"Lily Was Here" is an instrumental duet by English musician David A. Stewart and Dutch saxophonist Candy Dulfer. It was released as a single in 1989 from the soundtrack of the same name for the Dutch movie De Kassière, also known by the English title Lily Was Here. The song reached number one in the Netherlands and became a top-twenty hit in several other European countries, Australia, and the United States.

Background

The composition is strongly “inspired” by a fragment of Sandra's famous song - In the Heat of the Night (album version) 1985, starting at 3 minutes and ending at 4:25. The rhythm and sound of the drums, the acoustic guitar and its notes, and the general atmosphere of the song are repeated. The electric guitar has been replaced by a saxophone. David A. Stewart invited Candy Dulfer, who had not previously released any of her material, to play the saxophone on this instrumental. The single became a major hit and stayed at the number one position for five weeks in the Netherlands. Because of this success, the single was also released in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States where it became a hit as well, reaching number six in the UK and even rising to number 11 in the tough U.S. market. The success of this instrumental encouraged Dulfer to compose music for her own album, which she titled Saxuality.

Recording

According to Candy's father, Hans Dulfer, on Dutch radio, the recording was done in just one take, actually a jam session, and at that time it was not meant to be released. This jam session was done at the end of a day of recording for the movie De Kassière, and Dave Stewart later decided to release this as a single.

Track listings

CD maxi CD maxi 7-inch single 3-inch single 12-inch maxi

Personnel

General "Lily Was Here" "Lily Was Here" (Space Centre Medical Unit Hum) Lily Was Here (Orbital Space Lab Mix)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications