Elliott Murphy’s “Night Surfing” Music Video

 

Filmed along the Beach and City of Le Havre, France

Elliott Murphy’s stunning video “Night Surfing” from his current “Infinity” album (2025), is now available on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/UpCeqz00zHE?si=SXhHhbhnCy4z_T7D     Directed by acclaimed French cinematographer Matthieu Hiebel (Résistance), this evocative black and white video was filmed entirely in and around the French port of “Le Havre.” Elliott calls the city of Le Havre “The Liverpool of France” due to its historical role introducing American rock‘n’roll, blues and jazz to the French public, as sailors would often disembark with records bought in the USA.   Le Havre is also the hometown of Elliott’s long-time musical partner and virtuoso guitarist Olivier Durand, a relationship that began twenty-nine years ago and continues to this day. With Olivier by his side Elliott has performed thousands of shows all over Europe and the USA and recorded dozens of albums.   “Let’s go down to the beach – where everything is slightly out of reach.” Catch a spiritual wave and go “Night Surfing” with Elliott Murphy.   “Infinity,” the 52nd album by internationally acclaimed American rock singer-songwriter (and long-time Paris resident) Elliott Murphy, contains nine musically eclectic songs with the kind of provocative lyrics long associated with Elliott since his ground-breaking debut album “Aquashow” (1973). “Night Surfing” and the album “Infinity” were produced by Gaspard Murphy, son of Elliott and a gold record winning producer in the French pop music world, at Murmure Studio in Paris with Olivier along with Murphy stalwarts Melissa Cox (violin) and Alan Fatras (cajon and percussion).

NIGHT SURFING (Elliott Murphy)   Let’s go down to the beach Everything is slightly out of reach We’ll be riding high tonight Underneath that sad starry light   And there ain’t nothing you can do anyhow There ain’t nothing you can do   Bring your sleeping bag along While you listen to my song You’ll find it so satisfying You just won’t think about dying   And there ain’t nothing you can do anyhow There ain’t nothing you can do   Let’s go swimming in the rain Even if you don’t feel the same I don’t feel anything at all Bouncing like a bouncing beach ball   And there ain’t nothing you can do anyhow There ain’t nothing you can do   Night surfing my life is flying by Night surfing my life is flying by Night surfing my life is flying by Night surfing under moonlit skies   Something’s pushing me along A power that’s very very strong It’s a force I can’t describe Just a ride on a good vibe And there ain’t nothing you can do anyhow There ain’t nothing you can do   C 2025 Elliott Murphy/Murphyland SACEM/BMI ######

Elliott Murphy New Album: “Wonder” Autumn 2022

“Wonder” - the newest album by internationally acclaimed American rock singer-songwriter (and long-time Paris resident) Elliott Murphy – is available now on all streaming platforms (Spotify, Deezer etc.) as well as a limited edition of CDs. “Wonder” marks Elliott’s first studio album of all new original songs since “Prodigal Son” (2017) and contains a truly inspired collection of 12 musically eclectic songs accompanied by that endangered breed of stylish lyrics (urban, poetic, personal, literary …) that have been associated with Murphy’s work for nearly 50 years.

“Wonder” was primarily written during the forced period of introspection brought on by the COVID confinement. It was produced by Elliott’s son Gaspard Murphy (a successful producer in the French music world in his own right) in Paris at Question de Son and Murmure Studios. The album features Elliott’s long time guitar virtuoso musical partner Olivier Durand as well as Australian Melissa Cox (violin) and Alan Fatras (drums) along with an impressive list of guest musicians and singers.

Elliott, himself, takes stock of where “Wonder” fits into his nearly half century career: “If my early albums can be described as expressions of youthful energy, hope and dreams, I would have to say that as I enter this later chapter of my career, as evidenced in the songs on ‘Wonder,’ my words now tend to incorporate buried memories that rise to the surface of my consciousness like once sunken ships, crewed by musical references that even surprise me: Little Richard, Robert Johnson, Tina Turner – even the iconic American TV talk show host Johnny Carson. All these ghosts (and more) make appearances on ‘Wonder’ as well as assorted pop cultural references that baffle me such as ‘My Own Private Idaho,’ which, of course, was a B52s’ hit in the 1980s. But since a troubadour’s job is to spread the news, you can even hear a mention of Better Call Saul a favorite TV series of mine. Musically, you might say that these days my inspiration is all over the map; although I’m still faithful to those folk-rock sounds and chord progressions which shaped me at the time of my first album ‘Aquashow’ (1973). I also think there’s an undeniable bit of French chanson and even Steely Dan type jazz-rock on ‘Wonder.’ Rhythmically, I decided early on that I wanted a strong percussion element and thus you’ll hear congas, maracas and a host of other percussion instruments grounding the songs and giving cool flight to the lyrics. And with all the Motown I listen to, it’s not surprising that ‘Something Consequential’ might recall an almost Marvin Gaye-like romanticism of which he was truly the master and I am, at best, his earnest student.”

