The Story Behind “Lily Was Here”

While driving yesterday, a familiar song played on my XM-Radio station.

I remember first hearing this recording way back in 1989, while living and working in Eastern Europe. It was a catchy instrumental, and its smooth jazz vibe always stuck with me. I even bought the CD when I came back to the states.

Fast forward 30 years later: Back when I was writing my “Van Morrison Retrospectives,” which was an extended online series profiling the prolific career of the cranky Northern Irish musician and songwriter, I noted the name “Candy Dulfer” as a collaborator on several of his tracks, including multiple live recordings. Aside from being widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most in-demand saxophonists, Dulfer is also a striking stage presence. There aren’t many tall, elegant blondes who play like she does in elite jazz circles. The Dutch-born Dulfer could easily rely on just her striking good looks, but she also delivers great music. Displaying the ultimate in flattery, even Prince inserted a highly-complimentary lyric into one of his songs and music videos with his tongue-in-cheek admiration for Dulfer, “When I want sax, I call Candy.”

Prince, Van Morrison, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, and many other iconic performers have featured Dulfer–both in studio and on stage. But her most well-known “hit” might be an accidental throwaway song that was nothing more than an extended, spontaneous jam session at the end of a long night. And — I’m embarrassed to admit that until yesterday and my XM-Radio interaction in the car, I never knew *Candy Dulfer* was the saxophonist on the famous song. Fortunately, artists’ names are usually shown the touchscreen during songs. Call it a “light bulb” moment.

“Lily Was Here” featured guitarist Dave Stewart in what became his very first solo recording and release following his partnership in one of pop music’s most successful duos of the 1980s. He was one-half The Eurythmics (along with Annie Lennox), who were inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. While The Eurythmics were breaking apart from the strains of their success, Stewart was tasked with writing a movie soundtrack. He went into the studio and called upon a then 20-year-old female saxophonist from The Netherlands to join the session. Her name was Candy Dulfer, a complete unknown who had never recorded before.

Most listeners will know the song, which has since been played as a standard on smooth jazz stations all over the world. It’s a timeless classic, which almost never happened.

While reading about “Lily Was Here,” I learned the following. The recording was done in just one take. Let me repeat that….ONE TAKE. It was actually a jam session at the end of the day. The song was not even meant to be released. Remarkable, given how flawless this all sounds. Dave Stewart later decided to release “Lily Was Here” as a single, and it charted instantly on international jazz and pop billboards and even hit #1 in some European countries.

I enjoyed researching this because it demonstrates that learning one small thing can lead to another and yet another, and we might even discover a few surprises. I hope you enjoyed sharing this, and perhaps learning something new, as well.

Here’s Dave Stewart’s “Lily Was Here,” featuring Candy Dulfer on sax in that original 1989 recording (video added later).