How a Late-Night Solo Studio Session Led to April Wine’s Biggest US Hit in 1981

It’s all fine and good to rock out to build your reputation. But time and again, music fans have watched as rock bands who’ve toiled in relative obscurity finally made their big breakthrough with a slower, more sensitive song.

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Such was the case for the Canadian band April Wine. More than a decade into a career that had witnessed the band’s lineup turn over almost completely, they rolled into the Top 25 in 1981 with “Just Between You And Me”.

Pieces of April

By the time they recorded their biggest hit, April Wine contained just one of its original members. That was guitarist and lead singer Myles Goodwyn. In the beginning, he was the lone outlier in a family affair, as the other band members were brothers David and Ritchie Henman and their cousin Jim Henman.

One by one, the Henmans dropped out of the picture for various reasons, replaced by other musicians picked up along the way. Overcoming the lack of historical success for Canadian bands in America was no easy feat for the group. But they started to gain some traction in the early 70s.

In 1972, April Wine’s cover of the Hot Chocolate song “You Could Have Been A Lady” squeezed into the US Top 40. That helped the band gain more exposure in America (eventually opening for The Rolling Stones), while they continued to do great business in Canada.

“Between” Days

By the time April Wine headed to England to start recording the album The Nature Of The Beast, released in 1981, their previous LPs had started to make small dents in the US album charts. One night after other band members had gone, Myles Goodwyn wanted to continue noodling about for a bit.

Because the others had packed up their gear, there wasn’t much equipment still left in the studio for Goodwyn. He plugged a guitar, which wasn’t his, into a distortion pedal that was still lying around. That’s what gave him the sound for the solos he created.

Once he had the music, he built the song around the phrase “Just Between You And Me”. Thinking of his wife at the time, Goodwyn finished up the track. Soon enough, it was introducing pop fans all over the world to this long-running rock outfit.

Behind the Lyrics of “Just Between You And Me”

The verses of “Just Between You And Me” focus on relationships that can’t stand the test of time. “Time and time again I see,” Goodwyn sings. “A love that seems strong was not meant to be.” “Broken hearts don’t always mend,” he warns. “Left too unsure to try love again.”

That contrasts with his own situation. “You always help me find my way,” he testifies. “The love that we share grows stronger each day.” The chorus suggests that theirs is a bond that can’t be broken. “Just between you and me,” Goodwyn sings. “Always, I know our love will be.”

To pay homage to the band’s Canadian heritage, Goodwyn sang a line of the refrain in French. American rock fans might have needed a translation for that part. But they certainly understood the heartfelt emotion that helped make “Just Between You And Me” April Wine’s biggest US hit.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images