BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987
“Valerie” is a song written by Steve Winwood and Will Jennings and originally recorded by Winwood for his third solo album Talking Back to the Night, in 1982.
The song deals with a man reminiscing about a lost love he hopes to find again someday. Will Jennings reportedly wrote the lyrics while thinking about Valerie Carter, singer songwriter, whose career was declining because of drugs. On its original release, the single reached number 51 on the UK Singles Chart and number 70 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
In 1987, a remix by Tom Lord-Alge was included on Winwood’s compilation album Chronicles. The remixed version of “Valerie” was released as a single and climbed to number 9 in the US Billboard Hot 100 in late December 1987, and also reached number 19 in the UK. Both versions also reached #13 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Eric Prydz sampled the song in 2004 for a house music track and presented it to Winwood. Winwood was so impressed with what Prydz had done, he re-recorded the vocals to better fit the track. The 2004 remix was released under the title “Call on Me”.
SIDE A:
Valerie 4:08
Producer – Steve Winwood, Tom Lord Alge*
Remix – Tom Lord Alge*
Talking Back To The Night (Instrumental Version) 4:15
Producer – Steve Winwood, Tom Lord Alge*
Remix – Tom Lord Alge*
SIDE B:
The Finer Things (12″ Remix) 8:30
Mixed By – Tom Lord Alge*
Producer –Russ Titelman, Steve Winwood
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Valerie | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #9 |
| 1987 | Valerie | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | #13 |
| 1987 | Valerie | U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary | #2 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Island Records – 12 IS 336
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Written-By – Steve Winwood, Will Jennings
NOTES:
Track A1 & A2 Remixed at Sixteenth Avenue Sound, Nashville.
‘Valerie’ is taken from the forthcoming compilation ‘CHRONICLES’.
Available on Compact Disc, Album & Cassette.
Find The 12″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
