Petula Clark – Downtown

Downtown, is a single recorded by the Petula Clark  in 1964, from the album with the same title.

This was Petula Clark’s first hit in the US, which was slow to discover her talents. In the UK, she was a star as a singer and as a television performer, where she was a regular on the BBC. In the early ’60s, she also caught on in France when she started recording her songs in French. Oddly, she didn’t get an American record deal until late in 1964 when a Warner Bros. executive named Joe Smith, who was vacationing in England, heard the song and signed her to a deal.

When “Downtown” was released in the US, it shot to #1, making Petula the first female singer from the UK to hit #1 in the US during the rock era (after 1955). Remarkably, she didn’t even promote the song before it hit the top spot, as she was touring French-speaking countries at the time.

The word “downtown” had a different meaning in America than it did in the UK. In America, “downtown” is the heart of the city where the action happens. The word wasn’t used much in Britain at the time, but it generally meant the less affluent part of the town’s central area. The song’s writer, Tony Hatch, used the word in its American meaning, as he was inspired by a walk down Broadway during his first visit to New York. These days, the American “heart of the city” use of the phrase is common in the UK.

This won a Grammy in 1965 for Best Rock & Roll Recording, making Clark the first British singer to win a Grammy. In 2003, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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Petula Clark - Downtown

Petula Clark Downtown. original version03:03

“Downtown” este un single de pe albumul cu același titlu, lansat de Petula Clark în 1964. Când melodia fost lansată în Statele Unite, în 1965, a urcat imediat pe prima poziție. Astfel Petula Clark a fost prima cântăreață din UK, care a ocupat locul 1 în topurile americane. Melodia este compusă de Tony Hatch, un compozitor și producător britanic.

Cuvântul “Downtown” are o altă semnificație în America decât în UK. În America, “downtown” este centrul orașului unde este acțiunea. În Marea Britanie, cuvântul a nu a fost prea folosit, însemnând partea mai săracă din zona centrală. Compozitorul Tony Hatch a folosit cuvântul în sensul american, el fiind inspirat de o plimbare pe Broadway în prima lui vizită în America.

În 1965 piesa a obținut premiul Grammy la categoria Best Rock & Roll Recording, Petula Clark devenind astfel prima artistă din UK care a câștigat un Grammy.

Video este o filmare din 1964.

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