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6 hours ago
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Billy Livsey, co-writer
I had come to England from St Louis, Missouri, in the 1970s to do an album for a singer, and decided to stick around. I was in Slim Chance with Ronnie Lane for a while, and went on tour with Gallagher and Lyle. Then, come the 80s, I started doing more writing and co-wrote songs for Shakin’ Stevens, Elkie Brooks and Paul Young.
My publishers asked me to write for Five Star, so I co-wrote System Addict with Gary Bell. I was in my 30s but they were still in their teens, getting their experience in the studio while I was getting mine as a producer. Six months later, after being on tour, I was asked to contribute a song for their second album. My publisher said: “You should write with Peter Sinfield.” Pete had moved to Spain, so I sent him a rough track of the melody, then a week later, he said: “You got a pencil and paper? Write this down.” I wrote the lyrics down over the phone. The demo of Rain Or Shine was sung by a session singer, and dear friend of mine, Tessa Niles. You name it, she sang on it. She toured with the Police and sang on Layla on Eric Clapton’s Unplugged album. She came in and sang Rain Or Shine, easy-peasy.
I wasn’t trying to write a mainstream 80s song. Rain Or Shine is a love song. This was before the computer generation, so everything was done by hand. The musicians just played over a drum machine loop.
We recorded at Mayfair studios in London, which was amazing because of how many other greats had recorded there, including George Michael and Tina Turner. You’d know when A-ha were recording because the line of fans waiting outside was so long you couldn’t get through the door. One thing I stole was from a song called New Frontier by Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen. It has this little sequencer bit and I thought: “I’d really love to get a feel like that.”
I still enjoy Rain Or Shine. When I hear it now, I can’t help but think: “I wish I had changed the second verse,” or “the piano part isn’t quite right,” but it’s natural to question yourself. I really did have fun, and to me, that’s what music’s about.
Deniece Pearson, singer, Five Star
Daddy [Buster Pearson, the father and manager of the five siblings in the band] would play me the demos before we went into the studio to record them. When I heard our breakthrough single, All Fall Down, it was sung by a man and I thought: “Why are you playing me this?” It sounded so dreary. I much preferred it when we got demos from Gary Bell and Billy Livsey, because they were sung by this fantastic female singer. I loved her voice and all I had to do was try to follow her.
Daddy said: “Try to listen to the lady on the demo and articulate your words.” I slurred my spoken words because I had braces, so I over-articulated the lyrics to stop my braces sticking to my lips.
I need to feel a certain energy in the booth when a producer is watching me sing. Making Rain Or Shine was the only time in our whole career when I struggled to find a studio in which I was really comfortable to record. The one I picked kept having electrical faults. Every time, Billy would say [does American accent]: “Gremlin. Gremlin. There’s a gremlin.” Then he’d say: “Normally, when there’s problems in the studio, it’s a hit. This is going to be a hit record.” And he was right.
We performed it everywhere – on Top of the Pops, at the Royal Variety Performance, Miss World. Once, when we played it on tour, I reached my hand out, and a fan grabbed me and pulled me straight down into the pit. My hunky Italian security guard lifted me up and put me back on stage. These days, I save it for my encore. Everybody sings along, and it brings a tear to my eye because it’s such a beautiful song. The thing about 80s music is that the melody comes in first with the music, then again with the vocals. That is the beauty of the writing of Billy, who is absolutely phenomenal. No wonder I wanted to marry him when I was younger!
