Paul Kelly farewells Joe in How to Make Gravy sequel
Rachel Jackson |
Paul Kelly has surprised fans with a sequel to his beloved single How to Make Gravy, finally revealing what happened to Rita after Joe was sent to prison.
The long-awaited follow-up track, Rita Wrote a Letter, was released on Thursday, picking up from the singer-songwriter’s 1996 hit.
How to Make Gravy is one of Kelly’s most popular songs. It features the incarcerated Joe, who reflects on being separated from his family at Christmas time in a prisoner letter addressed to Dan.
For three decades, the song has been a soundtrack staple for holiday road trips and turkey lunches.
The track was voted as Australia’s ninth-best song of all time in the triple j Hottest 100 Australian songs countdown, and has also been adapted into an award-winning feature film.
The sequel continues the storyline from the original song, except Joe is dead and Rita has moved on with love interest, Joe’s brother Dan.
Kelly foreshadowed its release in a death notice for Joe published in a Melbourne newspaper on Monday, claiming he died from a “sudden misadventure”.
The obituary described the song’s pivotal character as a beloved father, husband, brother, brother-in-law, and uncle to Dan, Rita, Stella, Roger, Mary, Angus, Frank, and Dolly – all names featured in the song.
It also announced an August 14 funeral to be followed by a “wake to end all wakes”.
The sequel is the first single in Kelly’s album SEVENTY, to be released on November 7, named for his milestone birthday in January.
Kelly released the single alongside a music video, starring himself and long-time friend and actress Justine Clarke as Rita.
The song’s release precedes one of Kelly’s biggest tours to-date, kicking off in Perth on August 26, before heading to Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide, and Melbourne, then multiple New Zealand venues.
The 70-year-old has tallied multiple awards over his extensive career including the 2017 Order of Australia, along with 17 ARIAs and five APRAs.
His long list of hit singles include To Her Door, From Little Things Big Things Grow and Leaps and Bounds.
AAP
