Originally written for a close friend who was going through a very messy separation at the time, You Will Be Loved Again has proven to be one of the most popular songs on ‘Up Here’. I’m happy to say that the message of hope seems to have touched even the stoniest of hearts.

Inspired by the final few minutes of Cinema Paradiso where the now fully grown central character sits back to watch an entire reel of censored kisses collected from the cutting room floor over the decades, and the wonderful Godley and Cream video for Elvis Costello’s I Wanna Be Loved, I thought it would be nice to make a video compiled of kisses. What better way to do this than to use the social media at my fingertips to ask for contributions. Of course I knew what to expect but nothing had prepared me for the joy of finding a flurry of kisses in my mailbox each morning. A perfect way to start the day.

Trying to make sense of hundreds of separate films in many different formats with video editing software I’d never used before was not the easiest challenge I’ve ever set myself, but I bit my teeth, drank tea and managed to compile about a minutes worth of film! It was clear I’d need another visual element.

At school I’d always had the idea of getting tattoos, I even had them all planned out, but never had the spare cash to justify the expense; years later when I had the money, the world, his wife and even my mother were all getting inked so my contrary nature decided against it. However a few years ago I decided to surprise Mrs A by getting her name tattooed on my arm for Valentine’s Day, however on the way to my appointment I had a phone-call from the parlor to say they’d had to close due to sickness. This video seemed a good opportunity to resurrect the idea, and, as it’s for promotional purposes, get my tattoo tax-free!

I had no doubt about who to do the job, Rich Vine at Ravenskin is a top bloke and a couple of hours in his company was something to look forward to. Add to that the presence of my old friend Jon Nutter doing a sterling job on camera and it was a most pleasant evening.

I’m certainly no video editor but I fumbled my way through and had great fun playing, although I have a new found respect for the saintlike patience of anyone who does this for a living. It is unbearably tedious.

Just as I was thinking I needed one more element to make this video complete, as if by magic, a certain Mr David Godby arrived at my door with a pile of freshly gathered driftwood onto which he had stenciled the title of the song. Voila!

So, this video was made with no budget but the help and the goodwill of all those who contributed. There is a lot of love in it, and just a little bit of blood. I hope you enjoy it. Px