Josephine (Chris Rea song)

"Josephine"
Single by Chris Rea
from the album Shamrock Diaries
Released 22 June 1985
Recorded December 1984
Genre Soft rock
Length 3:55
Label Magnet
Songwriter(s) Chris Rea
Producer(s) Chris Rea, David Richards, Jon Kelly
Chris Rea singles chronology
"'Wired to the Moon'"
(1984)		 "Josephine"
(1985)		 "'On the Beach'"
(1986)

Wired to the Moon
(1984)		 Shamrock Diaries
(1985)		 On the Beach
(1986)

"Josephine" is one of the most popular songs by the British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released on 22 June 1985 on the album Shamrock Diaries. "Josephine" was written by Rea for his daughter of the same name. Rea would later pay the same compliment to his youngest daughter, Julia, on the album Espresso Logic (1993).[1]

Summary

Rea considered it as a blues song, and the "rhythm track for that song is supposed to be the Yellowjackets, Weather Report, and it grooves like hell, to me". However, it wasn't perceived in a same way by the record company and so were made several compromises.[2]

"Josephine" is a track that Rea has re-recorded many times, existing in no less than 7 distinct versions:

  • The original 1985 album version, a semi-acoustic take found on the original vinyl releases of Shamrock Diaries and later the 1998 French compilation The Best of Chris Rea.
  • The 1985 single version, a completely different, more rocking recording. This appeared again on the 2001 compilation The Very Best of Chris Rea. The original video for the song also uses this version but is approximately twenty seconds longer at the start.
  • The more disco-sounding "Josephine (La Version Française)" aka "Josephine Extended French re-record", an extended remix created for a European non-album single release in 1987.
  • The version found on CD editions of Shamrock Diaries, replacing the original album version. This is in fact an edit of "Josephine (La Version Française)".
  • The 1988 re-recording created for the compilation New Light Through Old Windows. This is undoubtedly the most well known version of the song and was also made available on the 1994 compilation The Best of Chris Rea.
  • An alternate, faster re-recording found only on the US vinyl edition of New Light Through Old Windows.
  • Finally, a 2008 re-recording released on the Germany-only compilation Fool (If You Think It's Over) - The Definitive Greatest Hits.

The song enjoyed popularity on the Balearic beat scene in the 1980s.[3]

Track list

Vinyl 12' (1985)
No.TitleLength
1."Josephine"3:55
2."Dancing Shoes"3:37
3."Everytime It Rains"3:58
Vinyl 7' (1985)
No.TitleLength
1."Josephine"3:55
2."Dancing Shoes"3:37

Charts

Chart (1985) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip)[4] 13
French Singles Chart[5] 7
Germany (GfK Entertainment Charts)[6] 31
Netherlands (MegaCharts)[7] 8
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[8] 67

References

  1. ↑ "Chris Rea at HMV Apollo, W6". The Times. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  2. ↑ Keith Shadwick (26 March 2004). "Chris Rea: Confessions of a blues survivor". The Independent. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Stewart, Iain (2003). The Rough Guide to Ibiza & Formentera. London: Rough Guides. p. 327. ISBN 9781843530633. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Chris Rea – Josephine". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Chris Rea - Josephine". Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Chris Rea - Josephine". Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "Chris Rea – Josephine". DutchCharts.nl. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "Official Charts > Chris Rea". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
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