As most of these songs were born during the dark opening days of the COVID pandemic when confinement became an enforced reality we had never before experienced, loneliness naturally is a pervasive sub-theme of “Wonder,” reflected in various manifestations not only in the titles of songs such as “Lonely” and “The Lonely King.” Elliott uses “Loneliness as a kind of existential meteorologic metaphor in “Raindrops” and “Hailstones,” referencing when the Corona virus seemed as unstoppable as a hurricane.

Despite the life challenges, Elliott’s approach to writing is still optimistic, “But inevitably there is hope to be found in our fragile yet resilient human condition not only in ‘Hope (In Your Eyes)’ but also in the afore-mentioned ‘Something Consequential’ where romance springs eternal. ‘Sunlight Keeps Falling’ may be the only fully pre pandemic song on the album as it was written as the theme song for an as-yet unmade film about a beautiful girl who jumps from the Eiffel Tower right into the arms of a guitar maker.

“So, as I sing in “A Lack of Perspective” (perhaps my own favorite off “Wonder”), I’m going back in time to find what I’m looking for… Thanks so much for accompanying me on this musical journey!”

 

ELLIOTT MURPHY - WONDER

(MURPHYLAND ML0011CD)

1. Hope (In Your Eyes) (Murphy)

2. Sunlight Keeps Falling On Me (Murphy / Durand)

3. Bystanders (Murphy / Durand)

4. That's The Scene (Murphy)

5. Children of Children (Murphy)

6. Raindrops (Murphy / Murphy)

7. Something Consequential (Murphy / Durand)

8. Lack of Perspective (Murphy)

9. Lonely (Murphy / Durand)

10. Hailstones (Murphy)

11. Lonely King (Murphy)

12. I Know There's A Place (Murphy)

 

The Middle Kingdom Now Out on All Digital Media

New Spoken Word Album from Elliott Murphy and Olivier Durand

The Middle Kingdom is a dramatic spoken word with music album comprised of a selection of poems from the Elliott Murphy collection of the same name. Read by Elliott, himself, with accompanying music composed and performed by his long time musical partner Olivier Durand and mixed and produced by Gaspard Murphy, the result is a surprisingly powerful album whose provocative lyrical images are lifted to yet another dimension with sympathetic and moving musical themes.

The idea for this unique project was born during the coronavirus confinement in France when it was impossible for these two long-time musical collaborators to perform or record together, because Olivier Durand lives in Le Havre and Elliott Murphy in Paris. Elliott proposed that Olivier choose a selection of poems from Elliott’s second book of poetry The Middle Kingdom that he could relate to both musically and lyrically. After deciding upon 18 titles Olivier composed and recorded accompanying musical themes in his home studio in Le Havre. After contributing his own musical ideas to the title cut, producer Gaspard Murphy mixed the final album with state-of-the-art HD sound. The subject matter of the poems themselves go from rock ‘n roll “On The Death of Prince” and “Last Night I Dreamed About Lou” to the very autobiographical “The Middle Kingdom.”

With a career of nearly half a century Elliott’s done it all with over 35 albums of original music since his debut album Aquashow (1973), six published books including two volumes of poetry (40 Poems in 40 Nights & The Middle Kingdom), short story collections (Cafe Notes & Paris Stories), three novels (Marty May, Poetic Justice & Diamonds by the Yard), and a starring role in the feature film Broken Poet based upon his 1980’s short story The Lion Sleeps Tonight which includes a rare cameo appearance by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa. He’s also the subject of the award winning 2016 documentary, The Second Act of Elliott Murphy. and his journalism has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and other international publications. Elliott’s autobiography Just A Story From America will soon be available as an Audiobook.

In 2015 Elliott Murphy was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture. In 2018, Billy Joel inducted Elliott into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, stating, “His songs are honest and literate and pure, and those songs have attracted audiences far beyond his country. I’ve long envied his bravery and integrity, and I’ve always admired his lyric skill.”

The Middle Kingdom is available on iTunes/AppleMusic/Spotify/Amazon and all streaming platforms. 

Elliott Murphy’s Back in the USA for More Acts November 7-24

(Long Island Rock Troubadour Returns to the States for An Incredible November)

Elliott Murphy, singer-songwriter and long-time Paris resident, returns to the East Coast this November for an autumn season of touring, events and filming. 

Elliott will be inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on November 8 at a gala ceremony to be held at the Space in Westbury… Long Island, of course. Former inductees of the LIMHOF include Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett and Lou Reed.

