Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?
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"Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" | ||||
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Single by Peter Sarstedt | ||||
from the album Peter Sarstedt | ||||
B-side | Morning Mountain[1] | |||
Released | January 1969 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:42 | |||
Label | United Artists | |||
Songwriter(s) | Peter Sarstedt | |||
Producer(s) | Ray Singer | |||
Peter Sarstedt singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" on YouTube |
"Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" is a song by the British singer-songwriter
Lyrics
The song is about a fictional girl named Marie-Claire who grows up on the poverty-stricken backstreets of Naples, becomes a member of the jet set, and goes on to live in Paris. The lyrics describe her from the perspective of a childhood friend; it is left unclear whether they have remained close. The rhetorical question of the title suggests that her glamorous lifestyle might not have brought Marie-Claire happiness or contentment.
Even though Sarstedt himself was not French, the song benefited from the contemporary awareness in Britain of such singers as the French Serge Gainsbourg and Jacques Brel (Belgium-born of Flemish descent).
The lyrics contain a large number of contemporary and other references:
- Marlene Dietrich: German–American actress and singer
- Zizi Jeanmaire: French ballerina
- Pierre Balmain: French designer of elegant fashions
- Latin Quarter of Paris
- The Rolling Stones: popular British rock and roll band
- Sacha Distel: French singer and musician
- Sorbonne: University of Paris
- Picasso: Spanish pioneer of modern art
- Juan-les-Pins: fashionable beach resort on the French Riviera
- Topless swimsuit: first conceived by Austrian American fashion designer Rudi Gernreichin 1964
- Saint Moritz: fashionable ski resort in the Engadin, Swiss Alps
- Napoleon brandy: a blended brandy in which the youngest brandy of the blend has been aged for at least six years
- Aga Khan: world-traveling Islamic leader and racehorse owner
The version on the album Peter Sarstedt is longer than the radio edit version released as a single, having extra stanzas beginning "You go to the embassy parties ..." and "You're in between twenty and thirty....". The difference in length between the two versions is approximately 30 seconds.
Inspiration
It is often suspected that the name Marie-Claire is inspired by Marie Claire magazine, a women's fashion weekly that began in 1937 in France. One theory says that the song is about the Italian actress Sophia Loren, who was abandoned by her father and had a poverty-stricken life in Naples. Another theory has the song being inspired by Danish singer and actress Nina van Pallandt.[citation needed]
According to Alan Cooper: "Sarstedt insisted it was not written with actress Sophia Loren in mind. 'Yes, it's a portrait of a poor-born girl who becomes a member of the European jet set. And yes, there's reference to her growing up on the "back streets of Naples", so I can see why people may think it was written with Sophia Loren in mind. But that's just a coincidence. I really wasn't thinking of anyone specific.'"[4]
The song was written in Copenhagen.[5][6]
In 2009, Sarstedt spoke to a gossip columnist for the Daily Express. He admitted he had lied about the song being about a socialite who died in a fire. He said that the song was about his girlfriend at the time, whom he later married and then divorced.[citation needed]
Reception
John Bush of
The song was a hit far exceeding Sarstedt's other work, although he is not a
DJ
The song was used as a soundtrack in Wes Anderson's 2007 film The Darjeeling Limited and in Jennifer Saunders's 2016 film Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.[citation needed]
Sequel
In 1997 Sarstedt recorded a sequel, "The Last of the Breed (Lovely 2)," on his CD England's Lane.[10] This picks up the story of Marie Claire 20 years on, living now in London. It names more people and places, including Belgravia, Ballets Russes, Cape Town, Claridge's, Gstaad, John Galliano, Harrods, Jerusalem, Long Island, Milan, Rudolf Nureyev, Palm Beach, Rio de Janeiro, and Isabella Rossellini.[11] In recent years,[when?] Sarstedt and a co-writer were working on a further sequel, "Farewell Marie-Claire," in which the story was brought to a conclusion. The song was to feature the same waltz feel as the original. But Sarstedt's retirement from the music industry meant that the track was abandoned.[citation needed]
Chart history and performance
It was
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ "Morning Mountain". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- Allmusic. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Record Details". 45cat. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- ^ "60's chart topper Peter Sarstedt visits the KZN Midlands". Treeroutes.co.za. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ Confirmation of this can be found on the CD cover of The Best of Peter Sarstedt, EMI, nr. 8297622, Australian CD.
- ^ "One of those songs by Sarstedt". Sydney Morning Herald. 27 June 1982. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ Bush, John. "Peter Sarstedt/As Though It Were a Movie (album review)". allmusic. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Murphy, Peter (27 May 1998). "So Where Did You Go to, My Lovely?". Hot Press. Dublin. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ "PETER SARSTEDT – 'Where Do You Go To My Lovely?'". Freaky Trigger. 12 September 2006. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ England's Lane released as Round Tower RTM CD89
- ^ "Untitled" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 May 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "The Ivors 1970". Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 5 May 1969. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 5 May 1969. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Where Do You Go to". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 30 May 1969
- ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 215.
- ^ "British single certifications – Peter Sarstedt – Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 December 2020.