 The
most commercially successful female singer in British chart history,
Petula Clark was born November 15, 1932 in Epsom, England. Trained
to sing by her soprano mother, Clark embarked on a stage career
at the age of seven; soon she was a fixture on British radio programs,
and began hosting her own regular show Pet's Parlour —
a series spotlighting patriotic songs designed to boost the morale
of wartime audiences — at the tender age of 11.
1.soprano: n. 女高音
After
entertaining British troops alongside fellow child stars Julie Andrews
and Anthony Newley, Clark made her film debut with A Medal for
the General in 1944. By the dawn of the 1950s she was a superstar
throughout the U.K., with a resume of close to two dozen films;
1954's "The Little Shoemaker" was her first Top 20 single, while
1960's "Sailor" was her first chart-topper. Still, Clark struggled
with her inability to shed her adolescent image. After selling
over a million copies of 1961's "Romeo," she married and relocated
to France, establishing a strong fan base there on the strength
of hits including "Ya-Ya Twist," "Chariot" and "Monsieur," which
spotlighted a new, more sophisticated pop sound anchored
by her crystalline vocals.
1.adolescent: adj. 青春期的, 青春的 n. 青少年
2.crystalline: adj. 水晶的
3.anchor: n. 锚 v. 抛锚, 锚定
Riding
the wave of the British Invasion, Clark was finally able to penetrate
the U.S. market in 1964 with the Grammy-winning "Downtown," the
first single by a British woman ever to reach number one on the
American pop charts. It was also the first in a series of American
Top Ten hits (most written and arranged by Tony Hatch) which also
included 1965's "I Know a Place" and 1966's "I Couldn't Live Without
Your Love" and the number one smash "My Love." At the same time,
she remained a huge star throughout Europe, topping the British
charts in 1967 with "This Is My Song," taken from the film A
Countess From Hong Kong. In addition to hosting her own BBC
series, she also starred in the 1968 NBC television special Petula,
which triggered controversy when sponsors requested that a segment
with guest Harry Belafonte be cut in deference to Southern affiliates;
ultimately, the show aired in its intended form.
1.affiliate: v. (使...)加入, 接受为会员
As
the 1960s drew to a close, Clark's commercial stature slipped, although
singles like "Don't Sleep on the Subway," "The Other Man's Grass
Is Always Greener" and "Kiss Me Goodbye" still charted on both sides
of the Atlantic. In 1968 she revived her film career by starring
in Finian's Rainbow, followed a year later by Goodbye,
Mr. Chips. In later years Clark focused primarily on international
touring, headlining the 1981 London revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's
The Sound of Music; after starring in the 1990 musical Someone
Like You, which she also co-wrote, she made her Broadway debut
in Blood Brothers in 1993. Additionally, in 1988, an acid-house
remix of "Downtown" reached the U.K. Top Ten, another honor for
the female singer awarded the most gold records in British pop history.
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