| "Lilac Wine" | |
|---|---|
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| Single byElkie Brooks | |
| from the albumPearls | |
| Released | January 1978 |
| Recorded | 1978 |
| Genre | Adult contemporary |
| Length | 3:54 |
| Label | A&M |
| Songwriter | James Shelton |
| Producer | Mike Batt |
| "Lilac Wine" | |
|---|---|
| Song byJeff Buckley | |
| from the albumGrace | |
| Released | 1994 |
| Recorded | Fall 1993 |
| Studio | Bearsville Studios (Woodstock, New York) |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:32 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter | James Shelton |
| Producer | Andy Wallace |
"Lilac Wine" is a song written byJames Shelton (lyrics and music) for the 1950 Broadway musicalDance Me a Song. It was sung in the show byHope Foye but (as the show was not successful) there was no cast recording.[1]
The lyrics form a narrative of heartache at losing a lover and taking solace from wine made from alilac tree. The song focuses on the blissful oblivion achieved by becoming intoxicated. Its inspiration was a line in the 1925 novelSorrow in Sunlight byRonald Firbank, in which the main character, Miami Mouth, circulates through a party "offering a light, lilac wine, sweet and heady".[2]
"Lilac Wine" has been recorded by a number of artists includingEartha Kitt on her 1953 albumThat Bad Eartha,Helen Merrill in her albumHelen Merrill with Strings (1955),Judy Henske on her debut self-titled album (1963),Nina Simone on her albumWild Is the Wind (1966), andJeff Buckley on his albumGrace (1994).[2]Elkie Brooks released a cover in 1978, and it eventually featured on herPearls album, produced byMike Batt. The album stayed in theUK albums chart for 79 weeks, and the song featured on several subsequent albums. The Jeff Buckley version was used as background music in the 2006 French filmTell No One. It also appears onKatie Melua's debut studio albumCall Off the Search (2003), the live albumLive at the O² Arena (2009) and the video albumKatie Melua with the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra (2011).Barb Jungr recorded a version for her 2008 tribute album to Nina Simone,Just Like a Woman.Jeff Beck played a solo in the version included onEmotion & Commotion (2010) with vocals byImelda May.[3]Miley Cyrus released it as a video in 2012, as part of herYouTube series,Backyard Sessions.[4] The song was recorded byDave Gahan andSoulsavers for their 2021 albumImposter.[5]
The only artist to have major chart success with the song was Elkie Brooks, and the song remains closely associated with her, especially in the UK and Europe. Her rendition peaked at No. 16 in theUK singles chart in 1978.[6] It was included on her 1981 album,Pearls.
| Chart (1978) | Peak | ref. |
|---|---|---|
| IrmaIrish Singles Charts | 8 | [7] |
| NetherlandsDutch Single Top 100 | 50 | [8] |
| NetherlandsDutch Top 40 | 33 | [9] |
| UK singles chart | 16 | [10] |
