Very accurate information. I think that information came from an interview she did in the early 1980s on television here in the USA. I remember it. She said something about the plane she was originally booked on from Paris to New York City did not leave, so she had to take a later flight. When she arrived in New York City (Kennedy Airport), evidently the traffic was horrendous into central Manhattan. From what I understood, she did make it in time for what she called “the notorious dress rehearsal.” But I forget if she actually got to practice the song before she went on.
My brother and I saw Petula Clark live in concert in Vancouver BC in October 1984. We shook her hand after the show and congratulated her on a beautiful show. She sang all of the top songs and others as well. The next day we dropped off a dozen red roses at the hotel she sang at along with a long personal note letting her know how much we loved her music and her voice. We were 19 years old. We included our parent's address not thinking that anything would come of it. Six months later my mother called me to say Petula Clark sent you a postcard picture of her with a note that said: "To Chris and Andrew, Love Petula Clark." I still have the envelope and the card. She is pure class and a wonderful person.
What a wonderful Experience! You getting to see the very pretty, extremely intelligent and extremely talented Petula Clark in concert, meeting her and getting an autographed picture postcard from the Splendid Petula Clark! I am sure she loved the dozen roses you sent her, you shaking her hand and congratulating her on her beautiful show! I would have done the same thing you and your brother did! Love your story!
I loved Pet Clark in 1965, when I was 13 years old. I remember what a great lady she was! That's the dame year, I took a ride in a British motorcar--a 1959 Jaguar Mark IX. What a class-act! Great Memories! Richard Dwayne Rumpff, Celina, Ohio USA.
An absolute legend. A time when they didn't need to be naked and tattooed head to toe to get attention. No phony fireworks and feminine male dancers all around. Pure talent❤❤❤
I want a Pet Clark doll, doing all the right wiggles, attached to my dashboard. That way, when rode rage inevitably drifts into my life lane, I can instead focus on an emblem that brings peace, joy and a beautiful tune into my situation.
This song truly belongs only to the beautiful singer, actress, entertainer, performer and person Petula Clark! Great performance and beautiful dress, shoes and hairstyle! I love this song I have always loved Petula Clark! I was born in 1978. Thank you for posting and sharing this wonderful performance. It makes me happy every time I watch and listen to it!
This song for me is the quintessential feel-good song of the 60s and there were quite a few and in 1964 with the Beatles hitting the States, Downtown holds its own!
The confidence she shows on the early appearance is commendable. Her whole future in the business hangs on this appearance yet she ignores the pressure & gives a superb memorable performance. Current athletes having difficulties dealing with performance anxiety should watch this to see how it's done. It is sad to see top athletes like Osaka, Biles & Serena unable to perform under pressure. This whole generation needs to TOUGHEN UP!
@@Mister8224 - her success in the USA may have rested on this, yes. However she was already a big star in Europe. She was very experienced with audiences and had been singing for over 20 years before linking up with master songwriter and arranger Tony Hatch to achieve superstardom.
@@chrisnorton4382 I know you're right Chris, but even with her successes before Sullivan, this is still a huge moment for Petula. I was only 12, but when I saw & heard HER(stunningly great) LIVE PERFORMANCE, I was right away a fan. She opened a huge new market by her performance & it lifted her cache into the stratosphere. WELL DESERVED.
60 years ago today, "Downtown" was the #1 song in the U.S. and made Ms. Clark a star here. At 92 she is still doing concerts and lives in Geneva, Switzerland.
Excellent Video of a pretty, catchy, classic, happy song Downtown with excellent vocalizations and performance by the lovely and extremely talented Petula Clark! Downtown is a fantastic song to dance to!
It’s not live, it’s mimed … and there is reverb on the vocal (not to mention compression/eq) they did have these things in the sixties you know? … but yeah, no autotune😢
It's really hard to believe that almost 60 years have passed since this song came out as I recall hearing this and other Petula Clark tunes on the radio when I was little. It seems that the time has really and truly gone by in the blink of an eye.
One of the earliest memories of my life is of this performance of "Downtown" by Petual Clark on "The Ed Sulllivan Show". According to the date here, I was three years old, turning four two months later, and now 57 years later I'm blessed to see and hear this wonderful performance in its entirey. Thank you, "The Ed Sullivan Show" channel and thank you, Miss Clark.
