NEW YORK (AP) — Imagine what it’s like to write a song with Adele and you can’t tell anyone for close to a year. Songwriter Greg Kurstin says he wanted to run around on the streets and shout to random strangers that he had written “Hello” with Adele. The song was released Friday and went to number one on the iTunes singles chart in 85 countries. “Hello” almost was a dud. Kurstin says Adele and he had written the verse, but their time together ran out and he went home with half a song. He says they managed to get back together a few months later and they finally finished it.
Archives for October 2015
Gordon Lightfoot’s Hometown Unveils Statue to Him
ORILLIA, Ontario (AP) — Gordon Lightfoot’s initial reaction to hearing his hometown was putting up a statue to him was, “Why me?” Canadian Press reports the 12-foot-high bronze statue was unveiled Friday in Orillia, Ontario. It shows Lightfoot in his 20s sitting and playing guitar with a frame of leaves around him. Lightfoot attended the unveiling and says it’s “super special” to see the statue.
Phillip Phillups Gets Married
NEW YORK (AP) — Phillip Phillips has married his longtime girlfriend. Phillips’ representative tells People magazine he married Hannah Blackwell at a plantation in Albany, Georgia, on Saturday.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Gives Update on Gary Rossington
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant describes guitarist Gary Rossington’s heart attack as “slight” and says Rossington is itching to get back to touring. Van Zant tells Billboard magazine Rossington suffered the attack two weeks ago while in a hospital for another procedure and his doctors took him off his blood-thinning medication. Van Zant says he recently told Rossington they should just cancel the rest of their shows for the year. Rossington told him he’s been thinking about what’s important to him and it’s family and playing the guitar, so he wants to play shows. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s next scheduled date is the Alabama National Fair in Montgomery on November 7.
Adele Uses Flip Phone – Twitter Flips Out
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The aspect of Adele’s new video that seems to be getting the most attention is not that it’s a new song, or that she sounds great and looks beautiful. It’s that she’s using a flip phone. Director Xavier Dolan tells the Los Angeles Time it’s driving him crazy that Twitter users are zeroing in on the flip phone. Dolan says he doesn’t like filming modern phones or cars because when you see them in movies, it reminds you that you’re in reality. He says if he films an iPhone or a modern car, it feels like he’s making a commercial. He says the phone booth in the video is much more important symbolically than whether Adele also is using a Samsung or an AE9.
Adele Plans to Drop Age-Naming Albums
UNDATED (AP) — Adele’s “25” album will probably be the last one named for her age. She tells Apple’s Beats1 Radio she has a ritual of buying a notebook and writing her age in the front, so she knew for a long time her next album would be called “25.” She says her albums have been like photos recording eras in her life, but she doubts she’ll go through any profound changes from here on out. Plus, she says, she’ll be really old. She predicts her next album will simply be called “Adele.” ”25″ will come out November 20.
Elton John Enlists Old Friends for New Album
NEW YORK (AP) — Elton John went with tried-and-true allies for his upcoming album, “Wonderful Crazy Night.” Drummer Nigel Olsson has been playing with John since he hit it big in the late 1960s, and guitarist Davey Johnstone first played with John in 1971. The songs on the album were co-written by lyricist Bernie Taupin, John’s friend and collaborator for 48 years. “Wonderful Crazy Night” is John’s 33rd studio album. It will come out February 5. The first single, “Looking Up,” is out today.
Adele Releases First Single, Announces Album Release Date
NEW YORK (AP) — You can get the first listen of Adele’s new album starting today. The video for her first single, “Hello,” is out today, and the single is available for digital sale and streaming. Adele’s third album, “25,” will be released on November 20.
Ed Sheeran Drinks for Your Entertainment Benefit
NEW YORK (AP) — It might look like Ed Sheeran had a rough night in his new concert film, “Jumpers for Goalposts.” It’s because he did….on purpose…three nights in a row. Sheeran says he does his best gigs if he’s hungover, and since the movie was filmed over three nights in London in July, he went out drinking a lot. Sheeran says he does it so he doesn’t feel complacent about his performance. He says if he’s hungover, he feels 90 percent of the human he should be so he gives 115 percent. “Jumpers for Goalposts” will run in select theaters this weekend.
Paul McCartney Sings for Trucking Industry
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul McCartney can read an audience well enough to know when changing one word in a song can win them forever. McCartney gave a private performance in Philadelphia last weekend at the American Trucking Association’s Management Conference and Exhibition. The industry newspaper Transport Topics reports he did “Drive My Car” by singing, “Baby you can drive my truck.” McCartney’s wife, Nancy Shevell, is an executive at New England Motor Freight, a trucking company owned by her family.