![]() It’s a very weird feeling inclusion, and it is no surprise at all that it was left out of the more commercial release. The radio version of the UB40 song is what got to number one for three weeks in 1983, but there is a longer version that includes a lengthy “toasting” section by Astro, that gets really clear on the depressing picture being painted: “Red red wine, you make me feel so sad, Any time I see you go, it make me feel bad”. Neil Diamond’s version is clearer in that regard, with appropriate music to match, but like a lot of Neil Diamond is also bland and forgettable: the reggae elevates it into higher notoriety at the very least. My ignorance is my own problem, but I do not feel that it is unjust to wonder if others have had similar interpretations, given the occasional scratchiness of Ali Campbell’s lyrics (for a long time I thought “Don’t let me be alone” was “Don’t let me be in love” for example) that treads a fine line between groovy and unintelligible. For me I always associated the song more with the positive power of alcohol, with the titular words perceived more as an ode than as a note of despair. It’s a rather depressing image that does not match the music that accompanies it, that has always seemed at least partially upbeat and laid back to me. It’s only now, having the motivation to look into it in further detail, that I realise just how depressing the song is: an ode to the memory obliterating powers of alcohol sung by a guy drunkenly pining for the one that got away. ![]() ![]() Here’s a genuine question for you: what do you think that “Red, Red Wine” is actually about (bar the obvious beverage)? For many years I didn’t really think too much about that question whenever I heard this song, which I knew mostly for the easily sung-along-with lines of its chorus and its easy-going reggae beat. ![]()
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