Petula Clark, "Downtown"

In the almost 10 months that I've been maintaining this blog, I've touched on every year in the post-Beatles era except 1965, 1987, 1992, 1995, and 1998. One of those is remedied today.

"Downtown" is one of those songs that, whenever I heard it as a kid, always made me feel better. The tune conveyed exactly what Petula Clark and songwriter Tony Hatch intended; from my humble rural-suburb home, I imagined a glittery and diversionary place of sensory overload: "the lights are much brighter there; you can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares." That was where I wanted to be someday. Good thing it's where I wound up.

Now, the conceit is a flawed one: you can get distracted by those big-city bright lights all you want, but you can't run from your cares forever. Still, Pet's dalliance in denial was enough to garner her the Best Rock & Roll Record Grammy for the year (winning out over the Beatles); and those rich opening piano chords, though they evoke January snowfall, gorgeously present downtown - whether in NYC or any other city - as a place to get over yourself and just enjoy the view for a while.

PS: Soliciting suggestions for songs to cover from 1987, 1992, 1995, and 1998.