EP145 - Sarah Jane Morris - Singer, Songwriter, Leaves Around The Door

On this episode of the Paul Weller Fan Podcast, we hear from Sarah Jane Morris - a singer-songwriter who has been sharing her musical talents with us for over 40 years now.

An artist who straddles rock, blues, jazz and soul and is in possession of a stunning four octave vocal range that'll blow your mind.

Her connections to Paul Weller date back to the mid-80s, when she was part of The Communards and they joined the Red Wedge Tour. As you'll hear 1986 was an pretty incredible year for her, with the worldwide smash-hit of Don't Leave Me This Way! as well.

She released her debut album, Sarah Jane Morris in March 1989, receiving great critical acclaim and selling over 100,000 copies. The second single Me And Mrs Jones attained cult status as the BBC banned it for its lesbian implications.

Sixteen solo albums later, pop stardom on the continent, and a diverse set of musical collaborations on record, film and stage, Sarah Jane continues to steer her unorthodox career to greater heights.

In the early 1990s, Paul Weller handed her a tune called Leaves Around the Door which she added to her live setlist, including for a performance captured on her Blue Valentine LIVE at Ronnie Scott's album.

You may well recognise the song under the name A Year Late which Paul himself recorded and released later on as the b-side to You Do Something To Me)

In another lovely Weller connection, in 2021, Sarah Jane recorded a new album called Let The Music Play, with the Italian producer Papik.

Both artists chose songs from the 80s and rearranged them with a jazz/bosa/soul vibe.

On the album, you'll find a stunning cover of You're The Best Thing by The Style Council along with songs from artists as diverse as Prefab Sprout, Barry White, Todd Rundgren, Simply Red and Everything But The Girl. 

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