I always assumed her career started in the 1960s. I have since learned she was a child singer at the BBC who recorded many songs for the troops during WWII.
The lyrics had meaning, and , you could understand them . . ."just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossa nova, You'll be dancing with them too before the night is over, Happy again. . . " Also, the trumpet solo at the end of the song was a first for "the new music scene." Oh ! and todays young adults I believe don't even know what makes up a "Bossa Nova ! I guess I'm getting old - I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan the year before. Thank You Mr. Ed Sullivan.
I remember watching this live performance that Sunday night. Was totally captivated by her. Sullivan noted that Clark had only just arrived in the US a couple of hours before the start of the show and had really no time to rehearse before going on live. It was her first appearance and the first time most of America ever knew of her. But it was memorable and she was a major star on both sides of the Atlantic after this.
I remember in the mid-sixties all my grade school teachers wore their hair like this or like Linda/Lucy Johnson or like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music.
I was just a little shaver but man this brings back the memories of that time. Being in my parents car (a 62 Chevy Nova) and hearing this song coming out of those car radio speakers. Good times!
It was an amazing time. Just turn on the radio and every song played was fantastic. I bought the original 45 rpm single on Warner Bros. Records when it came out and still have it. I wonder if songwriter Tony Hatch made the trip over with her.
Still gives me goosebumps. I was 9 years-old when the song came out... I had such a 'pre-adolescent crush" on Petula Clark, which lasted quite a few years. A classy lady with classy songs...of which you can actually understand the lyrics. Still one the best.
I had all of her albums. Look at the expressions she makes to go along with the songs. She sang as a young girl in WWII. I was 14 when Downtown came out. Played it all the time with I Know A Place. She is the ultimate international singer.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day 2024! Where All the Lights Are Bright! This Classic, Catchy, Pretty Song Truly belongs only to the Very Pretty and Extremely Talented Petula Clark!
When I get depressed this is my go-to, a lot like San Diego was with bright lights and all night cafes - especially for the cops who needed to thaw out and get a change from the squad car.
I saw this show the night it aired on Ed Sullivan. I was a little girl, but I was and remain captivated by Petula's voice. If I recall correctly, when he introduced her, Ed said the plane from London had been late and she didn't get a chance to rehearse, just did this cold. Amazing.
One of if not the best female artists of the '60's. Beautiful timbre. great range, phrasing, power and control. And yes soul too. A wonderful performer who set the soundtrack to the 60's along with the amazing Dionne Warwick. Life would be so much emptier without their great works.
I was born in the late fall of 1978. I Love the Catchy, Classic, Delightful, Fun, Happy, Iconic, Pretty, Uplifting Song Downtown! I Love the Classy Delightful, Elegant, Extremely Talented, Lovely, Very Intelligent, Very Pretty Actress, Composer, Dancer, Entertainer, Performer, Pianist, Singer, and Songwriter Petula Clark!
As a 15 year old who saw and heard this performance, live, when it has broadcast, I knew then it was something special. It was a massive, gigantic hit record played constantly(twice an hour?) on WEAM AM radio in Northern Virginia. I'm happy to notice, now, that the orchestra arrangement did not overpower her vocal performance. And the muted trumpet improv at the end is the icing. Lyrics, Melody, Arrangement, Style. A true classic of the era. Add 'I Know a Place' and 'A Sign of The Times' to her Sullivan clips and you have a look into the past, gone but not forgotten. Thanks to this RUclips channel we all get to re-live these precious moments.
The genius behind this is Tony Hatch, also still living. He and Petula had been working together for a few years and he came up with this, incredibly different from the British and French songs she had sung previously. She jumped on it, but couldn’t have known how iconic it would be. Petula has her first British single released in 1948 but she’d been singing and acting since the start of WW2 as a child. During the war she and Julie Andrews toured England together in a variety show. She was actually quite oood by the standards of the 1960s to be an overnight pop sensation in a mini dress. She had 15 consecutive US Top 40 hits, including 2 at #1. Tony Hatch wrote most of them. She’s still singing live and touring at almost 90 years old, and is just as good as ever.
