Paul Kelly shocks the nation with the death of his iconic character
Paul Kelly is perhaps best known for his emotional and out-there Christmas classic, ‘How to Make Gravy.’
Now, after 29 years, he’s followed it up with a sequel.
The original 1996 song was from the perspective of Joe, writing a letter to Dan, his relative.
oJe was in prison and he wrote about how he longed to be with his family on Christmas Day. The tune is so popular, even today, that it reached number 9 in Triple J’s “Hottest 100 of Australian Songs.’
“I’ve been mulling over a sequel to How To Make Gravy from Rita’s point of view for quite some time,” Kelly said
“About five years ago, I wrote down the words, ‘Rita Wrote A Letter,’ and thought, ‘There’s my title.’
‘Rita Wrote A Letter’ is nostalgically similar to the classic original but with a new spin that really separates it.
It’s a story set over an old-school, R&B-inspired piano line, with Kelly’s classic dark and rather dry humour dripping from every phrase.
The song sees Joe released from prison before dying of what can be inferred as a drug overdose.
“I want to see an old friend, and I brought a little package home,” writes Joe to Rita. “For old time’s sake, sweet oblivion, but some things you shouldn’t do alone”
It’s a rather bleak send-off for the original protagonist, but one that is unapologetically Paul Kelly.
To tease the new song, he put up a notice in The Age, an obituary for the fallen character, and shared it on his Instagram with the caption ‘RIP Joe,’ sparking excitement among his fans about the potential of a new song, but also grief, with some offering their condolences in the comments.
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‘Rita Wrote A Letter’ is the first single for Paul Kelly’s upcoming album Seventy, releasing in November.
Max Mandile.
