Listen to “Old Timer” on Spotify.
In celebration of turning seventy-five last March and in conjunction with his “50 years on the road”
anniversary (with over forty albums and three-thousand shows all around the world), rock ‘n roll legend
Elliott Murphy has released a new single “Old Timer” on all streaming platforms.
“Old Timer” was inspired by Elliott’s annual “Birthday Shows” in Paris (where he has lived for the last 35
years). As he tells it:
Last March, I received a splendid birthday blast-off during my annual sold-out two-night soiree at the
fabled New Morning club in my adopted hometown of Paris and I wanted to write and perform a song
especially for that momentous occasion. New Morning is my home away from home as I’ve been playing
there steadily for over thirty years now (joining the ranks of such notables as Nina Simone, Miles Davis,
Chet Baker and even Prince who have graced its historic stage). I was inspired to write “Old Timer” just a
week before my shows, as a kind of self-congratulatory birthday song from me to myself. It was my last
song of the night, and the audience reaction was so heartwarming that I went right into my son Gaspard
Murphy’s studio to record it the following week.
The introduction to the song is an energetic acoustic guitar riff slowing down, and then the lyrics begin.
Elliott says the arrangement reflects the lyrics. “I wanted the song to represent ageing as a visceral
function of slowing down so I asked my producer Gaspard to take my finger picked nylon string guitar
and speed it up to warp speed at the intro and then slow it down. Just like life…”
Elliott Murphy – Vocals, Guitars
Gaspard Murphy – Moog
Produced by Gaspard Murphy