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How to Make Gravy
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How to Make Gravy
How to Make Gravy is a four-track EP by Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly and was originally released on 4 November 1996 on White Label Records in Australia. The title track was written by Kelly and earned him a 'Song of the Year' nomination at the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Music Awards of 1998. It tells the story of a newly imprisoned man writing a letter to his brother, in which the prisoner laments that he will be missing the family's Christmas celebrations. The same character appears in two of Kelly's earlier songs, "To Her Door" (1987) and "Love Never Runs on Time" (1994), as well as the later sequel song "Rita Wrote a Letter" (2025). The gravy recipe is genuine – Kelly learnt it from his first father-in-law. It was covered by James Reyne on a 2003 tribute album Stories of Me: A Songwriter's Tribute to Paul Kelly, and on Reyne's 2005 acoustic album And the Horse You Rode in On.
It has also been covered by David Miles, Luca Brasi, From Nowhere, Semicolon, Ghostwriters, Karl Broadie and Lawrence Agar. In September 2010, Kelly titled his memoirs, How to Make Gravy. On 29 September 2012 Kelly performed "How to Make Gravy" and "Leaps and Bounds" at the 2012 AFL Grand Final. A film version was originally set for release as a Christmas movie by Warner Bros in December 2023; however, the movie was delayed to late 2024. It stars Hugo Weaving and is directed by Nick Waterman.
"Gravy Day" (21 December, the day on which the prisoner in the song writes the letter) was created by fans and is celebrated by internet memes each year.
Paul Kelly's album Wanted Man was released in 1994 and reached No. 11 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Albums Chart. Kelly also composed music for the 1994 film Everynight ... Everynight, directed by Alkinos Tsilimidos; it is set in the notorious H division of Victoria's Pentridge Prison. Kelly's next solo releases were Deeper Water in 1995 and Live at the Continental and the Esplanade in 1996. Between March and May 1995 Kelly undertook a seven-week tour of North America, appearing on several dates with Liz Phair and Joe Jackson.
By 1996, Paul Kelly Band members were Stephen Hadley (bass guitar, ex-Black Sorrows), Bruce Haymes (keyboards), Peter Luscombe (drums, ex-Black Sorrows) and Shane O'Mara (guitar). Spencer P. Jones (slide guitar, Beasts of Bourbon) guested on some performances. This line-up issued the EP How to Make Gravy, with the title track earning Kelly a 'Song of the Year' nomination at the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Music Awards of 1998. In August 1996, Kelly performed the song at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, with O'Mara on slide guitar, which was included on Edmonton Folk Festival Compilation Album (1996). The song was included in 1998 as an extra track on the US release of Words and Music by Vanguard Records. That year, "How to Make Gravy" was also issued as a US single but with a different cover: it depicts a roasted fowl on a serving tray held by a smiling woman with the words 'Christmas Single' included. Kelly and his nephew Dan Kelly recorded the song as part of Kelly's A – Z Tours from 2004 to 2010, it was issued on the 8× CD album, The A – Z Recordings (2010). A drama film, based on the song, is due for release as a Christmas movie by Warner Bros in December 2023.
"How to Make Gravy" is five minutes and ten seconds long. The song is set in the key of E major and has a medium tempo with a piano range of B1–E5 and a vocal range of B3–E5. Kelly is credited with both lyrics and music. The lyrics tell the story of a newly imprisoned man writing a letter to his brother, in which the prisoner laments that he will be missing the family's Christmas celebrations. The same character is the protagonist in earlier songs by Kelly, "To Her Door" (1987) (named "Jack" in the album version) and "Love Never Runs on Time" (1994). All three tracks appear on Kelly's live 8× CD boxed set, The A – Z Recordings (2010).
In 1996 Kelly was approached by Lindsay Field, the guitarist and backing vocalist for John Farnham, to perform a Christmas-themed song or carol for a various artists charity record, The Spirit of Christmas, to raise money for the Salvation Army. Kelly originally selected "Christmas Must Be Tonight" by Robbie Robertson (The Band); however, that had already been performed by James Blundell on The Spirit of Christmas 1994, so he told Field that he would have a go at writing one instead. Kelly later recalled, "I had a rough tune I'd been kicking around with the band at sound check, but was having trouble getting started on the words. Kelly's inspiration for the lyrics was subsequently drawn from Irving Berlin's White Christmas, where "Irving intensifies the feeling of Christmas by not being there". He advised Field, "I have a Christmas song but it doesn't have a chorus and it's set in a prison". Field was overcome with emotion when he first heard it and convinced the Salvation Army's selection group to accept it for the collection.
The gravy recipe is genuine – Kelly learnt it from his father-in-law: "Just add flour, salt, a little red wine and don't forget a dollop of tomato sauce".
