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45 RPM record
photo by Styrous®
Today is the birthday of Lulu Kennedy-Cairns CBE,
aka affectionately as just plain, Lulu. But there was nothing "just
plain" about her. In August 2017, Lulu's family history was the subject
of an episode in the UK series Who Do You Think You Are?.
The research showed that her mother had been brought up by another
family. The investigation into her genealogy showed that Lulu's maternal
grandparents had come from across the religious divide in Glasgow. Her
grandfather Hugh Cairns was a Catholic and her grandmother, Helen
Kennedy, was a Protestant. Cairns had been a member of a Catholic gang
and was found in the research to have been in and out of prison at the
time of the birth of Lulu's mother. Kennedy was found to be the daughter
of a Worthy Mistress of the Ladies' Orange Lodge 52; the discovery explained why the two families had opposed the union between Kennedy and Cairns.
Lulu was born in Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire, Scotland, and grew up in Dennistoun, Glasgow. When she was 12 or 13, she and her manager approached a band called the
Bellrocks seeking stage experience as a singer. She appeared with them
every Saturday night: Alex Thomson, the group's bass player, has
reported that even then her voice was remarkable. When she was 14, she received the stage name "Lulu" from her future manager Marion Massey, who commented: "Well, all I know is that she's a real lulu of a kid."
When she was fifteen and billed as Lulu & The Luvvers, her version of Shout by the Isley Brothers and delivered in a raucous but mature voice, peaked at No. 7 on the UK chart. In 1966, she toured Poland with the Hollies as the first British female singer to appear live behind the Iron Curtain. In the same year, she recorded two German-language tracks; Wenn du da bist and So fing es an for the Decca Germany label (links below).
Lulu left Decca in 1966 and signed with Columbia where her records were produced by Mickie Most. All seven singles she cut with Most made the UK Singles Chart, ending with Boom Bang-A-Bang, an om-pa-pa waltz, reaching number 2 in 1969.
There were many artists who covered To Sir with Love. Roberta Flack recorded an almost reverent piano duet; Al Green did a really nice dance à la Motown version; Chaka Kahn had a lush strings
intro, that was almost a dance version; Vicki Sue Robinson did a disco version, of course. The Ventures did the only
instrumental version on their December 23, 1967, release $1,000,000 Weekend. Midge Ure was the latest entry in 2008 (links below).
To Sir with Love is the title song to the 1967 movie of the same name. Lulu was in the film with Sidney Poitier - she got the gig after director James Clavell saw her open a show for The Beach Boys.
At first she had just a small role in the movie, but Clavell was so
impressed with her that he expanded her role and had her sing the theme
song.
I remember at the time I loved this song, I thought the lyrics and music were very romantic. Don Black wrote the lyrics and Mark London composed the music.
To Sir With Love
Those schoolgirl days
Of telling tales and biting nails are gone
But in my mind
I know they will still live on and on
But how do you thank someone
Who has taken you from crayons to perfume?
It isn't easy, but I'll try
If you wanted the sky
I would write across the sky in letters
That would soar a thousand feet high
"To Sir, with love"
The time has come
For closing books and long last looks must end
And as I leave
I know that I am leaving my best friend
A friend who taught me right from wrong
And weak from strong, that's a lot to learn
What, what can I give you in return?
If you wanted the moon
I would try to make a start
But I would rather you let me give my heart
To Sir, with love
Of telling tales and biting nails are gone
But in my mind
I know they will still live on and on
But how do you thank someone
Who has taken you from crayons to perfume?
It isn't easy, but I'll try
If you wanted the sky
I would write across the sky in letters
That would soar a thousand feet high
"To Sir, with love"
The time has come
For closing books and long last looks must end
And as I leave
I know that I am leaving my best friend
A friend who taught me right from wrong
And weak from strong, that's a lot to learn
What, what can I give you in return?
If you wanted the moon
I would try to make a start
But I would rather you let me give my heart
To Sir, with love
To Sir, with Love - 1967
I was familiar with Sidney Poitier from the time he was in Blackboard Jungle, the first film I saw him in. I'd also seen him in Porgy and Bess, A Raisin in the Sun (I would play the character, Bobo in the theater group I belonged to later) Lilies of the Field and A Patch of Blue, one of his finest films.
Lulu - 1965
Dutch television
Lulu returned to the UK singles chart in April 1967, reaching No. 6 with The Boat That I Row, which was written by Neil Diamond; it was the "B" side of To Sir with Love.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A - To Sir With Love, written by D. Black*, M. London* - 2:44
Side 2:
B - The Boat That I Row, written by N. Diamond* - 2:43
Companies, etc.
Side 1:
A - To Sir With Love, written by D. Black*, M. London* - 2:44
Side 2:
B - The Boat That I Row, written by N. Diamond* - 2:43
Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – IFC
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute
Credits:
Producer – Mickie Most
Notes:
[A]: From The Columbia Pictures Release "To Sir With Love"
Barcode and Other Identifiers
[A]: From The Columbia Pictures Release "To Sir With Love"
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Pressing Plant ID (Etched in runouts): T
Matrix / Runout (Matrix - Center Label - Side A): ZSP 119030
Matrix / Runout (Matrix - Center Label - Side B): ZSP 119007
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A): ZSP 119030-1H T IIIII
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B): ZSP 119007-1L T III
Matrix / Runout (Matrix - Center Label - Side A): ZSP 119030
Matrix / Runout (Matrix - Center Label - Side B): ZSP 119007
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A): ZSP 119030-1H T IIIII
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B): ZSP 119007-1L T III
Lulu – To Sir With Love / The Boat That I Row
Label: Epic – 5-10187
Format: Vinyl, 7", Single, Styrene, Terre Haute
Country: US
Released: Sep 2, 1967
Genre: Pop, Stage & Screen
Style: Vocal, Soundtrack
YouTube links:
10,000 Maniacs ~ To Sir With Love
Madeline Bell ~ To Sir With Love
Divinyls ~ To Sir With Love
Chaka Khan ~ To Sir With Love
Label: Epic – 5-10187
Format: Vinyl, 7", Single, Styrene, Terre Haute
Country: US
Released: Sep 2, 1967
Genre: Pop, Stage & Screen
Style: Vocal, Soundtrack
Viewfinder links:
SongFacts ~ To Sir With Love by Lulu
Song Meanings + Facts ~ To Sir With Love by Lulu
YouTube links:
10,000 Maniacs ~ To Sir With Love
Madeline Bell ~ To Sir With Love
Divinyls ~ To Sir With Love
Roberta Flack ~ To Sir With Love
Lesley Gore ~ To Sir With Love
Al Green ~ To Sir With Love Chaka Khan ~ To Sir With Love
Lulu ~
Lulu And The Luvers - Shout
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas ~ To Sir With Love
The Ventures ~ To Sir With Love
Vicki Sue Robinson ~ To Sir With Love
Gabor Szabo ~ To Sir With Love
Midge Ure ~ To Sir With Love The Ventures ~ To Sir With Love
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, November 3, 2021