Remarkable at 90+ she still performing! One important about the Ed Sullivan show, nearly all the performances were live. Still listening to this 58 years later....
Story was, her plane and/taxi were late for the show, so she just went on in her traveling dress and no makeup..she still nailed it!
I remember seeing this performance and Ed Sullivan praising her for hustling from the airport just in time to do the show.
That's awesome. I LOVE the backstory!
I remember that too!
She’s wearing makeup
Very accurate information. I think that information came from an interview she did in the early 1980s on television here in the USA. I remember it. She said something about the plane she was originally booked on from Paris to New York City did not leave, so she had to take a later flight. When she arrived in New York City (Kennedy Airport), evidently the traffic was horrendous into central Manhattan. From what I understood, she did make it in time for what she called “the notorious dress rehearsal.” But I forget if she actually got to practice the song before she went on.
Happy Easter 2024! Happy Spring 2024! I Love This Song! I Love Petula Clark!
Same here I've always loved this song❤
My brother and I saw Petula Clark live in concert in Vancouver BC in October 1984. We shook her hand after the show and congratulated her on a beautiful show. She sang all of the top songs and others as well. The next day we dropped off a dozen red roses at the hotel she sang at along with a long personal note letting her know how much we loved her music and her voice. We were 19 years old. We included our parent's address not thinking that anything would come of it. Six months later my mother called me to say Petula Clark sent you a postcard picture of her with a note that said: "To Chris and Andrew, Love Petula Clark." I still have the envelope and the card. She is pure class and a wonderful person.
Qué increíble historia. Y qué suerte haberla tenido tan cerca para ver el gran talento que tiene.
What a wonderful Experience! You getting to see the very pretty, extremely intelligent and extremely talented Petula Clark in concert, meeting her and getting an autographed picture postcard from the Splendid Petula Clark! I am sure she loved the dozen roses you sent her, you shaking her hand and congratulating her on her beautiful show! I would have done the same thing you and your brother did! Love your story!
Thank you for that story, Chris or Andrew. 😊
That is a wonderful story. I would always cherish that. What a truly gracious person
Petula Clark was just another example of the great music of the 60s. How I loved that decade.
I can't listen to this song without thinking of the Hanoi bombing run from Flight of the Intruder.
4561s my number n hav a grandson hendrix life is sweet not mud peace
Still alive as of October 2024, 91 years young! Incredible.
Outstanding!! I'm only 63, but I hope you live as long. Peace.
No lip-syncing for Petula Clark. True to the recorded version. True class.
I loved Pet Clark in 1965, when I was 13 years old. I remember what a great lady she was! That's the dame year, I took a ride in a British motorcar--a 1959 Jaguar Mark IX. What a class-act! Great Memories! Richard Dwayne Rumpff, Celina, Ohio USA.
This song was played every Christmas in Bielefeld Germany at Christmas in the shopping centre.
this is the first appearance of Petula Clark singing Downtown on my birthday March 14th on the Ed Sullivan Show
That must have been on a Sunday.
This show is exact time I was born. 3/14/65
Back when Brits wouldn’t change their accent when singing. Love this so much.
An absolute legend. A time when they didn't need to be naked and tattooed head to toe to get attention. No phony fireworks and feminine male dancers all around. Pure talent❤❤❤
I want a Pet Clark doll, doing all the right wiggles, attached to my dashboard. That way, when rode rage inevitably drifts into my life lane, I can instead focus on an emblem that brings peace, joy and a beautiful tune into my situation.
I never tire of listening to her voice. I am going on 68 and she tops my list of artists who can always take me back to a special time.
My first celebrity crush. I was 9 years old. (67 now)😊
This song truly belongs only to the beautiful singer, actress, entertainer, performer and person Petula Clark! Great performance and beautiful dress, shoes and hairstyle! I love this song I have always loved Petula Clark! I was born in 1978. Thank you for posting and sharing this wonderful performance. It makes me happy every time I watch and listen to it!
Happy Spring 2024! This Song is Wonderful! Petula Clark is Wondaful! This Video is Wonderful!
