Bryan Ferry Enjoys the Kansas City Chiefs’ ‘Outfits’

While Bryan Ferry was picking songs for “Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023,” — a new boxed set recapping his long solo career apart from Roxy Music, the pioneering British art-rock band he led — the singer noticed a recurring theme. “There’s a lot of love songs, a lot of romantic songs,” he said, speaking by video from his London recording studio.

Ferry’s love songs, though, tend to be fraught with anxiety and blue with longing. The boy doesn’t get the girl; instead, the boy pines for the girl and can’t get her out of his mind. “But those are always the best love songs, aren’t they?” he asked with a chuckle. “I do like music that’s introspective, and a bit on the sad side.”

The set begins with material from “These Foolish Things” (1973), on which Ferry brashly covered a broad array of songs, including one of Bob Dylan’s prolix metaphorical rambles and “It’s My Party,” Lesley Gore’s campy teen heartbreak lament. Ferry had studied at art school with the British Pop Art provocateur Richard Hamilton, who believed there was no hierarchical distinction between high and low culture, an idea the singer has sustained throughout his work.

Last month, Ferry turned 79, and he’ll have a new album next year, but indicated that his touring days might be over: “As you get older, the travel is a bit tiring.” The singer grew up working class outside Newcastle — his father tended to horses that worked in local coal mines — but as Roxy Music gained popularity and cultural cachet in the 1970s, he developed appreciations for all things luxe. His list of 10 essential inspirations mixes the urban and the rural, the modern and the old-fashioned, with a consistent eye for glamour and drama. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

1

His own recording studio

I’ve worked in a lot of studios and it’s great to finally have this place. Prince used this studio for an album he did with a girl band [“Plectrumelectrum,” by Prince and 3rdEyeGirl], and they were really good. I like to think some of it might’ve rubbed off.

2

His garden

On weekends, I get out of London and go to the country for fresh air. If you’re a musician, you can be trapped indoors for days on end and it’s nice to have some respite from that. I’ve got a beautiful garden with an apple orchard, and at this time of the year, the fruit is getting ready to pick.