The Finer Things

This song is about living in the moment, enjoying the finer things in life while we can. After all, time is a river rolling into nowhere. The phrase "finer things" is often used to indicate luxury goods, but these finer things are the small pleasures in life that are good for the soul - like laughter.

Winwood wrote this with Will Jennings, who came up with lyrics for this and many of Winwood's other songs on his albums Arc Of A Diver, Talking Back To The Night and Back In The High Life. Jennings, who has also written lyrics for B.B. King, Jimmy Buffett, Eric Clapton and Roy Orbison, finds the words for these singers after spending time with them and finding out what they're about. With Winwood, Jennings went to England and hung out with him for a while. He told us: "That came out of being in England, hanging out, staying up all night in London, and partying and everything else. 'The Finer Things' is sort of expressive of all that running around: 'I've been sad and I've walked bitter streets alone. But come morning there's a good wind to blow me home.' Then it's philosophical: 'Time is a river rolling into nowhere. I will live while I can, I will have my ever after.'" (Check out our interview with Will Jennings.)

In another Songfacts interview, Alan Merrill of The Arrows reveals that Steve Winwood is the most interesting person he's ever worked with. He describes Winwood: "A perfectionist. Fantastic instincts. Unbelievable voice. He played on my track, 'Always Another Train.' And he said, 'Go to the pub, lads, I have to work.' It was a moog synthesizer, and he wanted to get it triggering exactly and pan it in stereo. It was 'doogadoogadoogadooga' and he did it, and we came back from the pub and said, 'Perfect.' But most days it took a long time to program a synth, really an uphill battle." (Check out our interview with Alan Merrill.)