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Coming home to roost with A-list support
His next music video features Johnny Depp, he's written soundtracks to films starring Hollywood's Heather Graham and next year he releases his sixth album. Rachael Clegg met Stephen Jones.
THIRTEEN years ago, adopted Sheffielder Stephen Jones wrote one of the catchiest songs of the Nineties.
His tune, You're Gorgeous, became a nationwide-chant, jukebox favourite and is still a 10-second soundtrack to thousands of Valentine and birthday cards.
For the majority of people, that's when Stephen Jones' band, Babybird was born.
But in reality, Jones had been crafting lyrics for much longer, starting in 1995 under the name Babybird, while he was part of a Sheffield experimental theatre group.
By 1997, he had written more than 400 songs, the majority of which were recorded on a four-track in various bedsits and rented bedrooms throughout the north of England, though primarily in Sheffield.
Now – finally, the You're Gorgeous dust has settled, Babybird have become revered not for simplistic indie chanting but for Jones's lyrical craftsmanship and densely-textured songs. The predominantly Sheffield band (Jones is originally from Telford) have amassed a following that includes the likes of Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp.
The latter's adoration for Babybird goes beyond collecting albums. The A-lister has directed Babybird's latest music video for the sumptuous love song, Unlovable, for which Depp even plays guitar. The song appears on Babybird's forthcoming album, Ex-Maniac, and is a four-minute exploration of romantic discord. Musically it soars, with rough-edged guitar, emotionally-naked singing and crashing drums. "It's a big monster," admits Jones.
"Unlovable was just really easy," he says. "Johnny came to play but you just have this massive fear because even though you know him you think,'Is he going to be good?' because he's just coming in for a few hours and I'm not sure I'd be able to do it. He's quite shy and unassuming, but he came in and it all happened nicely."
Depp's no music novice, however. As a teenager he played in a high-school band, Kids, with Bruce Witkin – the producer of Babybird's next album. "Music was his first love – before he was a big movie star," says Jones.
The video was directed a month ago at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire – home of the 7th Marquess of Salisbury, though Jones is tight-lipped about its content: "I can't say too much because we're trying not to talk about the actual video. If I was working for a record company they wouldn't necessarily let me make this kind of video because it's pushing the boundaries, but as it's an A-list movie star we could do what we wanted."
Appropriately, in the video Jones acts alongside actor Stephen Graham, who has starred in several Arctic Monkeys' videos and This is England, the award-winning release from Sheffield's Warp Films.
But the project is more than just a four-minute video. "We're going to make this thing into a pop video but it's also going to be a 10 to 11 minute-long little film.
"There was some straight acting in it, which was strange for me but apparently I did okay at it. I haven't actually heard it with the single on top."
The move towards a more epic, film-like video is a fitting one. Jones's key interest is film soundtracks and, through Chrysalis Records, the artist has released hundreds of tracks for advertisement and film makers.
"The soundtracks were in these three-inch CD things – triple album and quadruple albums to give to advert makers and film makers. It's kind of done its job because I've got various adverts and did a film with Heather Graham. I'm hoping that with this album and writing soundtrack stuff I can get more work doing stuff like that because I love film."
Indeed, the singer once confessed that his influences were "films, not gigs" and that Jim Jarmusch and Robert De Niro were "cool" – "not four blokes in jeans and trainers" and after the release of You're Gorgeous, Jones was desperate to escape the rock 'n' roll fame which came with it.
"It was difficult. That's why I'm living in London now. When it happened I was in Sheffield. There was always people hassling you – not in a bad way – but it got too much.
"It made a huge difference to my life, but I get money from that, which means I can do things with people that are interesting to me but not necessarily looking to make a fast track to money."
He refers to the time following the chart hit as "The Gorgeous period", during which the singer-songwriter's life was dictated by record companies: "I remember having every inch of my life sorted for me but you are just part of the machine.
"Every record you sell is making the record company a lot of money. You are still working for the man, which is a bit negative but it's nice if you can be outside of that."
But even now, 13 years following the release of the single, people continue to misinterpret the track. "Once people start listening to a track it's totally up to them as to how they interpret it. You can't go round saying, 'This is what the song's about', but a lot of people think it's a love song – the fact it goes into Valentine cards and birthday cards is a good example of that.
"But it's actually a pro-female song against male photographers who want to use women to sell things using sex."
Jones returns to Sheffield next week for a live show, performing alongside original Sheffield Babybird members Luke Scott and Robert Gregory.
"That's why I moved to Sheffield – to find the band. I was in Nottingham but it was more of a dance culture but I came to Sheffield and found people that were great, two of them I still perform with. If you can find a handful of people you like you've got to hold on to them."
Babybird play The Leadmill, Sheffield on Nov 10. Ex-Maniac is released in February next year.
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