Dear John (Eddi Reader song)

"Dear John" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Eddi Reader, released in 1994 as the third and final single from her second studio album Eddi Reader. It was written by Kirsty MacColl and Mark E. Nevin, and produced by Greg Penny. "Dear John" reached No. 48 in the UK and remained in the charts for two weeks.[1] In 1995, the song was nominated for "Best song musically and lyrically" at the Ivor Novello Awards.[2]

"Dear John"
Single by Eddi Reader
from the album Eddi Reader
B-side"Battersea Moon"
Released1994
Length4:08
LabelBlanco y Negro
Songwriter(s)Kirsty MacColl
Mark E. Nevin
Producer(s)Greg Penny
Eddi Reader singles chronology
"Joke (I'm Laughing)"
(1994)		 "Dear John"
(1994)		 "Nobody Lives Without Love"
(1995)

Background

"Dear John" was inspired by the end of MacColl's ten year marriage to Steve Lillywhite. It was originally intended for inclusion on her 1993 album Titanic Days, however she considered it too emotional and personal, and offered it to Reader instead. MacColl's demo version, which was recorded at Nevin's house, would later surface on the 2005 compilation From Croydon to Cuba: An Anthology.[3][4]

Nevin said of the song in the 2001 BBC documentary The Life and Songs of Kirsty MacColl: "It was really Kirsty admitting violently that her marriage was over. I remember when she first sung me the lyrics, I put my arms around her and she cried, and I cried because I knew it was the end."[5] He told Ian Peel of Record Collector: ""Dear John" was literally Kirsty's Dear John note to her husband, Steve, and just too close to the bone. You can hear how emotional Kirsty was when she was singing it [on the demo version]. We ended up giving the song to Eddi Reader."[3] Reader told Insight in 2019 that performing "Dear John" live "can be difficult". She added: "It was written by people in the misery of divorce then sung at the time by me, in the misery of that too!"[6]

Reception

Upon release, Jan Moir of The Guardian described the song as a "big ballad" and considered it the best track on the album.[7] Rick Anderson of AllMusic felt "Dear John" was "perhaps the tenderest kiss-off song ever written".[8]

Track listing
7" single
  1. "Dear John" - 4:08
  2. "Battersea Moon" (Jay's Edit) - 4:12
CD single
  1. "Dear John" - 4:08
  2. "When I Watch You Sleeping" (Demo Version) - 3:53
  3. "What You Do With What You've Got" - 4:37
  4. "That's Fair" - 4:44

Personnel

Production

  • Greg Penny - producer
  • John Ingoldsby - engineer, mixing
  • Andy Strange, Steve Holroyd - assistant engineers
  • Chris Bellman - mastering
  • Thomas Dolby - remix of "What You Do With What You've Got"
  • Eddi Reader, Kevin Moloney, Roy Dodds - producers of "What You Do With What You've Got"
  • The Patron Saints of Imperfection - producers of "That's Fair"

Other

  • Kevin Westenberg - photography

Charts
Chart (1994) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[1] 48

References
  1. "EDDI READER | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  2. "Archive | The Ivors | The Ivors Academy | Champions of Music Creators". The Ivors Academy. 1995-05-23. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  3. "The Making Of Titanic Day - Record Collector Magazine". Recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  4. "Dear John". Kirsty MacColl. 2005-03-28. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  5. "The Life and Lyrics of Kirsty Maccoll (2001)". BFI. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  6. gryffe. "Eddi Reader Interview – Insight". Advertizer.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  7. Moir, Jan (18 May 1994). "Lady sings the blues". The Guardian.
  8. Eddi Reader. "Eddi Reader - Eddi Reader | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
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