A Conversation with Petula Clark – HuffPost 6.3.13

Mike Ragogna: Hello Petula. How are you?

Petula Clark: I’m very good. I’m up in the cold, wet French Alps and it’s not very pretty at all at the moment. It would appear that Spring is here.

MR: (laughs) You were a kid when you started in entertainment.

PC: Yeah, I did start very young, that’s true. I think I made my first record…I think I must have been about fourteen or something like that. It was very different then too.

MR: Right, the traditional, almost romanticized studio adventures one would have seem to be gone. Now, basically, everyone makes records on their computer in the living room.

PC: It’s possible to do that. The new album, Lost In You, we made it in a tiny, tiny studio (outside London) at the bottom of the producer’s garden, like a garden shed. Of course, inside it was a state of the art studio. You really don’t need a lot of space, but you do need some good equipment, some good ears and somebody who knows what they’re doing with that equipment.

MR: This is the first release you’ve had in a while, right?

PC: That’s right. This one has mostly new songs, but we do have one of two covers, including a surprising cover of “Downtown.”

MR: Yes, it’s a very emotional cover.

PC: It’s totally different. My producer was John Williams–not your John Williams, this is the English John Williams. We started talking about covers and he said, “Well, why don’t we do ‘Downtown’?” I said, “No,” and then I sort of went away. I went to Paris to do a couple of things, and then I came back two days later to the studio–back to the shed–and he said, “Well, sit down and have a listen to this.” He pressed a button and there was a beautiful backing track with no melody on it. I said, “That’s nice. What is it?” He said, “That’s ‘Downtown.'” So I sang it, and it was really like singing a new song. Heaven knows I’ve sung it a few times over the years, but this is kind of nice. We’ve done other covers too, John Lennon’s “Imagine” and a few other things.

MR: How do you do it, stay lively and wanting to keep creating? A lot of people might be tempted to move onto something else at this point, but I imagine music just keeps pulling you back.

PC: Well, I’m not ready to grow radishes yet, although looking at the weather outside it might be a good day to start growing radishes. Why do I do it? How do I do it? Because I love it, that’s why. I always have, and I started very young. There is a song on the album called “Reflections,” which actually mentions that whole thing that started for me when I was about six years old in Wales–because I’m half Welsh–and it’s just gone on. It’s my love of music, my love of performing and my love of the audience. That’s what it’s all about. That’s the bottom line for me. Perhaps it’s not for all of the people around me because there’s money in this, but I have never ever done this for money.

MR: You’ve become an international icon while not “targeting” any particular market, you’re just making music. Last year, you had a hit single in Belgium with your French project. Of course, Britain claims you as theirs, though America begs to differ.

PC: Over the years, I’ve recorded many times in French–when I record in French it’s obviously targeted at a French audience, but you’re right. When you go into the studio, you go in to record something that you like. You do your best and have some fun with it, obviously, but after that, it’s really not in your hands anymore. It’s out there, and it’s up to people to say whether they like it or not.

MR: Let me read a line from “Reflections.” “I traveled a long and winding road to all of life’s directions, and now in the mirror, I can see it all in these reflections.” What are some things that come to you when you’re looking at the great highlights of your career?

PC: First of all, I have to say that I’m not particularly nostalgic. I wrote the lyrics to that song, and once again, it was John’s idea to take a piece of classical music–in this case it was a bloke by the name of Johann Sebastian Bach, who was pretty good. He said, “Write a personal lyric. Write something about you.” I didn’t really know how to do that. I don’t look back and say, “Oh, those were the days,” but I decided to go back to Wales, to where it all started for me as a very small child, and it was an interesting experience for me. They’re trying to talk me into writing a book at the moment, a sort of autobiographical thing, and I’m not crazy about the idea of it. But I suppose there comes a time in your life when you’ve sort of got to write it down before somebody else does it and messes it up and gets it all wrong. At least I’ll be getting it wrong, so it will be from the horse’s mouth.

MR: Can we talk about your longtime association with songwriter Tony Hatch?

