Peak
9
Weeks
24
Score
2,833
Chart Year
1987
Valerie is a mysterious woman, cool like jazz on a summer's day. Winwood wrote the music and Will Jennings wrote the lyric. In a Songfacts interview with Jennings, he 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." Steve Winwood's solo career was picking up steam at this point. In the '60s, he made a name for himself in the Spencer Davis Group when he was still a teenager. His next stop was Traffic, then Blind Faith, then Traffic again. He spent about three years working on his first, self-titled solo album, which was released in 1977 and got little attention. Arc of a Diver arrived in 1980 with the modest hit "While You See a Chance," also written by Will Jennings. "Valerie" was the hit from his next album, Talking Back to the Night. His next one, Back in the High Life, made him a fixture on Pop and Adult Contemporary radio. When this song was first released in 1982, it went to #51 in the UK and #70 in the US. In 1987, it was remixed by Tom Lord Alge with revised drum and vocal tracks for the 1987 Steve Winwood compilation album Chronicles, and again released as a single. This time, it went to #19 in the UK and #9 in the US. In 2004, the song was remixed once again, this time by the Swedish DJ Eric Prydz as "Call On Me." This version was a monster hit across Europe, going to #1 in the UK, Germany, and several other countries.
So wild standing there With her hands in her hair I can't help remember Just where she touched me There's still no face Here in her place So cool, she was like Jazz on a summer's day Music, high and sweet Then she just blew away Now she can't be that warm With the wind in her arms Valerie, call on me Call on me, Valerie Come and see me I'm the same boy I used to be Love songs fill the night But they don't tell it all Not how lovers cry out Just like they're dying Her cries hang there, in time, somewhere Someday, some good wind May blow her back to me Some night I may hear Her like she used to be No, it can't be that warm With the wind in her arms Valerie, call on me Call on me, Valerie Come and see me I'm the same boy I used to be So cool, she was like Jazz on a summer's day Music, high and sweet Then she just blew away Now she can't be that warm With the wind in her arms Valerie, call on me Call on me, Valerie Come and see me I'm the same boy I used to be I'm the same boy I used to be
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 13, 1982 | 79 | 47 |
| 2 | Nov 20, 1982 | 70 | 56 |
| 3 | Nov 27, 1982 | 70 | 56 |
| 4 | Dec 4, 1982 | 87 | 39 |
| 1 | Oct 10, 1987 | 77 | 49 |
| 2 | Oct 17, 1987 | 63 | 63 |
| 3 | Oct 24, 1987 | 47 | 79 |
| 4 | Oct 31, 1987 | 43 | 83 |
| 5 | Nov 7, 1987 | 35 | 91 |
| 6 | Nov 14, 1987 | 31 | 95 |
| 7 | Nov 21, 1987 | 23 | 103 |
| 8 | Nov 28, 1987 | 20 | 106 |
| 9 | Dec 5, 1987 | 14 | 112 |
| 10 | Dec 12, 1987 | 13 | 113 |
| 11 | Dec 19, 1987 | 9 | 117 |
| 12 | Dec 26, 1987 | 11 | 115 |
| 13 | Jan 2, 1988 | 11 | 115 |
| 14 | Jan 9, 1988 | 15 | 111 |
| 15 | Jan 16, 1988 | 28 | 98 |
| 16 | Jan 23, 1988 | 38 | 88 |