Paul Kelly has shared a new, previously-unreleased single – albeit one with a decades-old caveat. ‘Cool Hand Lukin’, Kelly’s first new music of 2025, was originally written back in 1984 while watching the Los Angeles Olympics. Kelly and the song’s co-writer, the late Paul Hewson of Dragon, wrote the song after seeing Australian weightlifter Dean Lukin win a gold medal in the Super Heavyweight category – making him the first and only Australian to do so in weightlifting to this day.
“We got so excited that we wrote a song about him on the spot,” said Kelly in a post shared to his newsletter. “A month or two later, I recorded it straight to cassette around a kitchen table with Steve Connolly and Michael Barclay. It didn’t make the cut for [third album, 1984’s] Post but, miracle of miracles, my nephew Dan found it recently amongst the clutter in the back shed.”
Paul Kelly – ‘Cool Hand Lukin’
‘Cool Hand Lukin’ arrives ahead of Post‘s 40th anniversary reissue on vinyl next month. The album is home to some of the veteran singer-songwriter’s most popular songs, including ‘From St. Kilda To Kings Cross’ and ‘Look So Fine, Feel So Low’ – which both feature on Kelly’s multi-platinum greatest hits album, 1997’s Songs From The South. The vinyl can be pre-ordered by clicking here.
Kelly’s latest newsletter has also confirmed that he has already finished work on the follow-up to last year’s Fever Longing Still – which debuted at number three on the ARIA Albums Chart upon release last November. The as-yet-untitled new album will mark his 30th overall. “After much cogitating and listening and talking with the band and team, I have settled on the songs and order,” he wrote. “It has just been sent off to be mastered. There is always a sense of relief getting to this point. No more tinkering, no more adjusting, no more wondering, ‘What about this?’ or ‘How about that?’ The music part of it is out of my hands at last, and now it’s time to start working on the cover.”
Last week, Kelly – joined by Dan Kelly and Michael Barclay – performed an intimate set at the Croxton Bandroom in Melbourne, supporting The Drones for their one-off reunion shows. Next month will see Kelly and his band hit the road in the UK and mainland Europe for the first time since 2017, before returning to Australia to undertake his first ever headlining arena tour. He is set to be joined by Lucinda Williams and her band, who replaced Jason Isbell as main support, as well as multi-time ARIA Award and Golden Guitar winner Fanny Lumsden serving as the tour’s opening act.
Further Reading
Paul Kelly Making Gravy Review – Christmas Cheer and Moving Substance at Sidney Myer Music Bowl
“It Was A Labour Of Love” – Paul Kelly On Making Music For Christmas
Paul Kelly On The Challenge Of Making “A Conscious, Intimate, Sit Down And Listen Kind Of Record”
