Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw - Puppet on A String (1967)
Sandie Shaw was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was put forward to represent the UK in that year's Eurovision Song Contest (in the days when one top pop star sang all the entries for a Song for Europe).
Originally not wanting to do the competition and preferring other songs that were entered for the public vote, Sandie hated "Puppet on a String" .In recent years however she has come to accept that the song is now a part of popular British culture and even has it as her ring tone!
The song won the contest easily (making Sandie the first person to win the contest for the UK) and gave her her third UK No. 1 single — a record for a female singer at the time. On 26 February 2007, in honour of her 60th birthday, Sandie released a new version of the song on her website called "Puppet's Got a Brand New String," with a complete overhaul in sound and vocals.
Although the song is a legend in Eurovision history it is her outfit that Sandie remembers most fondly as she tells outnorthwest:
“I loved my Eurovision frock. I designed it myself and it was made by some fantastic seamstresses in Covent Garden. I still have the black and white frilly cover. Unfortunately I lent the dress to Danny La Rue so he could copy it for his take-off of me in his drag act - and he never returned it. So it is out there in the ether somewhere.”
So Sandie, apart from fabulous frocks what can the UK do to stand a real chance of winning the competition again?
“ Stop living in the past. Stop being so stuck up about Europe. Present the songs to be chosen in a more contemporary format with someone fresher than our lovely Terry. Take a leaf out of the Saturday night TV wannabe shows. Ask me to be on the production team!”
Why not? You might ask, but then again what else does a darling of the 1960’s do in her sixties?
“Oh, I am designing a house to build, living in France, studying regional wine, and doing forestry. Developing download facilities on my website. Creating marketing ideas for my recording back catalogue. Working with my old school to develop an award for making a difference in the community. Teaching Nichiren Buddhism every first Wednesday in the month. Traveling around Europe with my husband in our little plane, painting furniture and boxes and playing with my grandchildren. Supporting my younger friends in their endeavors to get the life they desire together. Encouraging my older friends to pass on their expertise to their younger friends, and to listen to their ideas and dreams. Telling everyone that the purpose of being alive is to be truly happy and to fulfill all your potential as a human being.”
Surely it is a matter of the utmost national urgency that a woman with all these creative powers should be called upon at the earliest opportunity to help us breathe life into Eurovision again?
www.sandieshaw.com
