Forever Autumn (song)
Encyclopedia
"Forever Autumn" is a song by Jeff Wayne
, Gary Osborne
and Paul Vigrass. The original melody was written by Wayne in 1969 as a jingle for a Lego
commercial. Vigrass and Osborne, the performers of the original jingle, added lyrics to the song and recorded it for inclusion on their 1972 album Queues. Their interpretation was also released as a single and gained moderate commercial success in Japan, selling more than 100,000 copies and becoming a top-20 hit on the country's record chart
.
The best-known version is the recording by Justin Hayward
from the album Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
. Wayne wanted to include a love song on the album that sounded like "Forever Autumn", and he decided that the best course of action was to simply use the original song. Hayward, of The Moody Blues
, was hand-picked by Wayne to sing it (because, Wayne said, he "wanted that voice from 'Nights In White Satin
'"), and it was recorded at London's Advision Studios in 1976. The song reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart
in July 1978.
Jeff Wayne
Jeffry "Jeff" Wayne, born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, is a musician best known for Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, his musical version of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds...
, Gary Osborne
Gary Osborne
Gary Osborne is an English singer and songwriter from the United Kingdom.-Career:Osborne was born in London, educated in Switzerland, and followed his father into the music industry at the age of fifteen....
and Paul Vigrass. The original melody was written by Wayne in 1969 as a jingle for a Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
commercial. Vigrass and Osborne, the performers of the original jingle, added lyrics to the song and recorded it for inclusion on their 1972 album Queues. Their interpretation was also released as a single and gained moderate commercial success in Japan, selling more than 100,000 copies and becoming a top-20 hit on the country's record chart
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
.
The best-known version is the recording by Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
from the album Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds is a 1978 concept album by Jeff Wayne, retelling the story of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Its format is progressive rock and string orchestra, using narration and leitmotifs to carry the story via rhyming melodic lyrics that express...
. Wayne wanted to include a love song on the album that sounded like "Forever Autumn", and he decided that the best course of action was to simply use the original song. Hayward, of The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
, was hand-picked by Wayne to sing it (because, Wayne said, he "wanted that voice from 'Nights In White Satin
Nights in White Satin
"Nights in White Satin" is a 1967 single by The Moody Blues, written by Justin Hayward and first featured on the album Days of Future Passed.It is in the key of E minor Aeolian.-Single releases:...
'"), and it was recorded at London's Advision Studios in 1976. The song reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in July 1978.
Vigrass and Osborne version
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Japanese Oricon International Singles Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
2 |
Justin Hayward version
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
5 |
| 1978 | US Singles Chart Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
47 |
Notable recordings
- Vigrass and Osborne performed it on their 1972 album, Queues. This version also appeared as a single.
- Hayward performed it on the 1978 album Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. A slightly different mix (notably excluding the narration from the album) was released as a single, and later included in the Moody BluesThe Moody BluesThe Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
' box set Time TravellerTime Traveller (album)Time Traveller is a five-disc compilation album by The Moody Blues. It includes songs from Days of Future Passed through Keys of the Kingdom, as well as previously unreleased or rare tracks, several songs from the Justin Hayward/John Lodge album Blue Jays, and a solo track by Hayward...
. Hayward has also performed the song live with the Moody Blues. - Pierre Belmonde, on the 1980 album, Themes for Dreams.
- Acker Bilk, on the 1980 album, Mellow Music.
- Paul BrettPaul BrettPaul Brett is a classic rock guitarist. He played lead guitar with Strawbs, The Overlanders, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, The Velvet Opera, Tintern Abbey, Fire, Roy Harper, Al Stewart, Lonnie Donegan, and switched to twelve string guitar in the 1970s.His first...
, on the 1980 album, Guitar Trek. This version also appeared as a single. - Peter HaywardPeter HaywardPeter Hayward is a suffragan bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney and is in charge of the diocese's Wollongong region.Hayward was born in Sydney and educated at the University of New South Wales and Moore Theological College. He was ordained in 1992 and was a curate at Glenmore Park...
, on the 1982 album, Hayward's Choice. - Ronnie AldrichRonnie AldrichRonnie Aldrich, born Ronald Frank Aldrich was a British easy listening and jazz pianist, arranger, conductor, and composer. The only son af a store manager, he was three years old when he started playing the piano...
, on the 1987 album, For All Seasons. - Ed StarinkEd StarinkEd Starink , also known as Star Inc., is a Dutch composer, arranger, session musician and record producer. Since his childhood he was fascinated by music and taught himself to play many musical instruments....
, on the 1992 album, Synthesizer Gold.