One of the classic songs of all time
This song for me is the quintessential feel-good song of the 60s and there were quite a few and in 1964 with the Beatles hitting the States, Downtown holds its own!
The confidence she shows on the early appearance is commendable. Her whole future in the business hangs on this appearance yet she ignores the pressure & gives a superb memorable performance. Current athletes having difficulties dealing with performance anxiety should watch this to see how it's done. It is sad to see top athletes like Osaka, Biles & Serena unable to perform under pressure. This whole generation needs to TOUGHEN UP!
Spot on!
Exactly! Petula Clark was very good delivering a song for sure!
@@Mister8224 - her success in the USA may have rested on this, yes. However she was already a big star in Europe. She was very experienced with audiences and had been singing for over 20 years before linking up with master songwriter and arranger Tony Hatch to achieve superstardom.
@@chrisnorton4382 I know you're right Chris, but even with her successes before Sullivan, this is still a huge moment for Petula. I was only 12, but when I saw & heard HER(stunningly great) LIVE PERFORMANCE, I was right away a fan. She opened a huge new market by her performance & it lifted her cache into the stratosphere. WELL DESERVED.
60 years ago today, "Downtown" was the #1 song in the U.S. and made Ms. Clark a star here. At 92 she is still doing concerts and lives in Geneva, Switzerland.
Excellent Video of a pretty, catchy, classic, happy song Downtown with excellent vocalizations and performance by the lovely and extremely talented Petula Clark! Downtown is a fantastic song to dance to!
Still rocking and relevant. Petula has a golden voice with a lovely, natural, feminine presence of grace and strength.
Well said. Her and Dionne Warwick were the dominant female artists of the 60's IMO.
Sung completely live no auto tune or vocal effects. how many of today’s stars would do that?
ZERO
It’s not live, it’s mimed … and there is reverb on the vocal (not to mention compression/eq) they did have these things in the sixties you know? … but yeah, no autotune😢
@@snafutube if you say so
Me !
@@alext.8456 what did you star in ? the school play?
She performed for troops in WW2 , for free, as a teenager.She aged well.I love her.
This was the definitive New York song of the ‘60s.
It'll be 60 years ago soon. Still something about this song and her performance that seems to define the 60's in a way. Long live Petula.
It's really hard to believe that almost 60 years have passed since this song came out as I recall hearing this and other Petula Clark tunes on the radio when I was little. It seems that the time has really and truly gone by in the blink of an eye.
Who's still listening to the golden voice of petula Clark I think she's got a whole lot of soul in her VOICE EPIC gives me goosebumps ✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻✊
I am . Lol🤣😂
@@roythurston7799 3 cheers Roy oh yes what a singing voice epic stuff thanks for the share 🎼🎹🎼🎹🎼🎹
Me, and it sounds great!!
When music sounded like music
Yes and Amen!
One of the earliest memories of my life is of this performance of "Downtown" by Petual Clark on "The Ed Sulllivan Show". According to the date here, I was three years old, turning four two months later, and now 57 years later I'm blessed to see and hear this wonderful performance in its entirey. Thank you, "The Ed Sullivan Show" channel and thank you, Miss Clark.
Petula is still singing and her voice is fabulous
And she seems still pretty
I always assumed her career started in the 1960s. I have since learned she was a child singer at the BBC who recorded many songs for the troops during WWII.
Love this song it takes me back to my childhood 🙎♂️🎶🎶
I want to go back to those beautiful days.
Such a HAPPY song !!!! Masterpiece !!! Thanks for the great memories !!!!
I was born in the late fall of 1978. I Love the Splendid Petula Clark! I Love the Splendid Performance! I Love the Splendid Song Downtown!
Great song, great performance, but certainly from another era.
The lyrics had meaning, and , you could understand them . . ."just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossa nova, You'll be dancing with them too before the night is over, Happy again. . . " Also, the trumpet solo at the end of the song was a first for "the new music scene." Oh ! and todays young adults I believe don't even know what makes up a "Bossa Nova ! I guess I'm getting old - I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan the year before. Thank You Mr. Ed Sullivan.
Perfect!