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How to Make Gravy
How to Make Gravy is a four-track EP by Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly and was originally released on 4 November 1996 on White Label Records in Australia. The title track was written by Kelly and earned him a 'Song of the Year' nomination at the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Music Awards of 1998. It tells the story of a newly imprisoned man writing a letter to his brother, in which the prisoner laments that he will be missing the family's Christmas celebrations. The same character appears in two of Kelly's earlier songs, "To Her Door" (1987) and "Love Never Runs on Time" (1994), as well as the later sequel song "Rita Wrote a Letter" (2025). The gravy recipe is genuine – Kelly learnt it from his first father-in-law. It was covered by James Reyne on a 2003 tribute album Stories of Me: A Songwriter's Tribute to Paul Kelly, and on Reyne's 2005 acoustic album And the Horse You Rode in On.
It has also been covered by David Miles, Luca Brasi, From Nowhere, Semicolon, Ghostwriters, Karl Broadie and Lawrence Agar. In September 2010, Kelly titled his memoirs, How to Make Gravy. On 29 September 2012 Kelly performed "How to Make Gravy" and "Leaps and Bounds" at the 2012 AFL Grand Final. A film version was originally set for release as a Christmas movie by Warner Bros in December 2023; however, the movie was delayed to late 2024. It stars Hugo Weaving and is directed by Nick Waterman.
"Gravy Day" (21 December, the day on which the prisoner in the song writes the letter) was created by fans and is celebrated by internet memes each year.
Paul Kelly's album Wanted Man was released in 1994 and reached No. 11 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Albums Chart. Kelly also composed music for the 1994 film Everynight ... Everynight, directed by Alkinos Tsilimidos; it is set in the notorious H division of Victoria's Pentridge Prison. Kelly's next solo releases were Deeper Water in 1995 and Live at the Continental and the Esplanade in 1996. Between March and May 1995 Kelly undertook a seven-week tour of North America, appearing on several dates with Liz Phair and Joe Jackson.
By 1996, Paul Kelly Band members were Stephen Hadley (bass guitar, ex-Black Sorrows), Bruce Haymes (keyboards), Peter Luscombe (drums, ex-Black Sorrows) and Shane O'Mara (guitar). Spencer P. Jones (slide guitar, Beasts of Bourbon) guested on some performances. This line-up issued the EP How to Make Gravy, with the title track earning Kelly a 'Song of the Year' nomination at the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Music Awards of 1998. In August 1996, Kelly performed the song at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, with O'Mara on slide guitar, which was included on Edmonton Folk Festival Compilation Album (1996). The song was included in 1998 as an extra track on the US release of Words and Music by Vanguard Records. That year, "How to Make Gravy" was also issued as a US single but with a different cover: it depicts a roasted fowl on a serving tray held by a smiling woman with the words 'Christmas Single' included. Kelly and his nephew Dan Kelly recorded the song as part of Kelly's A – Z Tours from 2004 to 2010, it was issued on the 8× CD album, The A – Z Recordings (2010). A drama film, based on the song, is due for release as a Christmas movie by Warner Bros in December 2023.
"How to Make Gravy" is five minutes and ten seconds long. The song is set in the key of E major and has a medium tempo with a piano range of B1–E5 and a vocal range of B3–E5. Kelly is credited with both lyrics and music. The lyrics tell the story of a newly imprisoned man writing a letter to his brother, in which the prisoner laments that he will be missing the family's Christmas celebrations. The same character is the protagonist in earlier songs by Kelly, "To Her Door" (1987) (named "Jack" in the album version) and "Love Never Runs on Time" (1994). All three tracks appear on Kelly's live 8× CD boxed set, The A – Z Recordings (2010).
In 1996 Kelly was approached by Lindsay Field, the guitarist and backing vocalist for John Farnham, to perform a Christmas-themed song or carol for a various artists charity record, The Spirit of Christmas, to raise money for the Salvation Army. Kelly originally selected "Christmas Must Be Tonight" by Robbie Robertson (The Band); however, that had already been performed by James Blundell on The Spirit of Christmas 1994, so he told Field that he would have a go at writing one instead. Kelly later recalled, "I had a rough tune I'd been kicking around with the band at sound check, but was having trouble getting started on the words. Kelly's inspiration for the lyrics was subsequently drawn from Irving Berlin's White Christmas, where "Irving intensifies the feeling of Christmas by not being there". He advised Field, "I have a Christmas song but it doesn't have a chorus and it's set in a prison". Field was overcome with emotion when he first heard it and convinced the Salvation Army's selection group to accept it for the collection.
The gravy recipe is genuine – Kelly learnt it from his father-in-law: "Just add flour, salt, a little red wine and don't forget a dollop of tomato sauce".