Today, we find out just who was the “Valerie” that Steve Windwood’s “Valerie” was about.
This is “What It’s All About,” a new feature that explains what certain notable songs were written about, provided that the song wasn’t written about a famous person (in which case that’d be a Meta-Message).
This one is a bit tricky, since the person involved technically IS famous, but not really all that famous, so I think I’ll still count it.
“Valerie” was a track off of the hit Steve Winwood album, Talking Back to the Night.
Like the classic pairing of Bernie Taupin and Elton John, the song was written with songwriter Will Jennings coming up with, in effect, a poem, and then Steve Winwood put the words to music. So who was the Valerie that the song was written about?
In a SongFacts interview, Jennings explained, “Valerie is a real person, whose identity I will not reveal. She was almost at the top of the world in her profession and let it slip away from her. She was a dear friend and this was my tribute to her.”
That’s totally fine, of course, but Jennings has mentioned in OTHER places that the song was, in fact, about the troubled but brilliant singer/songwriter, Valerie Carter.
From a tribute to the late Tom Jans that Jennings wrote on his website:
[S]ometime in the mid-seventies, Tom and Valerie Carter (who was in Howdy Moon and wrote “Cook With Honey” and later did some nice albums for Columbia) became close and the three of us used to spend time all over the L. A. music scene. Years later, in 1981 or 1982, I think it was, I put Valerie in a lyric I wrote for Steve Winwood’s music when we were working on the second album Steve and I collaborated on, Talking Back to the Night.
Valerie Carter was a talented singer/songwriter perhaps best known for the album, Only a Stone’s Toss Away, in 1978. Carter dealt with drug issues throughout most of her life, although I believe she got clean late in her life after a drug arrest in 2009. She passed away in 2017 from a heart attack at the age of 64.
Okay, folks, I’m sure you have songs where you’re curious as to who they were written about, so drop me a line at brian@popculturereferences.com and I’ll see what I can find out!
Brian, your story here is a poor example of an answer to a question about who was the song “Valerie” by Steve Winwood and Will Jennings about. The girth of Valeries work extends way beyond what your answer describes. Did you have a deadline to meet you couldn’t meet, or just a need to pick up a check? The album is “Just a Stones Throw Away” and nothing to be tossed about. “The Way it Is” another masterpiece of the time you failed to mention, but it didn’t begin or end there. Not only would you serve yourself well, but to get out of yourself enough to feature her complete story, incuding the girth of Valeries discography. You may find out it will be more than an apology for what you’ve written here. The link might be a great place for you to start finding out exactly how great of an accomplished artists she still is. There have been two compilations released since her passing titled “Valerie Carter The Lost Tapes Volumes I and II retrospectively. They include collaborations with Prince, Jackson Browne, Will Jennings, Paul Williams, and members of Little Feat including Lowell George among many others. Furthermore, there is rumors of a volume 3 release from baked tapes from the vaults where the multitrack masters were saved. Unfortunately it is not in my privilege to release the name of who one of the major collaboraters she was working with, but after reading your story it sounds like you may be very surprised and enlightened. Thanks for being here just the same, and as always peace on and off your shores.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialvaleriecarter/?ref=share&mibextid=K8Wfd2
This is a very poor observation of the life of Valerie Carter. She was a brilliant artist, both as a writer and singer. The first time I heard her sing, in the mid 70’s, is a memory as fresh as if it was yesterday. “Money Machine” from James Taylor. I became a devoted fan after that, searching out her other work. “A Stones Throw Away” and “Wild Child” were two of the finest albums ever produced. Her work with other artists is legendary. “Spinning” with Christopher Cross is another example. I was officially a VC fan girl in my teens! And into my adult life. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting her in 1990, she was with James Taylor’s tour. When I met her, my teenage hero in front of me, was a moment I’ll never forget! It broke my heart when I learned of her later troubles. But it didn’t diminish my love of her music, or her, for that matter. This piece about “Valerie” truly was just shy of insulting to a great artist.