Incredible! Happy Advent 2024!
just got off the plane 45 minutes before, no rehearsal, she said she was really tired but aced it, class.
Great song by a great singer. Even though it's been 50 years since the show ended I still miss the Ed Sullivan Show.
Bruce Pappas-On the nights I'm home from work I can watch Ed Sullivan on Decades at 7 and 7:30 pm.
Thank you Lord for Petula Clark . Amen .
This song is just EXCITING! London's Calling is another one.
Petula Clark , oh my God, She sings with her Soul!
Ed Sullivan really liked Petula Clark. Hugged her after her performance.
I wonder how she dealt with that supposedly he had really bad body odor
Takes me right back!! Sundays at my grandparents for dinner and Ed Sullivan. What precious days 💕
ich war 5 Jahr als ich diesen Song das erste mal gehört habe
Remarkable Performance! Remarkable Video!
I remember watching this live performance that Sunday night. Was totally captivated by her. Sullivan noted that Clark had only just arrived in the US a couple of hours before the start of the show and had really no time to rehearse before going on live. It was her first appearance and the first time most of America ever knew of her. But it was memorable and she was a major star on both sides of the Atlantic after this.
In 1964 , I was just 9 years of age , when Petula Clark first sang this song , what a wonderful piece , so brilliantly sung, too .
Perfect Song and Perfect Video!
A very sweet and talented woman. She flew in straight from France for this performance and was exhausted and jet-lagged
You most certainly can not tell.
That is Petula Clark to a tee.
She is ALWAYS the constant Perfessional.
I remember in the mid-sixties all my grade school teachers wore their hair like this or like Linda/Lucy Johnson or like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music.
1st time heard this song was in Manila Philippines 🇵🇭
"Downtown" is over 50 years old and still has a remarkable appeal about it with Petula Clark singing it.
'' Downtrou''
Outstanding Performance! Outstanding Video!
Who remembers this when it came out first?
I was just a little shaver but man this brings back the memories of that time. Being in my parents car (a 62 Chevy Nova) and hearing this song coming out of those car radio speakers. Good times!
It was an amazing time. Just turn on the radio and every song played was fantastic. I bought the original 45 rpm single on Warner Bros. Records when it came out and still have it. I wonder if songwriter Tony Hatch made the trip over with her.
In seventh grade all my friends liked the Beatles but Petula was it for me.
I go back to "Teddy Bear." I first heard it sung by my older sister, Rita, then she played Elvis' record for me.
I sure do - saw this original show.
I Love this Song and Video!
She has this thing going with her eyes that keeps me mesmerized. What a talent !
I'm a fan of Petula Clark!❤
Petula's my girl yo 👱🏻♀️🇬🇧
This song always brings me back to childhood, before malls. We always went downtown during weekends and had a blast !
Same here it was better then
This is the 1st song I requested to be played. I was about 6yrs old.
Still gives me goosebumps. I was 9 years-old when the song came out... I had such a 'pre-adolescent crush" on Petula Clark, which lasted quite a few years. A classy lady with classy songs...of which you can actually understand the lyrics. Still one the best.
PET CLARK. A TOWERING FIGURE IN POP MUSIC HISTORY HERE GIVES THE GREATEST PERFORMANCE OF THIS HER SIGNATURE SONG.
She can sing jazz too
Petula Méga Star🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
you have to love how she ends it, so the audience knows she's singing live. A song tailor-made for her I've read, and she is superb in its execution.
Excellent Song! Excellent Performance! Excellent Video!
This was on the radio all the time, it seemed anyway, a top hit at the time.
It was a #1 hit in several countries, including the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
No 1
I was just thinking about this song, and was trying to remember the name of the artist before I saw it in the description. So it was Petunia Clark.
I remember it well.
I recall this tune so well. I was 5 years old listening on my dads radio in down town Vancouver and the neon lights were flashing .
Amazing Performance! Amazing Video!
Downtowns are not what they used to be. But if they could feel this,energy, they could be again. Great song by a great singer.
I had all of her albums. Look at the expressions she makes to go along with the songs. She sang as a young girl in WWII. I was 14 when Downtown came out. Played it all the time with I Know A Place. She is the ultimate international singer.
