Yellow Pearl (song)
| "Yellow Pearl" | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Single by Phil Lynott | |
| from the album Solo in Soho | |
| B-side | "Girls" |
| Released | 18 April 1980 1981 (remix) |
| Format | 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl |
| Genre | Rock, new wave |
| Length |
4:06 2:58 (7" remix) 4:29 (12" remix) |
| Label | Virgin |
| Songwriter(s) | Phil Lynott, Midge Ure |
| Producer(s) | Phil Lynott, Kit Woolven |
"Yellow Pearl" is a song recorded by Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, originally for his 1980 solo album, Solo in Soho. It was written by Lynott and Midge Ure, who was a temporary member of Thin Lizzy at the time, and who later went on to join Ultravox. It was subsequently remixed and released again on Lynott's second album, The Philip Lynott Album. The remixed version was used as the theme music to the British music chart television programme, Top of the Pops, from 1981 to 1986.
"Yellow Pearl" originated during a Thin Lizzy tour of Japan in September 1979, during which time Midge Ure was playing keyboards in the band. He had initially been drafted in as a guitarist to replace Gary Moore who had left the band abruptly during a tour of the USA. For the Japanese tour, Dave Flett was brought in to play guitar and Ure switched to keyboards. "I was never a keyboard player by any stretch of the imagination," Ure admitted, but added that Lynott kept him in the band to add an extra dimension to the sound.
At rehearsals and soundchecks Ure would often play around with the riff to "Yellow Pearl", and Lynott remembered the tune when recording songs for Solo in Soho. He asked Ure to help him work the idea into a full song, around the same time as he was building a home studio, and Ure was introducing him to new developments in recording technology. Ure has said, "I actually have no idea what the song is really about, except perhaps that, as a thin outline, it's a comment on the thought of Japanese technology taking over – a twist on the Yellow Peril idea." Lynott and Ure were also influenced by the new technology that they saw in Japan, such as the new Sony Walkman, and by a trip to see the Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Regarding the lyrics, Ure was amused by Lynott attempting to make every word rhyme, commenting, "You'll hear that some of what he sings is complete nonsense, stuff that came off the top of his head and just happened to rhyme. It still makes me laugh today."
The song initially featured a female spoken-voice intro ("We all must beware of the Yellow Pearl"), and used a drum machine. This version was featured on Lynott's first solo album, Solo in Soho, released on 18 April 1980. On its first release as a single in the UK in March 1981, the song reached № 56 in the British charts, and № 25 in Ireland.
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