Apr 06
BlogJustin Hayward on His Newest EP
"Both of these songs are new - recorded in January/February this year.
'One Summer Day' just sprang out of my old Martin guitar late one evening, when the world was quiet. It’s a deeply personal and emotional song for me, written in a conversational style about the unexpected events of one day in summer.
I had been playing the guitar riff for a while just for fun, without realising it could actually be a song. In the end I wrote it in a rush late one night."
A couple of weeks later, when Alberto and I were recording it, we had packed up to leave the studio after midnight - it had been a long day and Alberto was taking me back to the room where I stay in the town - we had planned to record my vocal the next morning.
I suddenly stopped in the doorway and said to Alberto “can I do it now?” He didn’t even blink, he just said “of course Jus.” So we went back in, Alberto quickly set up the vocal mic and we did a couple of takes. We both slept well that night.
When I arrived at the studio the next morning I saw Alberto in the control room listening to it. I didn’t go in, but waited until the music stopped. When I opened the control room door Alberto was silent - I said “What does it sound like?” He said “I really love it - I really love it.” I’m so glad we went back that night.”
Justin Hayward:
"I think 'My Juliette' is about childhood and theatre, from Shakespeare to pantomime (and about some other stuff I haven't worked out how to explain yet !). When I was 13 my mother played piano for a repertory theatre group in Dorset on a summer holiday from school - I played guitar for the rep company and I stayed with them until their summer season ended, after my family went back home. I was entranced and I still treasure every moment of that theatre life. I had bits of this song for years before I decided I wanted to finish or record it, because I enjoyed just playing around with it. It was one of the things I would play each time I took my guitar out of the case.
The song references Danny William’s UK version of 'Moon River' which I played over and over when I was young - I still do! It’s one of the best English recordings of the early 60's. I met Danny when I was with Marty Wilde. What a voice!"
