"Lilac Wine"
Single by Elkie Brooks
from the album Pearls
ReleasedJanuary 1978
Recorded1978
GenreAdult contemporary
Length3:54
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)James Shelton
Producer(s)Mike Batt
"Lilac Wine"
Song by Jeff Buckley
from the album Grace
Released1994
RecordedBearsville Recording Studio, Woodstock, NY (Fall 1993)
GenreFolk, alternative rock, art rock
Length4:32
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)James Shelton
Producer(s)Andy Wallace

"Lilac Wine" is a song written by James Shelton (lyrics and music).

Lyrics

The lyrics form a narrative of heartache at losing a lover and taking solace from wine made from a lilac tree. The song focuses on the blissful oblivion achieved by becoming intoxicated. Its inspiration was a line in the 1925 novel Sorrow in Sunlight by Ronald Firbank, in which the main character, Miami Mouth, circulates through a party "offering a light, lilac wine, sweet and heady".

Cover versions

"Lilac Wine" has been recorded by a number of artists including Eartha Kitt on her 1953 album That Bad Eartha, Helen Merrill in her album Helen Merrill with Strings (1955), Judy Henske on her debut self-titled album (1963), Nina Simone on her album Wild Is the Wind (1966), Elkie Brooks (1978), and Jeff Buckley on his album Grace (1994). The Jeff Buckley version was used as background music in the 2006 French film Tell No One. It also appears on Katie Melua's debut studio album Call Off the Search (2003), the live album Live at the O² Arena (2009) and de video album Katie 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 on Emotion & Commotion (2010) with vocals by Imelda May.[1] Miley Cyrus released it as a video in 2012, as part of her YouTube series, Backyard Sessions.[2] The song was recorded by Dave Gahan and Soulsavers for their 2021 album Imposter.[3]

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 the UK Singles Chart in 1978.[4] It was included on her 1981 album, Pearls.

Charts

Chart 1978 Peak ref.
Irma Irish Singles Charts 8 [5]
Netherlands Dutch Single Top 100 50 [6]
Netherlands Dutch Top 40 33 [7]
UK Singles Charts 16 [8]

Notes

  1. ^ "Lilac Wine - Jeff Beck feat Imelda May". YouTube. 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  2. ^ "Miley Cyrus 'Lilac Wine': Singer Releases Cover Of James Shelton's 1950s Classic". Huffington Post. September 10, 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  3. ^ Barker, Andrew (November 11, 2021). "Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan Talks About His First Covers Album, the Aptly-Named 'Imposter'". Variety. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  4. ^ "The Official Charts Company - "Lilac Wine" - Elkie Brooks". Officialcharts.com.
  5. ^ "IRMA". Irish Charts. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Dutch Charts". Dutch singles top 100. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Dutch Top 40". Dutch singles top 100. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Elkie Brooks Chart History: Top 75". Official Charts. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
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