Originally from Garden City, Long Island, Elliott Murphy rose to national prominence with the release of his debut 1973 album Aquashow, when critics declared him, along with Bruce Springsteen, John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III, the new Bob Dylan, even though the original was still only in his mid-thirties. When asked if he considered the “New Dylan” tag to be a curse, Murphy often reminds interviewers that, “… all of us singer-songwriters, who were pushed into that estimable club, seem to be still working. So more than a curse it’s a guarantee of life-time employment!”  

Along with his virtuoso French guitarist Olivier Durand, Elliott Murphy will be performing shows in New York and New Jersey in November along with a highly coveted performance at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in Washington DC.

As well as having released over 35 albums in a career spanning 45 years, Elliott Murphy is a prolific writer of fiction with two novels and numerous collections of short stories published in Europe. One of his earlier stories is currently being made into the film Broken Poet and will feature Elliott Murphy in his first major acting role. Cast members include the legendary Marisa Berenson, Academy Award nominee Michael O’Keefe, and acclaimed French actress Joana Preiss. A Spring 2019 release is projected for Broken Poet by award-winning Spanish Director Emilio Barrachina. Elliott’s most recent album, PRODIGAL SON, (Murphyland Records) garnered 4 stars in French Rolling Stone. 

In 2015 Elliott Murphy was awarded the Chevalier des arts et des lettres medal by the French minister of Culture. 

ELLIOTT MURPHY U.S. TOURDATES

November 8 Long Island Music Hall of Fame, Westbury, NY  

November 9 My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY  

November 11 Ray's House Concert, Staten Island  

November 13 World Café, Philadelphia, PA  
  November 15 The Turning Point, Piermont, NY 

November 16 The Sail Loft, Port Jefferson, NY  

November 17 Rockwood 3 ***5PM Show***  

November 23 Stephen Talkhouse, Amagansett, NY  

November 24 Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Wash DC  

For further information on show dates please visit:  www.elliottmurphy.com

The Second Act of Elliott Murphy Trailer w/ Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Willie Nile: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdQudLfTpNY

Rolling Stone listed two of Elliott’s albums in their list of 10 Singer-Songwriter Albums Rolling Stone Loved in the 1970s You’ve Never Heard: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/10-singer-songwriter-albums-rolling-stone-loved-in-the-1970s-youve-never-heard-77702/elliott-murphy-lost-generation-165711/

ELLIOTT MURPHY TOURS DEC. 2010, THE MISTER LUCKY TOUR

http://www.elliottmurphy.com

Rock troubadour Elliott Murphy will be performing The Mister Lucky Tour this December 4 through the 12 with dates in New York City, Amagansett, NY, Bordentown, NJ, Piermont and Larchmont, NY. His band The Normandy All-Stars (guitarist Olivier Durand, drummer Alan Fatras, bassist Laurent Pardo will be on hand to rock).

Elliott Murphy first came to prominence over 35 years ago with the release of the now-more-relevant-than-ever album, AQUASHOW. That, along with NIGHT LIGHTS, LOST GENERATION, and JUST A STORY FROM AMERICA were played on mainstream radio throughout the United States. These albums were also picked up internationally, especially in Japan and Europe, where Elliott has found international stardom. 20 years ago he moved to France. At that point he last played the United States in 2000 at New York City's Bottom Line, and his last west coast dates were in 1996. In 2008, December, when his son Gaspard started studying at SUNY Purchase in New York, Elliott was invited to start performing in the States again.

Elliott has released 30 albums, his latest is NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND, which has received 5 stars on the prestigious music site, ALL MUSIC.COM. In 2011, look for his album, ELLIOTT MURPHY, which was produced by Gaspard Murphy.

Some of the musicians who've collaborated with Elliott on his recordings are Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Phil Collins, and the Rolling Stones' Mick Taylor. Elliott was also honored with a monumental exposition, LAST OF THE ROCK STARS-RETROSPECTIVE at Paris' Town Hall, and has been cited in literature in the work, SAVAGE DETECTIVES by the late Roberto Bolano, who now has a best-seller book called, 2666.

Elliott, who is already played on Sirius-XM's the LOFT, and was the subject of a story on an upcoming Bob Edwards' show on the satellite station. Recently he acted in the French movie "La Ligne Blanche."

Daily Variety's Stephen Mirkin writes that Elliott accompanied by guitarist Olivier Durand, performs "with an energetic intimacy. " THE WASHINGTON POST'S Christopher Porter notes, "Murphy engaged his campfire crowd with direct eye contact, making the evening's intimacy even more intense. His textured voice -- as with his songwriting, it's equal parts Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Bruce Springsteen -- also exhibited tonal strength and beauty."

The Schenectady Gazette's Brian McElhiney says, "Murphy gives hungry cadre of stateside fans what they came for." Indeed the fans also are receiving more than their money's worth. One Boston fan blogged, "Murphy sang with the resilience of a survivor who will always continue to grow and change. His performance let us in on a taste of what his journey has been like. I know I felt changed by it. Murphy's show was a true rock 'n' roll baptism."

