Song For Alice

Album: 22 Dreams (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is a Jazz-Rock tribute to John Coltrane's late widow and Jazz pianist Alice Coltrane, who died in January 2007. Paul Weller explained: "I'm a big fan of hers, and her old man, of course. It was terrible news when she passed away last year. It's a nod to her. There are a few stylistic references -the arpeggiated piano flourishes and the harp, obviously, and there's some tambura in there."
  • This features Robert Wyatt on trumpet. The former Soft Machine band member once described Weller's psychedelic folk-rock sound of the 1990s as "new furniture seasoned from old wood." Wyatt told Mojo magazine June 2008, that on this track he wanted to get" that feeling of spontaneous invention that jazz had."
  • Among the 12 Must-Have CDs that Paul Weller once listed was Alice Coltrane's 1970 album Journey in Satchidananda. Weller said of it: ''It follows what [her husband] John was doing toward the end of his life, exploring Eastern scales and North African sounds and the Indian modal thing. A really beautiful record.'' He also included in his must-have list John Coltrane's 1964 A Love Supreme album.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?