Wings Of Speed

Album: Stanley Road (1995)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The closing track on Paul Weller's 1995 album Stanley Road, this features a vocal contribution from former Young Disciples singer, Carleen Anderson. Speaking to The Independent May 27, 2005, Weller described Anderson's voice on this as, "the nearest I'll get to hearing angels sing." He added: "It's heavenly. She sang one verse free-form and we put it down. Then she did another take, then another, and she wouldn't play them back so we put them all together, weaved them in and out of each other."
  • The lyrics describe how Weller feels when he looks at Pre-Raphaelite artist, John Waterhouse's, The Lady of Shalott. The oil-on-canvas painting is a representation of a scene from Lord Alfred Tennyson's 1832 poem of the same name, which is based on Elaine of Astolat, who yearned with an unrequited love for the knight Sir Lancelot and died of grief. Weller explained to The Independent: "The lines 'With Jesus at the helm' and 'one candle left to light the way' refer directly to the painting. I love Waterhouse's paintings, the drama in them, and I was trying to capture that in music."
  • Beyond capturing the mood of the Waterhouse painting, Weller was also reacting to an upheaval in his personal life. "It's also about splitting up with my wife at the time and feeling removed from her and my children and even becoming a different person," he told Daniel Rachel, author of The Art of Noise: Conversations with Great Songwriters. Weller was married to English soul singer Dee C. Lee, who was also a backing vocalist in Weller's post-Jam band The Style Council.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"They're Playing My Song

Gramm co-wrote this gorgeous ballad and delivered an inspired vocal, but the song was the beginning of the end of his time with Foreigner.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.