When I was 7 years old, our mom was up late cleaning the house, this song came on the radio, I will never forget she woke me up out of bed, wearing a pink nightgown I sat next to the stereo on the floor listening to this song! Yes at age 7! I won’t say how old I am now lol! I told my family when I pass away, I want this song played as one of my all time favorites!
I remember my mother played this so much when I was so little that the song is one of my earliest memories. Which I don’t remember anything till around 1971 so she played this song for years and I love it too. Saving mom songs from RU-vid for Mother’s Day. 2024 ❤
people are saying that the explosion was a suicide act and i keep thinking about how the dude felt - if it was a suicide act- inside the rv before the explosion. he might’ve played this song to calm himself down before dying. that’s really sad and scary.
I live for this song, had it in my head in Milan Italy, that city made me sad, minute later I stepped into a store and it played it!!! I felt like ok I leave tomorrow now go downtown
I was born in 1961, in 1964 , I was only 3 year's old , now 2024 , 63 year's old... I heard this when I was young , I love Music, I know this ' Downtown'
I sang Downtown on the Epcot stage with Miss Petula many years ago. She saw me in the audience singing along with EVERY song. But when she finished her performance she hadn't sang my favorite which, of course, is Downtown. So I shouted out that she couldn't leave until she had! Then she invited me on stage to sing it with her! I will never ever ever forget that! What a thrill. Must tell you, we were both in our 60's! She was and will always be my favorite singer from the 1960's!!! (and the Beatles!)
This was one of my Mom's favorite songs, she passed this Sept. Today is her birthday, thank you for introducing this beautiful music to me Mom ! Love and hugs !
We had a stereo hifi in 1969, one of those long low cabinets, my dad was into the old big band records but i remember we had a tijuana brass album, But I still remember downtown and other songs. And tin bath, yes. If you are talking about one of those old galvanized tubs? I remember we lived in a house and my mom would heat up water to put in it and we would have a bath. I think it was the house before we lived in the next one that had a claw foot tub where when we turned the water on sometimes it would come out all rusting from the old plumbing and we had to wait for the water to clear. We lived in an old farmhouse that was turned into a rental when the owners moved into town but still farmed the property. Even had farmer relatives that had modern plumbing but a still using outhouse out by the chicken coops! We'd go into town and eat at the coffee shop at the department store for a treat or go to town and get a cherry coke at the soda fountain and next door was the meat market with wood shavings on the floor. Remember when there would be fans like ceiling fans above the store doors out on the sidewalk. Me reminiscing too much here LOL. But loved those days!
I first heard it on the radio in the 1980s and have always loved it. But I'm hard of hearing so it was full of mondegreens for me. I'm glad someone posted the lyrics. Downtown was the only word I heard clearly when I heard it on the radio; mondegreens are funny😂.
My dad loved this song when i was a kid. Born in 58, i heard it on weekends 100 times. Reminds me of a simpler time when i was not burdened by a corrupted, chaotic world. I miss my dad❤
@@d.w952 ikilkmmmmmlmlkikmkkkkmkkkklmlllilkkmlkimmmmmlkmmmlkkmm Mlkmmmllkkkkmkmnmknmnmmnm. Kmk NJ. J j. Nnj J. N. M... . J. Jbj. J. Mbb5. Mb Hjmj hnmmjmj. Jm. H. Y . B. Jmnhnh... Hbj. Jvhggvh get tt5345t33v5hb44g gtetr3bt3ng
another great song for those of us who first heard downtown in the 60s and then in the 70s we heard "summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing to the jazz song in my mind...."
I call this one of my "stop-whatever-I'm-doing-and-listen songs." If it comes the radio, I can't focus on anything else. It's hauntingly, simple, complex and beautiful all at the same time. Or maybe it's just because it's the first song that left an impression on me when I was 4 or 5. I can still picture where I was when I first heard it.
For those of you who are hearing this classic hit song for the first time, it was at the top of the music charts at a time when "going downtown" really was great, downtowns were still the vibrant hearts of American cities. It really did lift your spirits to spend a day downtown. Riding a bus or train, eating at a restaurant, catching a movie, shopping, looking at department store window displays, people watching...Today, most downtown areas are struggling, many on life support. Sad.
