The Girl In The Yellow Dress

Album: Rattle That Lock (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • David Gilmour told Uncut the story of this song, which contains lyrics penned by his novelist wife Polly Samson. "The basic backing track was recorded in 2004, with a jazz trio in this room (Astoria)," he said. "It's been waiting for something to turn it."

    "Polly wrote a beautiful lyric about a girl dancing in a jazz club wearing a yellow dress that comes from a picture that we have by Johnny Dewe Mathews," Gilmour continued. "I recorded it again at Abbey Road with a different band, including Jools Holland on piano, Robert Wyatt playing coronet and Rado Klose – who has been a friend of mine since I was born – on guitar."
  • The song features double bass by English jazz musician Chris Laurence. He previously played on David Gilmour's On The Island tracks "Red Sky at Night" and "A Pocketful of Stones."
  • Asked by NPR if there a distinction for her between writing a narrative for her fiction work and the narrative for a record, Polly Sampson replied that the penning of this song, "felt incredibly similar to writing a short story."

    "The added advantage is that there's someone prompting me," she added. "There is no blank piece of paper, because the music is there."
  • The animated video was created by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Danny Madden, whose other credits include Euphonia and Confusion Through Sand.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.