Lynsey de Paul

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Lynsey de Paul (born Lynsey Monckton Rubin, 11 June 1950, London) is an English singer-songwriter.

Contents

[edit] Life and career

Lynsey De Paul was born to Meta and Herbert Rubin, a property developer. She grew up in a Jewish family in Cricklewood, North London[1] and attended South Hampstead High School, Hornsey College of Art and the Royal Academy of Music.

Famous for her keyboard skills, ability to write catchy songs and sultry looks, de Paul first hit the UK charts in 1972, initially as the songwriter of the Fortunes' hit, "Storm in a Teacup". A few months later she was propelled into the limelight as the performer of her own hit song "Sugar Me", which rapidly found its way into the Top Ten, of the UK Singles Chart {at #5} as well as the top of the singles charts in Holland and Belgium. "Sugar Me" was rapidly followed by "Getting a Drag" {a #18}, a quirky song in a completely different vein about finding out that her boyfriend likes to cross-dress. She was the first woman to be awarded an Ivor Novello Award for her classic ballad, "Won't Somebody Dance With Me", another UK Top 20 hit. The BBC Radio 1 disc jockey Ed Stewart spoke the words "May I Have The Pleasure Of This Dance" near the end of the record (he often played the record on his Junior Choice programme on Saturday mornings) although Tony Blackburn did it when she appeared on Top of the Pops (seeList of performers on Top of the Pops).

A second Ivor Novello award followed a year later for the Phil Spector-ish "No Honestly", which was also the theme tune to a hit ITV comedy of the same name, and provided her with another UK Top 10 hit, peaking at #7.

A prolific songwriter first and foremost, de Paul has written songs for many other recording artists. In a five year period (1972-77) she wrote a total of 14 UK Singles Chart hits, most notably "Dancin' (on a Saturday Night)" which was a hit for co-writer Barry Blue as well as Flash Cadillac and Bond. Indeed, de Paul's songs have reached the charts in most territories, including the U.S., Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Canada and Australia. She also has performed producing and arranging duties on many of these recordings.

"Rock Bottom", which she wrote with Mike Moran, was the UK entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977. Although it came second in the Eurovision Song Contest, it went on to become a Top 20 hit in many European countries including France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where it reached the top of their singles chart. De Paul and Moran went on to write a number of songs, such as "Let Your Body Go Downtown", a Top 40 hit (in 1977 reached number 38 in the BBC Top 50) for the Martyn Ford Orchestra; and the follow up "Going to a Disco", as well as "Without You", and "Now and Then", which appeared on the albums Tigers and Fireflies and Just a Little Time, respectively.

After a three year period of being based in California in the late 1970s/early 1980s with her partner at the time, the actor James Coburn, de Paul returned to England. Whilst still writing songs for artists as diverse as Shirley Bassey, Sam Hui and The Real Thing, de Paul also branched out into record production, acting in musicals and plays, interviewing and TV presentation, drawing cartoons and even self defence. On the latter subject in 1992 she presented a documentary about women's self defence, called Eve Fights Back, which won a Royal Television Society award.[1]

De Paul has orchestrated, played, and produced two classical records of compositions by Handel and Bach for Deutsche Grammaphone. Her work for the Channel Tunnel Group included writing and producing an album of children's songs with accompanying song colouring book for Eurotunnel's mascot entitled "Marcus The Mole". She has written film music for and acted in the children's film Gabrielle and the Doodleman, and has composed on-air jingles for broadcast radio including Capital Radio. In 1983 she appeared at the Conservative Party conference, where she sang a song she had composed specially for the occasion - "Vote Tory, Tory, Tory/For election glory".

On 30 June 2006, de Paul became a Writer Director on the board of the Performing Right Society.

On 10 April 2008, Lynsey participated in a celebrity version of Channel 4 show Come Dine With Me along with fellow celebrities Tamara Beckwith, MC Harvey and Jonathan Ansell. Lynsey came in fourth (last) place.

[edit] Self-defence training programme

In autumn 2006, de Paul released a DVD entitled “Taking Control” representing her self-defence training programme. The programme shows the importance of self-defence for women and has approached schools and universities to include the DVD in the curriculum.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

Year Title Chart positions
UK CHE
1972 "Sugar Me" 5 -
"Getting A Drag" 18 -
1973 "Won't Somebody Dance With Me" 14 -
1974 "Oooh I Do" 25 -
"No Honestly" 7 -
1975 "My Man And Me" 40 -
1977 "Rock Bottom" (with Mike Moran) 19 1

[edit] Other singles

  • "All Night" / "Blind Leading the Blind"
  • "Rhythm and Blue Jean Baby" / "Into My Music"
  • "Happy Christmas to You From Me" / "Stick to You" (with Barry Blue)
  • "Hug and Squeeze Me" / "You Made Me Write This Song"
  • "Love Bomb" / "Rainbow"
  • "If I Don't Get You The Next One Will" / "Season to Season"
  • "You Give me Those Feelings" / "Beautiful"
  • "Hollywood Romance" / "Losin' The Blues for You"
  • "Tigers and Fireflies" / "Losin' The Blues for You"
  • "Strange Changes" / "Strange Changes (version)"
  • "Air on a Heartstring" / "Arrival of the Queen" (with Horea Crishan)
  • "There's No Place Like London" / "There's No Place Like London" (Karaoke version) (credited as Lynsey & friends)

[edit] B sides

  • "Storm in a Teacup" ("Sugar Me")
  • "Brandy" ("Getting a Drag")
  • "So Good to You" ("Won't Somebody Dance with Me")
  • "Nothing Really Lasts Forever" ("Ooh I do")
  • "Central Park Arrest" ("No Honestly")
  • "Dancing on a Saturday Night" ("My Man and Me")
  • "Shouldn't Say That" (with Mike Moran) ("Rock Bottom")

[edit] Albums

  • Surprise
  • The World of Lynsey de Paul (aka Lynsey Sings)
  • Taste Me... Don't Waste Me
  • Love Bomb
  • Before You Go Tonight
  • No Honestly
  • Tigers and Fireflies
  • Just a Little Time (aka Sugar Me)
  • The Best of Lynsey de Paul
  • Greatest Hits
  • Best of the 70s - Lynsey de Paul

[edit] Other artists

Artists who have recorded songs written or co-written by de Paul include:

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Middlehurst, Lester. "Pop star Lynsey de Paul reveals the truth about her love-life", Daily Mail, 2007-04-09. Retrieved on 2007-04-24. 

[edit] External links