The 19th century painting that inspired Paul Weller to write his most heartbreaking song 100 years later
Paul Weller drew on John Waterhouse’s 1888 painting *The Lady of Shalott* when writing ‘Wings of Speed’, the closing track on his album *Stanley Road*. The song translates the painting’s haunting atmosphere into music and also reflects Weller’s own experience of separating from his wife, Dee C. Lee, and feeling distant from his children.
Waterhouse’s painting depicts the Lady of Shalott drifting towards Camelot, drawing on a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson about unrequited love and death. Weller said the lyrics’ references to Jesus at the helm and a candle guiding the way came directly from the image. The track blends rock, folk and soul, with Carleen Anderson contributing several free-form vocal takes that Weller described as heavenly.
- Waterhouse’s painting inspired Weller’s ‘Wings of Speed’.
- The song also draws on his family separation.
- Carleen Anderson’s layered vocals feature prominently.
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John Waterhouse was a Victorian painter, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson was a leading 19th-century poet. Tennyson’s poem The Lady of Shalott tells of a woman who lives under a curse, sees the world only in a mirror and eventually sets out by boat towards Camelot.
Waterhouse’s 1888 painting shows the Lady drifting down the river, with a candle and a crucifix in the boat. Paul Weller later drew on the scene for “Wings of Speed”, a song on his album Stanley Road, connecting its themes of loss and distance with his own family experiences.