Born in America to an English mother and a Serbian father, and coming to England at the age of 13, Lene Lovich enjoyed a varied career before becoming a New Wave icon. According to Wikipedia:
attended several art schools, busked around the London Underground and appeared in cabaret clubs as an "Oriental" dancer. She also travelled to Spain, where she visited Salvador Dalí in his home.
She played acoustic rock music around London, sang in the mass choir of a show called Quintessence at the Royal Albert Hall, played a soldier in Arthur Brown's show, worked as a "go-go" dancer with the Radio One Roadshow, toured Italy with a West Indian soul band, and played saxophone for Bob Flag's Balloon and Banana Band and for an all-girl cabaret trio, The Sensations.
She recorded screams for horror films, wrote lyrics for French disco star Cerrone (including the sci-fi dance smash "Supernature", later recorded by Lovich herself) and worked with various fringe theatre groups.
She was also one of thousands of audience members invited to sing along at the 1972 Lanchester Arts Festival at the Locarno Ballroom in Coventry when Chuck Berry recorded "My Ding-a-Ling" for Chess Records.She is best remembered today for "Lucky Number", which was halfway between punk and a novelty hit. This later single was not so successful.
Lene Lovich was an interesting lass, thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteI heard Noddy Holder being interviewed on teh radio a year or so ago - he said Slade were on the same bill on that night when Chuck Berry recorded the single, and they were singing along in the audience.
So technically that's another no. 1 single that they were on....
Lene Lovich was great. "Say When" was her best one in my view (reached no 19 in 1979 apparently): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sVM7taLb98
ReplyDeleteAlso, "Lucky Number" was turned into a rather long advert for No.1 KP Nuts in the early 80s if memory serves. Rather an odd example of contemporary alternative/mainstream crossover at the time. Slightly reminiscent of the use of the riff from the start of the hauntingly beautiful Party Fears Two by The Associates as the opening tune for the uber mainstream "Weekending" on Radio 4 in the late 80s.