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Valerie (Steve Winwood song)

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"Valerie"
1982 UK 7-inch vinyl single
Single by Steve Winwood
from the album Talking Back to the Night
B-side"Slowdown Sundown"
ReleasedOctober 1982
Recorded1981
GenreSynth-pop
Length4:05
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood singles chronology
"Still in the Game"
(1982) 		"Valerie"
(1982) 		"Talking Back to the Night"
(1982)
Music video
"Valerie" on YouTube
"Valerie '87"
Single by Steve Winwood
from the album Chronicles
B-side
  • "Talking Back to the Night" (instrumental)
  • "The Finer Things" (12" version)
ReleasedSeptember 5, 1987
Recorded1987 (remix and overdubs)
GenreSynth-pop
Length4:05
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Steve Winwood
  • Tom Lord-Alge
Steve Winwood singles chronology
"The Finer Things"
(1987) 		"Valerie '87"
(1987) 		"Roll with It"
(1988)

"Valerie" is a song written by English musician and songwriter Steve Winwood and Will Jennings, and originally recorded by Winwood for his third solo album, Talking Back to the Night (1982).

Background

The song deals with a man reminiscing about a lost love he hopes to find again someday. In an interview with Songfacts, Will Jennings said: "Valerie is a real person, whose identity I will not reveal. She was almost at the top of the world in her profession and let it slip away from her. She was a dear friend and this was my tribute to her."[1] It has been alleged, however, that he was thinking about singer Valerie Carter.[2]

On its original release, the single reached number 51 on the UK Singles Chart and number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

In 1987, a remix by Tom Lord-Alge was included as a single from Winwood's compilation album Chronicles. The remixed version of "Valerie" climbed to number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late December 1987, and also reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. Both versions also reached number 13 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

DJ Falcon recalled in an interview that he and Thomas Bangalter, as a duo called Together, had sampled "Valerie" to create a track that they used in DJ sets. Falcon added that the duo had no intention of releasing it as a single, despite demand from various outlets.[3]

Eric Prydz later sampled "Valerie" in 2004 for a house music track and presented it to Winwood, who was so impressed with what Prydz had done, he re-recorded the vocals to better fit the track.[4] It was released as "Call on Me" that same year.[5] "Call on Me" was, in turn, sampled in 2009's "Pass Out" from Chris Brown (featuring Eva Simons) on his Graffiti album, also co-produced by Prydz.

Track listing

  • 1982 single:
  1. "Valerie"
  2. "Slowdown Sundown"
  • 1987 7-inch single:
  1. "Valerie"
  2. "Talking Back to the Night" (instrumental)
  • 1987 12" and CD single:
  1. "Valerie"
  2. "Talking Back to the Night" (instrumental)
  3. "The Finer Things" (12" version)

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Will Jennings : Songwriter Interviews". www.songfacts.com.
  2. ^ Cronin, Brian (August 25, 2022). "Who Was the Valerie in Steve Winwood's 'Valerie'?".
  3. ^ "DJ Falcon about Eric Prydz - CALL ON ME". YouTube. November 4, 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  4. ^ "Berube Communications". berubecommunications.com.
  5. ^ "Pop & Hiss". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  8. ^ a b "Steve Winwood Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. ^ a b "Steve Winwood Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. December 12, 1987. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  11. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Steve Winwood". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 284. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  12. ^ "Steve Winwood – Valerie". Top 40 Singles.
  13. ^ "Steve Winwood Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  14. ^ "1988 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 100 (52): Y-20. December 24, 1988.
  15. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1988". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  16. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1988". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  17. ^ "British single certifications – Steve Winwood – Valerie". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
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