Petula Clark and Tony Hatch on the recording of Downtown

There is a nice piece in the Guardian today where Petula Clark and Tony Hatch talk about the making of their classic record Downtown:

In 1964, I was a huge star in France but the swinging 60s were starting to take hold in London and I wasn’t part of it. Tony Hatch, a junior producer at Pye Records, came to see me in Paris and told me I had to record again in English. 

I was in the kitchen making some tea when I first heard him playing the melody to Downtown. I ran in and said: “What’s that?” 

At that point, it was just a melody and a title, but I said: “If you can write a lyric as good as that melody, I’d love to sing it.”

Reader's voice: Aren't you going to link to your Petula Clark story?

Liberal England replies coyly: You've heard it before.

Reader's voice: But we like it.

Liberal England replies: Oh all right then. Did you know Petula Clark phoned me once?