PC: Yes, Tony and I had worked a little bit together before I had recorded “Downtown,” which he wrote. But then he just went on writing these fantastic songs for me. After “Downtown,” there was “I Know A Place,” “Color My World,” “Don’t Sleep In The Subway” and one of my favorites, which was “I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love.” It’s a long, long list, and he’s about to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for songwriters. I’m going to be there, and guess what, I’ll probably be singing “Downtown.” (laughs) We’ve known each other a long time, and he did great things for my career.

MR: What was his reaction to the new version of “Downtown”?

PC: You know, I don’t know. The fact that he hasn’t said anything to me about it probably means that he doesn’t like it very much.

MR: (laughs) Or he hasn’t heard it yet, in which case maybe you could spring it on him at the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame appearance.

PC: That would be maybe pushing the envelope a bit too far.

MR: (laughs) Petula, when you’re writing, what is your process?

PC: Well, I don’t look on myself as a proper songwriter. I write songs sometimes, and it just has to come to me. I’m not the kind of person who gets a phone call saying, “Write me a song.” I wouldn’t know how to do that. But if it comes to me, then it comes very easily. I sit down at the piano because I do music and lyrics usually, and it just comes. Where does it come from? That’s the mystery that I don’t think anyone can solve. It has to come from somewhere inside me. That’s really the only answer I can give you on that.

MR: What people might not remember and is quite a big deal is that you wrote the lyrics for “On The Path Of Glory.”

PC: Yes, I did. That very much came from me. The fact that I’m singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” is that I’m very much a pacifist, and that’s where I am. That’s how I feel, and that’s what comes through when I write about anything near that subject.

MR: I think it is something to be applauded, to want peace on the planet.

PC: Well, yes, but you look around the world and you think, “Maybe I’m a bit naïve” because not many other people seem to feel this way. It’s actually amazing how many people do actually feel that way, but I wish we would all get up and do something about it.

MR: Honestly, I think most people, given the choice, really don’t want war. I think the essence of “On The Path Of Glory” is still true today.

PC: It is, and it probably always will be.

MR: So I heard firsthand that Richard Carpenter is a big fan of yours.

PC: I went into the studio and recorded with Richard. Karen was totally unique–she also happened to be a friend–you listen to that voice and it’s very, very special. Yes, I went into the studio and recorded with Richard. He’s a hard task master, let me put it that way, and that’s good. That’s probably why he made such perfect records with Karen.

MR: When you look at your recording history, are there some favorite songs you’ve done over the years? I know it’s like asking you to pick a favorite child, but are there any that stand out?

PC: Oh dear, it’s hard, honestly, because like you say, they are my children. I wouldn’t have recorded them if I hadn’t loved them. I love them. I’m going off on tour in the UK at the end of this year, and I’m going to have to choose what twenty-three or twenty-four songs to do out of all the hundreds of songs I’ve recorded, and I’m going to have to leave some of my children by the wayside. It’s very hard to choose. Maybe you could choose for me?

MR: (laughs) Well, from this record, one of my favorites is “Lost In You.” I really love that.

PC: Yeah, I do love that song. The first track we did for this new album is called “Cut Copy Me,” and I like that too. It was “Cut Copy Me” that inspired us to go on and make an album. There was no master plan behind this album, and we also didn’t go in saying, “Let’s do something contemporary.” I mean, I wouldn’t even know how to do that–I just go in and sing. The songs, if you like, are more contemporary. We didn’t try to go back to the ’60s, and we didn’t try to make me sound like somebody today. We just went in and had a good time in the studio. I agree that “Lost In You” is a wonderful song.

MR: And the environment must have been inspiring for the creative process.

PC: As I said, this was done in a small studio, which included a window that was in front of my microphone. I could look out and see birds and flowers and things. That doesn’t happen very often in a recording studio.

MR: Overall, was it an enlightening experience?

PC: I think it was. I was working with people that I didn’t know. They were young, and some of them were not that experienced. Some of them were a bit awed maybe, working with me, but some of them couldn’t have cared less. All that aside, it was just a great family feeling–very organic.

