Josephine (Chris Rea song)

"Josephine" is a song from the album Shamrock Diaries by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, and which performed strongly when released as a single on 22 June 1985, reaching the Top 10 in France and the Netherlands, and a remix enjoyed popularity on the Balearic beat scene.[2] It was written for his daughter of the same name. Rea would later name a song after his youngest daughter, Julia, on the album Espresso Logic (1993).[3]

"Josephine"
Single by Chris Rea
from the album Shamrock Diaries
Released22 June 1985
RecordedDecember 1984
GenreSoft rock[1]
Length4:26 (album)
3:35 ('85 single)
LabelMagnet
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)

Composition

Rea considered Josephine to be a blues song, saying that the "rhythm track... is supposed to be the Yellowjackets, Weather Report, and it grooves like hell, to me". However, the record company asked for changes leading to different versions of the song.[4] Rea says that, "When I'm on stage, I kind of shut my eyes when I'm singing and I'm always where I wrote the song. With Josephine... I'm always on the third floor of the Intercontinental Hotel in Dusseldorf in Germany and it's raining. That's where I am when I sing that song, every time."[5] After an encounter with a record executive in Paris, who liked the disco chords of the song, Rea recorded a demo club version which found its way to DJ Paul Oakenfold, who helped establish it on the acid house scene, ultimately prompting Magnet to issue it as a single, Josephine (La Version Française).[6]

Different versions

Rea has re-recorded the track many times, and it exists in 7 distinct versions:

  • The original 1985 album version, which can be found on original vinyl and CD releases of Shamrock Diaries; length 4.26.
  • The 1985 single version, a completely different, more rocking recording; length 3:35. This was later included on the 2001 compilation The Very Best of Chris Rea. The promotional video for the single uses a slightly extended version of this, which 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; length 5.39.
  • An edited version of "La Version Française" that appears on reissues of Shamrock Diaries in place of the original; length 3.56.
  • The 1988 re-recording created for the compilation New Light Through Old Windows; length 4:34. Possibly the most well-known version of the song, it has appeared on numerous Chris Rea compilations since.
  • An alternate, faster 1988 re-recording found only on US editions of New Light Through Old Windows published by Geffen Records, but not those published by ATCO Records; length 4.17.
  • A stripped-back 2008 re-recording included on the Germany-only compilation Fool If You Think It's Over - The Definitive Greatest Hits; length 3:58.

Most of the above versions were eventually collected across the two-disc reissues of Rea's albums Shamrock Diaries, Dancing with Strangers, The Road to Hell and Auberge that were released in 2019; only the 2008 re-recording and the edited version of "La Version Française" were omitted. The 2019 deluxe version of Shamrock Diaries restored the original 4'26" album version to the first disc, and includes the original 3'35" single version on the bonus disk.

Track listing
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)[7] 13
French Singles Chart[8] 7
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 23
Italy (FIMI)[10] 41
Germany (GfK Entertainment Charts)[8] 31
Netherlands (MegaCharts)[11] 8
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[12] 67

Sampling

The song was sampled by French house group Superfunk on their 2000 single "Lucky Star" (from the album Hold Up).[13]

References
  1. "BLUESFEST: Chris Rea | Music in London". Time Out London.
  2. Stewart, Iain (2003). The Rough Guide to Ibiza & Formentera. London: Rough Guides. p. 327. ISBN 9781843530633. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  3. "Chris Rea at HMV Apollo, W6". The Times. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  4. Keith Shadwick (26 March 2004). "Chris Rea: Confessions of a blues survivor". The Independent. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  5. "ShieldSquare Captcha". www.songfacts.com.
  6. "ShieldSquare Captcha". www.songfacts.com.
  7. "Chris Rea – Josephine". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  8. "Chris Rea - Josephine". Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  9. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Josephine". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  10. "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: R". www.hitparadeitalia.it.
  11. "Chris Rea – Josephine". DutchCharts.nl. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  12. "Official Charts > Chris Rea". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  13. King, Millane (22 July 2000). "Global Beats—Paris". Billboard. 112 (30): 54. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
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