Heaven Is Very Beautiful

Written by Di Farrelly

Gerry Beckley and Bobby Woods have finished a side project which has been very important to them about Di Farrelly. It is her voice that opens "Emma" on the Van Go Gan CD with "Hello there. Hello Gerry." There is a special song featuring Di that is produced by Gerry and Bobby entitled, "Heaven Is Very Beautiful." Here's a one minute preview of the song in RealAudio () format. Below you will find the copy as it will appear in the liner notes. The final, full-length version of the song will soon become available, and is obviously a mandatory addition to any America fans collection. Be warned, this one's going to be a real tear-jerker. For your information, the Gordon mentioned in the liner notes is a reference to Di's husband, Gordon Farrelly. Gerry and Bobby have dedicated this record to him.

Hello there.

Many years ago my mother, who lives deep in the English countryside, chanced to meet an eccentric sixty year old woman who called herself a songwriter. And in their conversation, my mother mentioned that her son, who lived in America, was a songwriter as well. The woman asked if my mother would be kind enough to forward to me a cassette tape containing a few of her songs.

It was through the arrival of this tape that I first became acquainted with Di Farrelly.

By listening, I learned that she had been pursuing a career as a songwriter for more than forty years. Sadly, she explained on the tape, these pursuits had never come to fruition.

Over the years other tapes came along. As I listened, I was drawn to the haunting spoken messages that she included for me on these tapes.

I would often try to picture Di, alone in the back bedroom of her small country cottage, composing on a small keyboard, and carefully adding touching spoken letters written to someone who lived far away, and whom she had never met.

Several years ago the tapes stopped coming in the mail.

One Christmas, while visiting my mother in England, I asked after Di Farrelly and was told she had passed away.

Upon returning to America, I re-listened to the tapes Di had sent me over the years, and decided to compile them into an album.

The result is a heartbreaking narrative on the frustrations of not only being a songwriter, but on a much broader level, of art and obscurity to which all of us, artists or not, can relate.

Her true story speaks for itself, and speaks to us all.

Thank you, very much, for listening.

For Gordon

-- Gerry Beckley

In order to listen to the Real Audio sound clip above, you will need to have the Real Audio player which is available free from the Real Audio web site. Real Audio sound clips are identified by the blue notes () in parentheses behind the song title. Simply click on the notes to play the song.

In 2009 Bobby Woods created a Di Farrelly web page on his Les Deux Love Orchestra web site and he made this song available for download on iTunes.