Under The Sun

Certain Songs #1445: Paul Kelly & The Messengers – “Desdemona”

February 3, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Under The Sun
Year: 1987

If any record was going to break Paul Kelly in the U.S., it would have been Under The Sun. While there were some great songs on Gossip, it wasn’t quite as consistent as Under The Sun, which also boasted better production, to boot.

And better songs, too: I’ve already mentioned the insanely great “To Her Door,” but there was also the rollicking drum-fueled “Dumb Things,” the title track, which ended up with rave-up fueled by the “My Generation” chord changes, and the impossibly lovely “Desdemona.”

Certain Songs #1444: Paul Kelly and The Messengers – “To Her Door”

February 2, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Under The Sun
Year: 1987

This, ladies and gentlemens, is how you write a song.

There isn’t anything about “To Her Door” that isn’t totally and utterly perfection. Not a single fucking thing. For one thing, it’s a story song that leaves the end of the story unresolved, so it’s all about set-up and leaves the aftermath to your imagination. You know, like “Train From Kansas City,” only . . . well, we’ll get there presently.

But I will put it this way: there aren’t too many songs that can make the room blurry for me — that’s just not how I’m wired — but “To Her Door” is one of them.