BREAD - AUDREY

AUBREY

BReAD

SONGWRITER: DAVID GATES

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: GUITAR MAN

LABEL: ELEKTRA RECORDS

GENRE: SOFT ROCK

YEAR: 1973

 

            Bread was an American soft rock band from Los Angeles, California. They had 13 songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1970 and 1977.

The band was fronted by David Gates (vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, violin, viola, percussion), with Jimmy Griffin (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion) and Robb Royer (bass guitar, guitar, flute, keyboards, percussion, recorder, backing vocals). On their first album session musicians Ron Edgar played drums and Jim Gordon played drums, percussion, and piano. Mike Botts became their permanent drummer when he joined in the summer of 1969, and Larry Knechtel replaced Royer in 1971, playing keyboards, bass guitar, guitar, and harmonica.

          "Aubrey" is a song written and composed by David Gates, and originally recorded by the soft rock group Bread, of which Gates was the leader and primary music producer. It appeared on Bread's 1972 album Guitar Man. The single lasted 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 15. In Canada the song reached only number 41 on the pop singles chart, but reached number 6 on the adult contemporary chart. In New Zealand, "Aubrey" reached number 8.

            David Gates wrote the song after watching Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn. Actress Aubrey Plaza is named after the song.

            "Aubrey" was later recorded by Perry Como and included on his 1973 album And I Love You So. A soul-jazz interpretation of the main melody by saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. was sampled on the 1998 song "Step to My Girl" by Oakland-based hip-hop group Souls of Mischief. This version provided inspiration in turn for the song "Step" by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. 

And Aubrey was her name,

A not so very ordinary girl or name.

But who's to blame?

For a love that wouldn't bloom

For the hearts that never played in tune.

Like a lovely melody that everyone can sing,

Take away the words that rhyme it doesn't mean a thing.

 

And Aubrey was her name.

We triped the light and danced together to the moon,

But where was June.

No it never came around.

If it did it never made a sound,

Maybe I was absent or was listening too fast,

Catching all the words, but then the meaning going past,

 

But God I miss the girl,

And I'd go a thousand times around the world just to be

Closer to her than to me.

 

And Aubrey was her name,

I never knew her, but I loved her just the same,

I loved her name.

Wish that I had found the way

And the reasons that would make her stay.

I have learned to lead a life apart from all the rest.

If I can't have the one I want, I'll do without the best.

 

But how I miss the girl

And I'd go a million times around the world just to say

She had been mine for a day.