Excellent Performance! Excellent Video!
The Miracle of a REAL VOICE. No Tracks and Karaoke.
I Love This Splendid Video!
Are you ok?! I think you made your point by now....
Happy Saint Patrick's Day 2024! Where All the Lights Are Bright! This Classic, Catchy, Pretty Song Truly belongs only to the Very Pretty and Extremely Talented Petula Clark!
When we were all alive.
Great Performance! Great Video!
Read her wikipedia, it's super impressive. A child star, then a star in Italy and France before the British invasion of 60s.
I didn't know
When I get depressed this is my go-to, a lot like San Diego was with bright lights and all night cafes - especially for the cops who needed to thaw out and get a change from the squad car.
She sounds even better here than she does on the recorded version 👏❤️
I saw this show the night it aired on Ed Sullivan. I was a little girl, but I was and remain captivated by Petula's voice. If I recall correctly, when he introduced her, Ed said the plane from London had been late and she didn't get a chance to rehearse, just did this cold. Amazing.
One of if not the best female artists of the '60's. Beautiful timbre. great range, phrasing, power and control. And yes soul too. A wonderful performer who set the soundtrack to the 60's along with the amazing Dionne Warwick. Life would be so much emptier without their great works.
Top 5 vocal performance all time in my book!
Grandma's favorite song. RIP! always treat someone the way you would want to be treated. "You never know who you might encounter. "... taught me well.
Love you, Petula.
Always will.
Me too!
She's still going at 88 y.o. God bless her.
Downtown
♡♡♡
I was born in the late fall of 1978. I Love the Catchy, Classic, Delightful, Fun, Happy, Iconic, Pretty, Uplifting Song Downtown! I Love the Classy Delightful, Elegant, Extremely Talented, Lovely, Very Intelligent, Very Pretty Actress, Composer, Dancer, Entertainer, Performer, Pianist, Singer, and Songwriter Petula Clark!
Exceptional Performance!
As a 15 year old who saw and heard this performance, live, when it has broadcast, I knew then it was something special. It was a massive, gigantic hit record played constantly(twice an hour?) on WEAM AM radio in Northern Virginia. I'm happy to notice, now, that the orchestra arrangement did not overpower her vocal performance. And the muted trumpet improv at the end is the icing. Lyrics, Melody, Arrangement, Style. A true classic of the era. Add 'I Know a Place' and 'A Sign of The Times' to her Sullivan clips and you have a look into the past, gone but not forgotten. Thanks to this RUclips channel we all get to re-live these precious moments.
Yes it did feel special and tremendous from the get go. I felt that at 13.
It was played constantly in Southern Virginia, as well! I never tired of hearing it, though.
The genius behind this is Tony Hatch, also still living. He and Petula had been working together for a few years and he came up with this, incredibly different from the British and French songs she had sung previously. She jumped on it, but couldn’t have known how iconic it would be. Petula has her first British single released in 1948 but she’d been singing and acting since the start of WW2 as a child. During the war she and Julie Andrews toured England together in a variety show. She was actually quite oood by the standards of the 1960s to be an overnight pop sensation in a mini dress. She had 15 consecutive US Top 40 hits, including 2 at #1. Tony Hatch wrote most of them. She’s still singing live and touring at almost 90 years old, and is just as good as ever.
I am a big fan.
iconic performance
Anche grazie alle covers abbiamo conosciuto tanti straordinari artisti stranieri
Excellent!
I listen to the multilingual downtown she sings it in Italian French and German!!!! Its on utube
Remarkable at 90+ she still performing! One important about the Ed Sullivan show, nearly all the performances were live. Still listening to this 58 years later....
Great live vocal. Thanks Pet!
Super ❤❤❤génial 👍
Perfect Video!
She makes the music and lyrics come alive with "Downtown" and "I Know a Place".... she's great!
Wonderful song and singer!
YOU GO GIRLFRIEND,,.....LIVE ON FOREEVER.SEND LOVE....
Downtown by Petula Clark ws the first record I bought at 10 years old. Thank you, Petula!
was - proofreading is importasnt.
Just listening to the song could make any one felling down and out, simply feel happy again, great song, great performer