Sunday, April 04, 2010

Clodagh Rodgers: Come Back and Shake Me



In Six of the Best 28 I linked to a post about Clodagh Rodgers and how:
"Failing to win the Eurovision Song Contest in 1971 surely can't have helped her career (and she even received death threats from the IRA for representing the UK)."
Wikipedia casts more light on this episode, suggesting that she was invited to represent Britain at the height of the Troubles because a Ballymena-born artist was less likely to be booed by the Dublin audience. (The Contest was being staged there because Dana had won for Ireland the previous year.)

Another reminder of the era is that the British entry could not be chosen by television viewers sending in postcards - this was before the advent of phone in competitions - because there was a postal strike. Instead, Rodgers' song Jack in the Box - a none too subtle attempt to repeat the success Sandie Shaw had with Puppet on a String a few years before - was chosen by a vote of regional juries. "Hello Norwich."

I have always had Clodagh Rodgers down as one of those artists who flourished in an era when every BBC comedy programme had to have a musical interlude. Anita Harris was another. But I recently discovered that this Come Back and Shake Me is by her. I like her breathy, sexy, slightly distorted voice on the chorus.

9 comments:

Frank Little said...

> she even received death threats
>from the IRA for representing the UK
A theme of "Catchpenny Twist", which could stand revival.

callmemadam said...

Clodagh Rubbish, we used to call her.
A pedant writes: BTW it was Sandie Shaw who had the hit with Puppet on a String. Lulu's song was Boom Bang-a-Bang. After that one, Bill Oddie wrote a brilliant all purpose Eurovision song for ISIRTA.

Jonathan Calder said...

Thank you A.Pedant, I have made the correction.

Chris Young said...

I often have this as my ring tone (between near-fortnightly software resets for my Nokia N97). One of my favourite songs ever. Alas, it's not on the karaoke list at any pub I've been to. Maybe I should rewrite it for the Glee Club...

Anonymous said...

I'm 26 and like Clodagh Rodgers, my granddad gave me some of her music when i was a kid she has a good voice

Anonymous said...

Where is Clodagh now?

Anonymous said...

I found this website on Clodagh
http://clodaghrodgers.zxq.net/

Steven Rhodes said...

I have fond memories of the tinny tranny (a type of radiophonic device actually) belting out Clodagh in the late sixties when I was a toddler. I like her voice - although I have moved onto Bach.

Anonymous said...

WARNING THE LINK, TWO COMMENTS ABOVE, IS NOT SAFE.