OFF TOPIC with Steve Mixup. A place for me to tell the odd story or two about the post war rock generation. If they couldn’t change the world at least they brought us some wonderful music.
Love song by Lesley Duncan.
I know there are thousands of beautiful songs out there but this must surely be one of them. It is one of those songs that sounds good no matter which version you hear.
Dying in 2010 on the Isle of Mull after a long illness, Lesley was known by her neighbours as a private family-oriented person who loved gardening and was married to someone (Tony Cox) in the music business and mother to two boys from a first marriage. They were largely unaware of her music career which had spanned 3 decades starting with her first record in 1963.
She refused to play along with the expectations of a young female singer in the sixties and found her own way through the maze that was the music industry and became the singer/songwriter she wanted to be.
From Stockton-on-Tees she was one of the first female songwriters in the new pop age but never quite broke through as a star. Suffering from stage fright she was more content to work as a session singer with a role call of artists that is formidable. Elton John, Peggy Lee, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Olivia Newton John, Dusty Springfield, Pete Townsend, Madeleine Bell, Alan Parsons, Kay Garner, Ringo Starr, Dionne Warwick, Vicky Brown and Kiki Dee are just a few.
I first became aware of her when I bought Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. There was her name as a backing singer on one of the greatest selling albums of all time.
Elton John recorded one of her songs “Love Song” on his 1970 hit album “Tumbleweed Connection” and it is this song that is Lesley’s crowning glory. A lot of people still think that it is an Elton John written song but he’ll be the first to point out that error. Plainly dressed with a simple, clear and beautiful voice she wrote and recorded albums that gained appreciation but no great sales. Lesley never chased stardom and eventually called it a day to take up various social-action issues which she had touched upon in her lyrics.
A melancholy song from a now passed soul, but this isn’t a sad story, it’s one of a life rewarded because of her authenticity. There is a fan site dedicated to her here. Here is another blog page.
Hear it on YouTube:
Love Song: Lyrics
The words I have to say
May well be simple but they’re true
Until you give your love
there’s nothing more that we can do
Love is the opening door
Love is what we came here for
No-one could offer you more
Do you know what I mean
Have your eyes really seen
You say it’s very hard
To leave behind the life we knew
But there’s no other way
And now it’s really up to you
Love is the key we must turn
Truth is the flame we must burn
Freedom the lesson we must learn
Do you know what I mean?
Have your eyes really seen?
A fantastic soulful version by the Walrus of love himself Barry White
A lush orchestrated instrumental version of Love Song by Johnny Harris
A live version of Love Song with Elton John
A French language version by Gérard Lenorman
Here is a few more snippets of her work
Lesley Duncan – See That Guy. 1965 written by Lesley.
Lesley Duncan – Only The Lonely And Me (1965). Another written by Lesley.
Alan Parsons Project – If I Could Change Your Mind (Vocals by Lesley Duncan)