Rikki Morris Releases Gorgeous New Single ‘Before You Go’
Rikki Morris Releases Gorgeous New Single ‘Before You Go’
August 9th, 2024
Ahead of his new album About Time, and the album release tour, Rikki Morris today releases a gorgeous new single,‘Before You Go’.
Rikki says, “I wrote ‘Before You Go’ in the mid 90s; its original title was simply ‘Go’. I remember the song came to me very quickly, in about half an hour or so.
The demo had a completely different middle section though – a guitar solo, rather than an actual bridge. I finally got round to writing a bridge around 2015, when I changed the title to ‘Before You Go’.
I’ve always really liked this song. It starts with a Gm chord, which is instantly moody and melancholic. The rhythm track was recorded with my band at The Lab in Mt Eden in October 2018, and the overdubs were completed both remotely and in my home studio.”
On Friday August 30th Rikki Morris will release his first album in 28 years, About Time, and he plays Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s Tuning Fork that same evening.
The About Time tour will see Rikki tour New Zealand for six concerts from 30 August to 8 September. The tour reaches Auckland, Nelson, Christchurch, Tauranga, Hamilton and New Plymouth.
In 1988, New Zealand was riding the wave of 80s pop culture, and at the forefront was Rikki Morris. ‘Nobody Else’ captured the hearts of Kiwis, making it one of the biggest hits of the era, and a song that still resonates with audiences today. Produced by Rikki’slate brother Ian Morris, ‘Nobody Else’ topped the NZ charts in October 1988.
In 1991 Rikki’s song ‘Heartbroke’ won the APRA Silver Scroll award for the best New Zealand song of the year, and in 1996 he released a solo album, Everest, produced by Eddie Rayner, formerly of Split Enz. Following the album’s release, Rikki scored support gigs with US chart-toppers Hootie & The Blowfish, and New Zealand and Australian tours with the legendary Bread.
Then life got in the way.
Rikki says, ‘Every New Year I would make the same promise…“THIS is the year I start recording a new album”. I had hundreds of songs sitting around! It can’t be THAT difficult? And therein lay the problem. Pre-production would take ten times longer than recording the album itself. The process appeared daunting.
Enter Mr Wayne Bell. An old friend who drummed on my debut album Everest. A fine producer and musician and an even better bloke…”
You can hear the results yourself when About Time is released on August 30th, and Rikki Morris will celebrate with his Auckland release show that night at the Tuning Fork.
Rikki Morris: About Time Album Release Tour
Friday 30 August, Tuning Fork, Auckland
Saturday 31 August, Room Twenty5, Nelson
Sunday 1 September, The Shelter, Lincoln Christchurch
Friday 6 September, The Jam Factory, Tauranga
Saturday 7 September, Nivara Lounge, Hamilton
Sunday 8 September, 4th Wall Theatre, New Plymouth
Tickets for all Rikki Morris shows are available from Plus1.co.nz