CLUB SANDWICH 82

the lyrics, looking for a rhyme for "sky", going through the alphabet, when I got to "pie". The words "flaming pie" fitted and I got quite excited about it. "Making love underneath the moon" became "Making love underneath the bed" - it was great fun to write.

            HEAVEN ON A SUNDAY

            This is the most recent of all the songs on Flaming Pie, written shortly before I finished the album. I like to sail when I'm on holiday: just me, the wind and a little boat - a Sunfish. I was having a very relaxing time, and this is when I came up with the song. The opening line led me through. I like the idea of heaven being busy in the week and peaceful on a Sunday, and I like mentioning Devon - there are a few places called Devon in America, plus the original here in England.
            James is getting really good on guitar, and though we've not played together in a band for 20 years we are simpatico because we've lived together for almost 20 - he's 19 now. It didn't take long and he wasn't too nervous: I played some, he answered it, I played some more, he answered some more, and he came up with some really good phrases. It was very satisfying. People have always asked me "Are any of your kids musical?" And yes, they all are. James got a guitar when he was 9 or 10. He loves it. He's good enough to be on this album on merit.

            USED TO BE BAD

            I like blues but don't do a lot of it, so when Steve Miller said that he wanted to get me singing "Texas blues" it sounded like a good offer. I got on drums, he got on guitar, all live, and we had fun. Then Steve came up with some words, suggesting we use old blues lines like "I used to be bad but I don't have to be bad no more". I put bass on it, Steve did some solos, and we decided to sing alternate lines, singing at the same microphone. It was a jam, based on Steve's riff and made up in the studio, and the vocal came in one take. Steve and I are donating our royalties on the track to LI PA.

            SOUVENIR

            As I have said, I write quite a bit on holiday, when the pressure's off, and one afternoon in Jamaica I sat down and started writing a song that turned out to be 'Souvenir'. It was a real lazy holiday, very laid back, so there was no tension at all in the writing of this song. The phone went in the middle of my making the demo, and then a tropical downpour happened, but I kept on recording and love the demo for its atmosphere.

            LITTLE WILLOW

            A good friend of mine died, someone we all loved, so I wrote a song that conveyed my mood. It's heartfelt - instead of writing her kids a letter I wrote a song. It was a very sad day for all of us, and Jeff Lynne and I gave it our all in the studio.

            REALLY LOVE YOU

            Ringo was at my studio to record 'Beautiful Night' and we were getting a great sound from the instruments. The next session we did three jams in half an hour, including this one. I got on the Hofner bass, Ringo started drumming, Jeff Lynne was on guitar and the three of us got an R&B riff going. I had to fulfil the actor's worst dream, of being on stage but not knowing what play he's in - my version of this is that I have to sing words to a song that is being made up on the spot. This is why there's one verse that doesn't make any sense, which is well surreal, but that's OK.

            BEAUTIFUL NIGHT

            I wrote 'Beautiful Night' quite a few years ago, and I've always liked it, and people who heard an early recording that I made in New York, with some of Billy Joel's players, have said that they liked it too. But I always felt that we hadn't quite "pulled it off' - you know? We had a good evening and a great time but I just didn't feel that it was the one. Also, I was still changing a few lyrics. So I did it with Ringo instead - I've been saying to him for years that we should do some more work together. He's great.
            I sat at the piano and Ringo sat at the drums. It was so comfortable and lovely to work with him again. Jeff Lynne and I produced. Ringo was very happy with it and we tagged on the fast bit at the end, which wasn't on the original recording.
            Ringo came here, to the studio, to do 'Free As A Bird' and 'Real Love', and brought his kit with him. It sounds great when it's recorded, the snare, the bass. He then left his kit here, in storage, so I phoned up and ordered exactly the same pieces, and set up my new kit in exactly the same way. In fact, Ringo used my model of his kit for 'Beautiful Night'.

            GREAT DAY

            This is here to balance the "big-ness" of the previous track, following on from 'Beautiful Night' in the way that 'Her Majesty' came after The End' on Abbey Road. 'Great Day' is a song that Linda and I used to sing when the kids were very small, a simple acoustic number with a good feel. I've always liked the song but never really had an opportunity to record it, so during the 'Calico Skies' session with George Martin, since it had been so easy to record that one little acoustic thing, I told George that I had this song too. The song is identical to how we used to do it 25 years ago.