For whatever reason, the song Downtown has always reminded me of a Birthday as a kid. The song was on the radio when my parents were taking me downtown (Toledo) for a birthday dinner and then shopping at one of the department stores (it was the 60's, there were still stores downtown).

So this evening, I pulled that song up on You Tube. Well up popped a number of other Petula Clark videos.

I forgot what a body of work she had.

Any Petula Clark fans out there?

Yep, I'm a fan. My favorite is "Don't Sleep in the Subway", but I enjoy pretty much any song of hers.

Yes. And Bill Whittle uses "I Know A Place" as the lead in music on his live chats.

I was 14 or so when the single came out. I bought the 45 and about wore it out. I think I still have the original 45 in my basement with the rest of my old vinyl.

This was about the time I bought my first guitar.

Mike

Not a huge fan, but Downtown and I Know A Place were songs I loved from the radio when I was a kid, especially the latter. When I had a little shit garage punk band as a teenager, I wanted to cover I Know A Place, but the other guys thought I was nuts. I still think it would make a great remake

For some reason, Downtown was one of those songs from my little kid days back in the 60's that just stuck with me. To this day, it will just pop into my head at a moment's notice. I'm surprised at myself for not having added it to my music library yet.

quote:

Originally posted by eTripper:
She was definitely one of the British 'pop icons' of the sixties.

along with Dusty Springfield.

Yep. like Pet Clark and her music.

I was enduring a "reality" program of trash pickers when they found the table-top control for a jukebox. One of her songs was on the list of available 45's, and the "reality" doofus said something like, "Who's ever heard of her?"

Well here we are a couple years later, and I have no idea who the doofus was or what the show was, but Petula Clark... I know who *she* is.

Good artist, good work, makes me smile to even hear her name or the name of one of her songs. I bet everyone in this thread has pulled up one of her songs to listen to, just from reading the thread.

I am not a fan, but I recall my Grandmother singing "Downtown." Which was odd, because she wasn't a singing person.

Is that the song that was played in "Flight of the Intruder" when Defoe went on the unsanctioned bombing run? Maybe I'm mixing up movies?

^^^
It is.

IIRC, that was the first time I'd heard the song. Looked it up after the movie.

True confession: I always liked Petula better than Dusty Springfield. But one evening sitting with a GF back in the '90s (she had the TV tuned to ice skating), I was jolted by: Sandie Shaw. And a couple of years ago: Susan Maughan. Petula is now #4 on my favorite Brit Chicks of the '60s (Dianna Rigg being #1 of course).

I was 4 or 5 listening to Downtown while riding in the front seat with my dad in his 65 two door Falcon wagon in Ft Lauderdale. Those were the days!