claim to have written three songs that feature in my top 100 favourite songs of all time, and so in that respect Gold was in a very select group of musicians.
delivered by LB at 6:25 PM
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