What is the duration of Where Do You Go to My Lovely ?

What is the duration of Where Do You Go to My Lovely ?
A Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)

  • Peter Sarstedt wasn't the first person in his family to reach the top of the UK charts - His brother was Eden Kane, who'd scored a hit back in the heady days of '61. He was born in India and spent most of his childhood there before ending up in Britain just as rock music exploded in the fifties. His career kicked off in the late 60's and while he is traditionally seen as a one hit wonder due to this, he did enjoy a top 10 entry with its followup, Frozen Orange Juice. Sarstedt continued to record and perform throughout his life, finally retiring in 2010 due to health issues. He passed away in 2017 at 75 years old.I've always loved this song, I think it's the wistful nature of it. I can imagine all the namedropping of the people and culture of the European sixties may be clichéd for some, but I quite like it. Sarstedt's voice captures the emotion perfectly and there's something enigmatic about the whole thing, as two childhood compatriots meet, the girl having become a member of the European elite, while he (presumably) retains a more humble life. It's a simple song at its heart, although Sarstedt manages to fit nearly five minutes of this story in. The instrumental backing is a simple acoustic guitar with some strings, but there's a fantastic use of accordion to bookend the song that gives it a lovely melancholic feel. It's beautiful.

    I can't seem to find Morning Mountain anywhere, so I can't really comment on it sadly.

    Weeks at UK no.1: 4

    Reached UK no.1 on: 26th February 1969.

    Published

    The brother of Robin Sarstedt & Eden Kane, Sarstedt had another lesser hit with Frozen Orange Juice / Aretusa Loser, but it was this beautiful love song that made his fame in pop music history. Tragically, his passing today will be barely recognised. 48 years is a long long time to forget a song, however great and however popular.

    (10 December 1941 – 8 January 2017)Peter Sarstedt, thanks for the music.

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    Published

    I can’t think of a song more capable of transporting me back to my childhood than this wistful little ditty. My memory may be shot to pieces but it was summer 69, I was ten years old, and was allowed, for the first time, to travel alone to visit a friend in another town and stay overnight. I took a ‘Ribble’ bus from the end of our street and remember listening to this song on a tiny transistor radio…of course it could have been American Pie or some other hit from the same period but memories work like that; they maybe completely confabulated but they are still 'true'. The plaintive accordian intro is enough to trigger the nostalgia explosion but I ‘remember’ being in love with the subject of the song too…whoever that was. My appreciation of it is so utterly subjective that I might, on the one hand, call it a timeless classic and, on the other, a simplistic piece of throwaway indulgence…I’m sure it’s both. But hats off for the storyline, which hangs together, at least. The man has a nice voice, he has mastered one of the guitars' simpler chord sequences and put enough variation into his melody to stop it being too repetetive…which it is…so all credit. If his recording contract was favourable, he must have made a packet….that’s how easy it can be!

    Published

    Very beautiful folk song introduced and concluded by the accordion, with classy lyrics telling a love story between a simple man and a rich Parisian student. The description of the rich girl's environment in the Paris mid-sixties is really grasping, even if there are quite many clichés. The song held the #1 position during 4 weeks, March 1969 in UK.

    Peter Sarstedt had another hit later but he is mostly remembered for this song and assimilated as a One Hit Wonder.

    Published

    35 000 Vinyl 7" (1969)

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