If you read the story behind this song, it was Petula's first visit to New York City and while she was visiting Broadway and Central Park she quickly came up with the lyrics to this song. She commented later that she naively thought she was downtown in NYC. Neither Broadway nor Central Park are in the downtown district. I guess it would actually be in the Uptown part.
It was this and Georgy Girl and I'm a Believer I would look for on the diner mini jukebox at the table. And by the way "you make a dead man cum". That album soundtracked 1981 freshman year college. Long way from Petula Clark innocence.
Downtown was the best. There were no big suburb's or suburban shopping centers yet. Almost everyone lived in the city. The only place to find everything was at the big downtown department stores. I really miss those. 8 floors, every floor a different department. The elevators were run manually by real people who would announce what was on each floor or you could ask them for help. While waiting for the elevator, the doors had windows, you could see the counterweights side up and down. Most of the stores were within a couple of blocks that you could walk to. Bus routes covered every neighborhood. You just walked to the bus stop, took it downtown, and did your shopping. At Christmas time when my parents took myself and my brothers and sisters downtown it was like magic. Christmas lights everywhere. The big department stores had moving Christmas displays in the big street display windows. Sidewalks crammed with shoppers. Cops directing traffic at each corner. Too bad it's all gone.
OMG you just filled in the rest of the memories for me! We used to go to the old Spiegel store in downtown Chicago and order things. Then we had to wait weeks for it to get delivered to our house. Don't forget the penny candy stores back in those days. Our parents would give us a dime, park in front of the store, and let us go in by ourselves to spend our dime! My favorite was the wafer like shell that looked like a space ship.
This was my favorite song since I was 5. I got diagnosed with ptsd as a 12 year old (I'm a victim of sexuall abuse) and I have bad flashbacks and my mom always sings it to calm me down, and I'm 22 and she still does it every time. This song is so special to me, it instantly makes me feel safe 😊 I'm so greatfull for my mom and that she (even though I'm an Adult) never stopped doing it
I am a 70 year old social worker, and I can understand your feelings and memories. I was abused during an outdoor gym class in front of the entire school. The entire school saw this. Only my shoes were left on me, but none of the teachers, principal, or officers acted on my behalf. None of those who violated me received any discipline. When I graduated I became a social worker, and gave all the help and understanding I could give, and continue to give, to those clients with similar hard times. My heart and soul are with you. You are not alone, because God is with us now and forever!!!
@@WideTurnHistory57 I'm so sorry that that happened to you. My story is that I got assaulted by a male friend and when my boyfriend at the time found out he started assaulting me and no one would believe me, I don't even know how many times it happened.. I stripped counting after 5..anyways after all of that I was fucked up and I tryed to end my life but then a random girl from my class saw my cuts and we talked and she actually believed me and helped me get help. Today I'm greatfull that my attempt didn't work. I'm in a health relationship (he knows and he's so gentle and he knows me so well that he always sees when I'm not okay) I'm going to uni and life is actually okay. My biggest dream is to become a social worker too and help people who have been sexually assaulted. Thank you so much ❤️
@@adriennerobinson1180 Thank you... it was horrible, but im doing really good rn. I just have flashbacks and night terrors but I've learned to live with it and my boyfriend is really helpful. He always listens and is there for me when im having flashbacks/night terrors.
I remember this song when it hit the British charts in 1964. I was a young kid at the time and it's a song that stuck in my head for ages. Today was the first time I watched/heard this song for ages. Just loved Petula - oh and she is 91 years old!!
I played this song for my father a few years before he passed away. It was a year after both of his parents had died. He never spoke of any fond memories of the two of them, at all. Having lived his life a product of divorce and institutionalized by bouncing in and out of reform schools and various correctional facilities up until age 21, my father never had anything much pleasant to say about his childhood. I was going through iTunes and came across this song (I liked it because of a Seinfeld episode). As the song played, I saw and heard my dad recount and relive a long forgotten memory, in the mid sixties, of a maybe 6 or 7 year old him cruising down with his mother and father all singing along to this song. He told me it was the one time he remembered them as a happy family, tears streaming down his face. This remains the most tender and beautiful moment I ever had with my father. Whenever I get down in the dumps, I listen to this song and remember my father, and how precious and fleeting "family" truly is. Thanks for listening.