MR: Among the covers you chose for this album, there’s the Gershwins’ “He Loves And She Loves.” Were you brought up on Gershwin?

PC: Yes, I was, and in my stage act, I do a couple of Gershwin songs. I don’t do this one, incidentally, which is why I wanted to record it. And that’s me, by the way, fumbling away at the piano on this track. I don’t know, there is something so sweet and simple about this song. Of course, Fred Astaire sang it with Audrey Hepburn in a movie, and I have such a love for Fred. I don’t know–this song just means something to me.

MR: Then of course there is the song that won’t go away, and for very good reason, “Love Me Tender.”

PC: I have been doing that one on stage for a while. I sit down at the piano and tell a story about Elvis, which is sort of amusing and true, might I say. We thought, “Why not just put it down?” It’s a very simple arrangement. We put some guitars on later, and it just is what it is. I didn’t know that it’s a very old song. In fact, it’s from the American Civil War, and there is something very poignant about that.

MR: Please would you share that Elvis story with us?

PC: (laughs) Well, we just mentioned Karen Carpenter. She was in town, I was in Vegas working, of course, and I must have had the night off. We decided to go out on the town for a girly night off. We went to see Elvis because neither of us had seen him and neither of us had met him. So, off we go, and he introduced us to the audience because he knew that we were there, then we were invited back to his dressing room, which was huge, of course, with a big sitting room. Elvis comes out of his dressing area looking so stunning. This was his first time in Vegas. He was looking delicious, and he looked at us and was obviously very impressed with us. (laughs) So we just started chatting and had a glass of wine, and I could feel the atmosphere getting sort of over-friendly and the people in the sitting room had disappeared. So it was just Elvis, Karen and me, and I thought, “Maybe I should get Karen out of this situation.” She was a little bit naïve and I’d sort of been around a lot more than…you know, all that rubbish. I turned into Mary Poppins and said to Karen, “Well, it’s getting late Karen. We should go.” She said, “What?” I said, “You know, you’ve got that thing in the morning. We really have to Elvis. Thank you so much. It really was a lovely show. Good night.” And Elvis just stood there totally flabbergasted, and amused may I say.

MR: Poor Elvis. (laughs)

PC: I saw him a few times after that and he never forgot our first meeting.

MR: That story could have gone any number of ways.

PC: All kinds of ways. Who knows?

MR: (laughs) Thanks for sharing that. You’ve had such a fabulous amazing career and amazing history–what advice do you have for new artists?

PC: Oh dear. I have to tell you, this isn’t the first time I’ve been asked this. I wouldn’t know how to advise anybody. Half the time, I don’t know what I’m doing anyway. It’s such a personal thing. I think the only thing I could say is, find out about yourself, don’t copy other people. I know it’s difficult, particularly these days where you have to be “on” and “right” immediately–that’s a really scary thing. When I started out, you could learn how to do it over time, and you weren’t being judged in a one-off situation. So it’s important to find your own voice–don’t copy anybody else, let someone copy you.

MR: That’s really wonderful advice, thanks. Petula, there was, at one time, a controversy over a mere hand touch between you and Harry Belafonte. And now we’ve had a black President for several years.

PC: I think that’s wonderful and amazing how times have changed. When the Harry Belafonte episode happened, to me, it was like a storm in a teacup. People forget that I was English coming into America, and I was coming right into the middle of the Civil Rights movement. So I stepped right into it. But you know, I’m glad it happened.

MR: Here we are in ’13, and it seems to me, apart from what I would call some radical thinking people, it doesn’t seem like that is a concern at all anymore. It seems like we’ve come a long way.

PC: We have come a long way. The world has changed enormously. I think one of the reasons why I love being in this business–going back to one of the questions you asked me at the beginning–is because it is multi-racial and there don’t seem to be any barriers. It’s a wonderful thing. Maybe we’re a little spoiled in that way, but I’m glad that I’m in this business.

MR: Petula, I want to thank you very much for all your time, and I love the contribution your music made to our culture and my life. Thank you.

PC: Well, that’s a lovely thing to say. Thank you.

Transcribed by Ryan Gaffney