Great Stuff - Winwood said he wrote the song because he knew of people in the music scene who were battling drug addiction and he just got so tired of seeing what the drug use was doing to the people around him- Valerie was one such person ("Then she just blew away". "It can't be that warm with the wind in her arms")
He is saying he can help her ("Call on Me") but she never does, caught in the throes of addiction
In his own words:
'Valerie', for instance, isn't a song remembering this girl I was madly in love with. It's not that at all. It's a plea to a certain girl singer - someone I don't know personally but who Will Jennings had drawn my attention to - not to destroy herself with drugs. The narrator in the song is saying, 'I'm back, and I'm the same person I used to be - so why isn't she?' "
BTW: the lyric is "I can't but help remember just where she touched me" a small distinction but enhances the song greatly
I had always assumed the song was about the singer meeting an old flame (Valerie) and saying they should go out again. However, cmckinley's take on it makes sense.
I had always assumed the song was about the singer meeting an old flame (Valerie) and saying they should go out again. However, cmckinley's take on it makes sense.
Regardless, I prefer my original interpretation of it. It reminds me of a girl I used to know that I'd like to see again (she's not named Valerie though...but one of her friends is).
Regardless, I prefer my original interpretation of it. It reminds me of a girl I used to know that I'd like to see again (she's not named Valerie though...but one of her friends is).
Great Stuff - Winwood said he wrote the song because he knew of people in the music scene who were battling drug addiction and he just got so tired of seeing what the drug use was doing to the people around him- Valerie was one such person ("Then she just blew away". "It can't be that warm with the wind in her arms")
He is saying he can help her ("Call on Me") but she never does, caught in the throes of addiction
In his own words:
'Valerie', for instance, isn't a song remembering this girl I was madly in love with. It's not that at all. It's a plea to a certain girl singer - someone I don't know personally but who Will Jennings had drawn my attention to - not to destroy herself with drugs. The narrator in the song is saying, 'I'm back, and I'm the same person I used to be - so why isn't she?' "
BTW: the lyric is "I can't but help remember just where she touched me" a small distinction but enhances the song greatly
I had always assumed the song was about the singer meeting an old flame (Valerie) and saying they should go out again. However, cmckinley's take on it makes sense.
I had always assumed the song was about the singer meeting an old flame (Valerie) and saying they should go out again. However, cmckinley's take on it makes sense.
Regardless, I prefer my original interpretation of it. It reminds me of a girl I used to know that I'd like to see again (she's not named Valerie though...but one of her friends is).
Regardless, I prefer my original interpretation of it. It reminds me of a girl I used to know that I'd like to see again (she's not named Valerie though...but one of her friends is).
Good stuff cmckinley...
Good stuff cmckinley...
I always, like most I'm sure, thought that he was writing about a past love.
I always, like most I'm sure, thought that he was writing about a past love.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Peace.
Peace.
@cmckinley Every thing I've been reading suggests that this song is about Valerie Carter, a singer who released several albums in the 70s that really didn't go much of anywhere. She struggled with drug addiction before finally kicking the habit in 2009 after being arrested on possession charges. She sadly died of a heart attack in 2017. Her obituary is at https://www.tampabay.com/news/valerie-carter-recording-artist-and-backup-singer-of-st-petersburg-dead-at/2315426/.
@cmckinley Every thing I've been reading suggests that this song is about Valerie Carter, a singer who released several albums in the 70s that really didn't go much of anywhere. She struggled with drug addiction before finally kicking the habit in 2009 after being arrested on possession charges. She sadly died of a heart attack in 2017. Her obituary is at https://www.tampabay.com/news/valerie-carter-recording-artist-and-backup-singer-of-st-petersburg-dead-at/2315426/.