Wow. Sounds eerily familiar except for us not singing along. Probably my earliest memory is riding in the back seat with my brother and sister with mom and dad in front and this song playing as we drove in downtown Northfield. Think I was about 4. Dad passed away about a year later. Still reminds me of that moment in the car whenever I hear the song.
wow I am sorry you lost your father so young. I was 3 when the song was released, so your dad must have passed away in his mid-late 50's, way too young.
Funny trivia is, they (Hatch) had hard time to cobble up the lyrics - just 30 minutes before the session to start .. ;) it turned out quite well, didnt it ? .. Sullivan and Page waiting with their guitars tuned up 😂 Christ, what a fun those times were
When I about 4 or 5 years old in the late 1960s I remember hearing this song on the radio in the morning getting ready for school. My mom as I recall was and is a beautiful woman and loving mother, she always dressed up when going out with my dad and had bright golded blond hair and looked amazing from my earliest memories of her. When I see this video of petula clark her hair and face remind me of my mom from many years. My mom is a classy lady who set the bar for women I've known in my life. She taught me what being a decent man can be and how a true woman desires to be treated like by her man. I still visit as often as possible with my mom sadly my dad is now living in an Alzheimer's care facility. Thank mom, love you...
I remember this playing a lot in my grandma's car when she drove me around as a kid. I've got lots of nostalgia tied into this song, and I love hearing it to this day.
I bought the 45 at 12 years May of 65 racing on my bike to the record store Napanee, ON, Canada singing it all the way as a Head Chorister in a Cathedral Choir. Still in great shape singing DT in falsetto right now as I type! She had another 15 or so fabulous songs written by Tony Hatch. She is in her mid-80s still performing and BTW Pet was the follow up to Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music!!! 2nd. place.
This was a hit long before either X-Files or Girl Interrupted were ever thought of. Petula Clark is one of the finest singers the UK has ever produced…
I was born in 1962 and this is one of my earliest music memories.... always loved it because it made me want to spin in circles....reminds me of my mom...♡
My favorite singer of all time, I love her, I'm practically addicted to everything she does and I'm only 17 years old. I started liking her when I was 8 years old with this same song, which happened to become my trademark lol because I listened to it so much. One day I intend to have all of Petula's LPs, as well as her Vogue compacts. I have more than 700 photos of her on my cell phone, as well as downloaded videos lol, I'm jealous of her lol, but anyway I love Petula Clark, she was always there to help me with her voice, I hope one day I'll find someone who at least knows her, not that I like her but that I know that she exists, and I also hope that one day she will have the visibility that she deserves. PETULA CLARK FOREVER❤❤❤❤❤❤
Born in 1952 and grew up in Tokyo. I remember the summer this song was on the radio over and over, and every time I was in raptures. How we were blessed then with beautiful music like these...
I grew up with and still love all the older tunes, they make me happier than anything in the current pop music world. Thank you for making this upbeat playlist, it's making my work day a lot brighter!
+donald leggett My Mom used to get my sisters and me dressed nicely. Then we'd hop on a bus for a shopping day downtown. I miss those carefree days. This song was, and still is, a classic. Petula Clark had it all in spades.
My late mum LOVED this song as do I! She was one of the rare ladys who could WHISTLE she was always whistling this. It was one the reasons I asked for a piano as a child that powerful intro by Tony Hatch is unforgetable - now I can play this! NEVER played on radio such a shame!
@Tony I'm glad she's well ... and yes, she's like an angel. I grew up when the song came out ~ those were wild days! Petula sort of looked out for Karen Carpenter, like a big sister and knew what Karen went thru being stuck in the duo ~ Petula understood that Karen had a huge talent and was being held back by people around her. I've always loved that Petula was so kind to Karen ... I wish she had been able to get thru to her. WOW all this takes me back to another lifetime!!!
ashton vickers I am here because I loved the song for years since I’m a child I’m almost 40 I grew up with it I like the singer too prefer singers from then then any of them female pop singers of today
My dad would play this song when stationed at the pharmacy AFB in Greenland when he was feeling homesick for his beloved NYC back in sixties. It would echo through the ice tunnels.
I remember when I was little I always asked my dad to play this song everyday when he got home from work. It was one of my favorites :) I haven’t listened to it since I was about 4, so I thought I’d listen to it again. Such an incredible , nostalgic song!
