I cycled home through Clapton today. Down to Millfields Park, along the River Lea towards Tottenham and through Hornsey to Muswell Hill. Clapton was the childhood home of Helen Shapiro. It was where she lived when this topped the charts in 1961. Helen Shapiro was a huge star in that strange time between rock n roll and The Beatles, and when she made this wonderful record, she was just 14. She came from a respectable Jewish family. Apart from her talent, there was nothing precocious about Helen. And yet at 14, she was singing longingly and knowingly about the pain of unrequited love. Nobody thought there was anything untoward about this. Her voice was mature enough to carry the song so her age was neither here nor there. Nowadays, this would be considered “inappropriate”. And I still can’t decide which era is right and which is wrong.
Did no one at the time think this was odd?

- "Make love to...3rd Apr 2014
- Sometimes it'...2nd Apr 2014
- The perfect p...1st Apr 2014
- Britain's fir...31st Mar 2014
- At last, I've...30th Mar 2014
- A Bogarts and...29th Mar 2014
- Cash in the a...27th Mar 2014
- Should "Diva ...26th Mar 2014
- Women and gui...25th Mar 2014
- My son Jack i...24th Mar 2014
- The Full Engl...23rd Mar 2014
- Kate Bush ann...22nd Mar 2014
- The day my wi...21st Mar 2014
- I'm about to ...20th Mar 2014
- The way all p...19th Mar 2014 prev next