"Josephine" is one of the most popular songs written and recorded by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released on 22 June 1985 on the albumShamrock Diaries. "Josephine" was written by Rea for his daughter of the same name. Rea would later pay the same compliment to his youngest daughter, Julia, on the album Espresso Logic. The song has been sampled by French house bandSuperfunk on their 2000 single "Lucky Star".
Summary
Rea considered it as a blues song, and the "rhythm track for that song is supposed to be the Yellowjackets, Weather Report, and it grooves like hell, to me". However, it wasn't perceived in a same way by the record company and so were made several compromises. "Josephine" is a track that Rea has re-recorded many times, existing in no less than 7 distinct versions:
The original and most well known 1985 album version, which can be found on the original vinyl & CD releases of Shamrock Diaries, duration: 4.26.
The 1985 single version, a completely different, more rocking recording. This appeared again on the 2001 compilation The Very Best of Chris Rea. The original video for the song also uses this version but is approximately twenty seconds longer at the start. The duration of the single version is approximately 3.32 and the video version has a duration of 3.52.
The more disco-sounding "Josephine " aka "Josephine Extended French re-record", an extended remix created for a European non-album single release in 1987, duration: 5.39.
This version can be found on the 1991 CD reissue of Shamrock Diaries, replacing the original 4.26 album version. This is in fact an edit of Josephine, duration: 3.56.
The 1988 re-recording created for the compilation New Light Through Old Windows and was also made available on the 1994 compilation The Best of Chris Rea, duration: 4.34.
An alternate, faster re-recording found only on the US vinyl edition of New Light Through Old Windows, duration: 4.17.
Finally, a 2008 re-recording released on the Germany-only compilation Fool - The Definitive Greatest Hits.
Also finally, it features in the Symphonic Eighties Album where the song is accompanied by an orchestra
The song enjoyed popularity on the Balearic beat scene in the 1980s.
