Eight Arms To Hold You by Al Stewart

Album: not on an album (2019)

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Songfacts®:

Although not the first song with this title ever to be recorded, this is almost certainly the first one ever written.

The Beatles played the Gaumont, Bournemouth from August 19-24, 1963, and one of the fans who attended one of those concerts was a not-quite-18-year-old Al Stewart, who at that time was striking out on his own musical career.

His epic song "Love Chronicles," released seven years later, mentions "playing electric guitar with the beat group" as well as losing his virginity in one of Bournemouth's pleasure gardens!

On this occasion though, he managed to bluff his way backstage to speak to his heroes, and he wrote this rather obviously titled song in imitation of them. Then he sat on it for over half a century! It was first performed live on his 2019 UK Hits & Misses tour in which he explained its genesis, and although by that time he was 74 years old, he and his much younger backing band The Empty Pockets performed it with the youthful enthusiasm of its teenage composer. >>>
Suggestion credit:
Alexander Baron - London, England

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