More Paul Kelly
Two musical legends have come together for the latest Like A Version session, with Paul Kelly making a long-awaited return to the triple j studio to honour the iconic Kylie Minogue.
Appearing on the long-running segment this morning, Kelly kicked off his two-song set with a rendition of Rita Wrote A Letter, which appeared on his latest album – Seventy – as a sequel to his beloved 1996 seasonal favourite, How To Make Gravy.
While How To Make Gravy was previously voted as Australia’s ninth favourite local song as part of triple j’s Hottest 100 Of Australian Songs, the track was also honoured in the Like A Version studios back in 2016 when Luca Brasi paid tribute to the song.
However, it was Kelly’s cover version which was undoubtedly the main highlight, turning his attention to Minogue’s 1997 single Did It Again for the main course.
Originally released as the second single from Minogue’s sixth album, Impossible Princess, the song was emblematic of the larger record, representing a slightly darker focus than her previous, traditionally pop tracks, and saw the singer embracing a greater sense of control and experimentation.
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The song was also Minogue’s third entry into the Hottest 100, hitting #81 for its 1997 edition, and remained her last until she broke the record for longest gap between countdown entries when Padam Padam hit #48 in 2023.
“I’m a Kylie Minogue fan, who isn’t?” Kelly said of his song choice. “I like the lyrics but musically I thought it was really strong, I thought it would really suit the band. So that’s why we chose it. It’s got a great sort of gear change and we just love playing it.”
As Kelly added, he kept his cover in the same key as the original, though pushed his voice a bit to reach some of Minogue’s lower notes.
“She was sort of singing differently on that record,” he added. “She had more of a sort of conversational thing, so I was happy I could do it in the same key.”
Notably, Kelly’s appearance in the Like A Version studios sees him break a record for longest time between appearances as the main artist.
Though he made a guest appearance in 2016 when A.B. Original covered his song Dumb Things, Kelly hadn’t fronted up to cover a song on the station since 2007 – 18 years ago – when he took on Amy Winehouse’s enduring classic, Rehab.