December 2010 Elliott Murphy Shows

Dec. 4: Stephen Talkhouse, Amagansett, NY
Dec. 8: Turning Point, Piermont, NY
Dec. 9: Record Collector, Bordentown, NJ
Dec. 11: Rockwood Stage 2, New York, NY
Dec. 12: Watercolor Cafe, Larchmont, NY

http://www.elliottmurphy.com

ELLIOTT MURPHY AND JANN KLOSE’S “MEMORY AND DESIRE” TOUR

Olivier, Jann, Elliott singing Elliott's "How's the Family" on the west coast. photo by Steve Triolo.

http://www.elliottmurphy.com
http://www.jannklose.com
Elliott’s EPK

“Memory and Desire.” That’s what Rock Troubadour Elliott Murphy and multicultural pop singer-songwriter Jann Klose are calling their April 22-26th tour. Elliott borrowed the opening lines of T.S. Eliot’s poem, “The Waste Land” for this tour, which will include shows in Fairfield, CT, Asbury Park, NY, Fall River, MA, Hoboken, NJ and Amagansett, NY.

Of course the conclusion is Elliott and Jann’s music encourages the audience to come out of the early spring doldrums that the poet T.S. Eliot writes in the opening lines….

“APRIL is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain….”

And everyone will remember the show for years to come, including the performers. Desire? Well, everyone desires the best music around. Voila—Elliott Murphy and Jann Klose!

Elliott Murphy first came to prominence 35 years ago with the release of the now-more-relevant-than-ever album, AQUASHOW. That, along with NIGHT LIGHTS, LOST GENERATION, and JUST A STORY FROM AMERICA was played on mainstream radio throughout the United States. These albums were also picked up internationally, especially in Japan and Europe, where Elliott has found international stardom. 19 years ago he moved to Paris, France. Before his recent Northeast/California tour he last played the United States in 2000 at New York City's Bottom Line. Elliott’s full band, the Normandy All Stars will be on this tour—it features guitarist Olivier Durand, drummer Alan Fatras, and bassist Laurent Pardo.

Elliott has released 30 albums; his latest is NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND, which has received 5 stars on the prestigious music site, ALLMUSIC.COM. Some of the musicians who've collaborated with Elliott on his recordings are Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Phil Collins, and the Rolling Stones' Mick Taylor. Elliott was also honored with a monumental exposition, LAST OF THE ROCK STARS-RETROSPECTIVE at Paris' Town Hall, and has been cited in literature in the work, SAVAGE DETECTIVES by the late Roberto Bolano, who now has a best-seller book called, 2666.

Elliott’s music is already being played on Sirius-XM's the LOFT, and he was the subject of a story on an upcoming Bob Edwards show on the satellite station. This spring will see the release of the French movie "La Ligne Blanche" in which Elliott appears as an actor.

Opening all dates will be Jann Klose, whose new album REVERIE is an independent release that has been picked up by over 95 radio stations, including Radio Caroline, Bob Harris' show on the BBC-2 and Sirius-XM's The Loft. Born in Germany, raised in Kenya and South Africa, Jann has collaborated on stage with Renaissance's Annie Haslam, songwriters Rosanne Cash, Marty Stuart, and Roger McGuinn. Upright bassist Chris Marolf supports Jann's set.

The tour has received praise in every city it's played so far from Boston, MA to Hollywood, CA.

Daily Variety's Stephen Mirkin writes that Elliott accompanied by guitarist Olivier Durand, performs "with an energetic intimacy. " THE WASHINGTON POST'S Christopher Porter notes, "Murphy engaged his campfire crowd with direct eye contact, making the evening's intimacy even more intense. His textured voice -- as with his songwriting, it's equal parts Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Bruce Springsteen -- also exhibited tonal strength and beauty."

The Schenectady Gazette's Brian McElhiney says, "Murphy gives hungry cadre of stateside fans what they came for." Indeed the fans are receiving more than their money's worth. One Boston fan blogged, "Murphy sang with the resilience of a survivor who will always continue to grow and change. His performance let us in on a taste of what his journey has been like. I know I felt changed by it. Murphy's show was a true rock 'n' roll baptism." A woman working in Washington, DC media had never heard of either artist, and her boyfriend was curious about the venue they played in. She said, "This was the most memorable night of rock & roll I've ever had. Both artists are great."

ELLIOTT MURPHY AND JANN KLOSE ROAD TRIP DATES

April 22 Stage One at the Fairfield Theatre, Fairfield, CT
**Special pre show Q&A with CT POST Theatre critic/cultural blogger Joe Meyers
April 23 Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA
**Special pre show Q&A with a "to-be-announced" local personality.
April 24 The Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ
April 25 Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ
April 26 Stephen Talkhouse, Amagansett, NY