Huey Lewis and Bob Dylan.Photo:Leon Bennett/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Leon Bennett/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Huey Lewisdoesn’t have many regrets in life, but not recording a songBob Dylanpenned for him is definitely one of them.
“He sent me a cassette and a lovely note saying he liked the last record and here’s a song of mine,” Lewis said of the gift from Dylan, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest songwriters in the history of music.
Lewis' story got worse from there. “Not only did I not cut it, I don’t know where the cassette is,” he admitted.
The “I Want a New Drug” singer went on to stress that he didn’t lose Dylan’s song. “It’s part of my cassette collection, where there’s thousands of cassettes there. So I can probably find it,” Lewis added.
Asked why he didn’t record the song Dylan cut for him, Lewis toldKimmel, 56, “I have no idea,” explaining that he “probably” played the song for his bandmates, including keyboardist Sean Hooper, drummer Bill Gibson, bassist Mario Cipollina, lead guitarist Chris Hayes, and saxophonist Johnny Colla. “I can’t remember to be honest.”
“It was a big mistake, what can I say? I’m sorry,” said Lewis. " It was a mistake. Note to self: when Bob Dylan sends you a song, record it."
Recording of “We Are The World” on January 28, 1985 in Los Angeles, California.USA for Africa
Lewis and Dylan, 82, have crossed paths in music before, both singing together on 1985’s “We Are the World” as part of the starry supergroup USA for Africa.
The process of recording that chart-topping, history-making song was documented in the recent NetflixdocumentaryThe Greatest Night in Pop. Lewis, who gave a new interview for the film, revealed in the special that he was panicking when he was given his solo after Prince didn’t show up to the session.
“So now I get Prince’s line. I mean, those are pretty big shoes to fill!” Lewis said in the doc. “From that moment on, I was nervous out of my brain.”
Dylan, meanwhile, had his own nerves when recording the song, facing a bit of stage fright when it came time to sing his solo, according to the doc. ThoughQuincy Jonestried to help talk him through it,Stevie Wonderwas ultimately able to assuage Dylan’s nerves. After clearing the room, Wonder sang the lines while mimicking Dylan’s signature delivery to help him hear his part.
Lewis was onJimmy Kimmel Live!to promoteThe Heart of Rock and Roll, the new Broadway musical built around his catalogue of hits.
The show — featuring tunes like “Do You Believe in Love,” “Hip to Be Square,” “If This Is It,” “The Power of Love” and “Stuck with You” — begins performances on March 29 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, ahead of an April 22 opening.Tickets are now on sale.
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“Musical theater is probably, I think because it’s the most demanding, it’s also the most rewarding form of artistic expression and it’s immensely collaborative,” Lewis told PEOPLE in January. “So we’ve been working as a group for almost a decade now on this, and very excited to see it all come together.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live!airs weekdays (11:30 p.m. ET) on ABC.
source: people.com