I'm not sure if you're familiar with Brooklyn NY, but ever since I was a child, this song always makes me want to go to Fulton Street, Albee Square, Junior's restaurant , Macys and the glamour of ''downtown''
“DOWNTOWN”sang by Petula Clark in 1964 is the greatest”pop song”ever performed by the greatest female singer in pop history during the golden era and golden age of the the swinging sixties.With much love.N.Lucas:Melbourne:Australia
I was born in 1961, and this is the first song I remember hearing on the radio that caught my ear. I was riding in the car with my Mother and I told her I wanted to hear that song again. That was when I learned how the radio worked. Sure was disappointed I couldn't hear it again right away. I still LOVE this song
This song came out before my time, but as a kid I loved to listen to it... and dream of going downtown. So many cities the downtown is now a complete mess - but I still love the vision of this song... the perfect enjoyable downtown!
Such a happy positive song, as a kid it made me feel that all was well when times were difficult. Pet Clark has such a kind and expressive voice. One of the greatest songs ever written.
I can't believe 53 years have gone by since I first heard this song back in 1964. I was a 10 year old boy then. Now that I am 63 years old, this song still captures my heart. priceless!
This song transports me back in time time .. Close your eyes and listen to the song and let your mind think back to safe, happy times being downtown .. Love Petula ❤🙏
This made me cry for some reason, I feel my life is going nowhere and I'm totally clueless about what I'm gonna do. This song disconnected me from all the sad things and reminded me of how beautiful life is.
This song has very special meaning to me. It was the first song I sang. I was 5 years old! It was the mid-60s - so yes I was there! I can still see the apartment my grandparents had. My young Mom and Dad, all the relatives - they encouraged me to sing for them. They are all gone now but that feeling lives on.......I went on to become a professional stage performer.......who’d would’ve thought!
Love this. ... Has stayed with me all of my life since childhood. Mother would be cooking a Sunday roast with the radio on, and this was on all the time .
If it's possible to love a song constantly for 53 years and counting then this is the one. I was 8 back then but I loved and still Llove this song and Pet Clark too if i'm honest
"when Ur alone... Life making you lonely" Forget all your worries.....? This is His final message!!! His biggest fear....... Loneliness!!! Rest troubled soul, god speed to the injured people!! Things will be great!!!!!! "find someone just like You, Who cares and listens"
@@jenkay2197 No it's not. It's a symptom of dysfunction, oppression, abuse, lack of love and validation, loneliness, etc....only those without a conscience think depression is "chemical"....
Fab video. Petula rules on this modified cha cha version. Big hit. Tight lyrics. Memorable. On all TV shows in the 60' s. Radio superfave. Nice feelings of hope. Better time. Thanks, Petula Clark, great Brit talent. Vive les pop rock, ballad, and retro freaks ....
I grew up in a small town in NJ that had about 10 stores: a candy store, pizza place, butcher, deli, real estate and hardware. But us kids said even before this song came out, "I'm going downtown to get some M&Ms" What struck my chord (and probably anyone's) about this song is that downtown can be anywhere and, compared to sitting in the house, downtown can be exciting anywhere you live---it doesn't have to be swinging London in 1964.
Actually James, "Downtown" is a lot closer to you than you may realise. Recording executives in New York had rejected all of the compositions of British Composer Tony Hatch. Disconsolate, Hatch walked up 7th Avenue, down Broadway and over to 8th. He had just passed Madison Square Garden when the neon lights of New York's theater district came on and this tune began to form in his head. The only thing Tony Hatch got wrong that day, the Theatre district is in mid-town Manhattan while all the while Tony thought he was "Downtown". The rest as they say is history!
This is so true. Down my street in outer suburbia there is a beautiful shopping central where people go to congregate, eat, lounge, shop, have coffee, watch movies and play arcade games. There are trees and seats. Everyone is always so happy there, and I've had so many good times there I'm starting to think of it as my 'downtown'.
My mum used to like this song...she never understood much english..as she hadnt lived in uk for long time..my mum came here from italy...i was born in italy.. And i remember she liked petula clarke...aaarrrhhh brings back memorys...unfortunately my mum is no longer with us..😢 miss you mum..❤
I have always loved this song. Forget all your troubles and cares because life is worth living. When I am depressed and lonely I play this song and I fell life is great and worth living for.
