Happy 30th Anniversary to Wendy Matthews’ second studio album Lily, originally released September 28, 1992.
There is an immense amount of power that accompanies having an instantly recognizable voice. Something that transcends the obvious audibility of said voice and moves into a unique space completely occupied by the artist and their instrument.
Wendy Matthews, one of Australia’s most distinctive and finest voices, has managed to carve out and create a career that has spanned more than four decades and numerous musical genres. Having left her native Canada in search of musical pursuits that took her to Japan and the US, it was a chance meeting with Australian singer Glen Shorrock (Little River Band) in L.A. that eventually led to Matthews calling Australia home.
After numerous gigs providing backing vocals to some of Australia’s finest musicians (Jimmy Barnes, Richard Clapton, icehouse, et al.) and lead vocalist with bands like Models and Absent Friends, Matthews eventually branched out on her own and released her first album Émigré in 1990. With a trio of hits from Émigré that stormed the Australian charts, Matthews was well on her way to establishing herself as one of Australia’s premier vocalists.
Following up from the success of Émigré, Matthews’ sophomore album Lily, released in 1992, would go on to become her highest charting album to date, due in large part to one of the album’s most recognized songs, “The Day You Went Away,” and the enormous success that followed its release in Australia.
The album’s lead single, “The Day You Went Away” was originally recorded in 1991 by the short lived British outfit Soul Family Sensation. Matthews’ version was released in Australia in 1992 and soared to the #2 position on the ARIA charts, giving Matthews her highest charting single. The song also took home two awards at the ARIA Awards in 1993: Single of the Year and Highest Selling Single. Although the song was written in response to a breakup, it found new life through some of history’s darkest moments, highlighted when the late Princess Diana passed in 1997. Additionally, as Matthews has stated in previous interviews, the song was an ongoing anthem at HIV/AIDS luncheons where Matthews sang every year.
Employing the legendary T-Bone Burnett as producer on the album and the backing of INXS’ rhythm section of Jon Farriss and Garry Gary Beers, as well as Booker T’s legendary keyboard skills, Lily’s musical pedigree was never going to be disputed. It is clear that this album was a journey deep into Matthews’ heritage, something that she shared with her Mother as they returned to their native Canada to explore.
Watch the Official Videos (Playlist):
The album’s second single “Friday’s Child” leans into a vulnerability that runs through a lot of the album. With lines like “At times I drift too far from shore / You get the life line to me / When I fight my holy war / You tell me what it's good for / I walk in your footsteps when the road gets too wild / You go the extra mile for / Friday’s child, Friday's child,” Matthews tugs at the heart strings right from the get go on Lily. The song again saw Matthews collect another ARIA award, this time in 1994 for Best Female Artist.
Other notable tracks on Lily are the album’s third single “If Only I Could,” a much more pop incarnation of Sydney Youngblood’s 1989 original House version of the song. The beautiful lyrics of “The Quiet Art of Standing Still” bring even more depth and strength to Lily, as does the almost Joni Mitchell sounding and soothing melody of “Homecoming Song” (By Suzannah Castaway), providing that folk sound, something that works beautifully with Matthews’ velvety vocals.
On the limited edition reissue of Lily, there was a bonus CD IX, which housed a further six live recordings from The Montreux Jazz Festival in 1993, culminating in a French version of “The Day You Went Away,” which I saw her perform live in June of this year, when Matthews took part in Tina Arena’s The Songs My Mother Taught Me live at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
The French version of the song pays homage to Matthews’ French-Canadian heritage and gave license to a whole new incarnation of a song that has such strong roots in the Australian musical landscape.
Lily has become one of Australia’s most recognizable albums and if statistics are to be believed, Matthews’ music is in over one million Australian homes, and in large part, due to this album I’m guessing. Although the album’s lead single is its most noted, there are so many other beautiful moments from this album that highlight Matthews’ beautiful voice, phrasing and overall artistry. The album’s last trio of songs—“Face of Appalachia” “Naming Names” and “Inexorably Yours”—defy any word play that I could possibly muster and rather, require your ears and attention to fully appreciate not just Matthews’ voice, but the vision and force that is essentially Lily, even to this day, thirty years later.
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