LP: The Singer and His Songs
Song: "Gay Girl"
Song: "Learning to Love You Again"
On the way home from visiting my younger sister and her husband in Kingston, WA two weekends ago, I stopped in at the Deseret Industries Thrift Store on Highway 99 to see if they had any good records for sale. They just had one—this 1977 Anthony Newley LP that I haven't been able to stop listening to for the past ten days. Born in London in 1931, Newley got a break as both actor and singer when he landed the role of a rock star called to military duty in the 1959 film IDOL ON PARADE. He went on to appear in other films (and marry Joan Collins) in the 1960s and '70s, while also releasing a few hit singles along the way. With a whirlwind of swirling strings backing his brassy vibrato, Anthony Newley ranks right up there with Scott Walker as one of my favorite male torch singers. The aforementioned vibrato can be heard loud and clear on "Learning to Love You Again," which would certainly make a great karaoke tune. The song "Gay Girl," about a pretty Cinderella who's suddenly turned herself into a butch Raggedy Ann, is of interest because it cleverly mixes the meanings of "gay girl" from the 1950s and the 1980s (besides, "Lesbian" just isn't a very catchy song title), and I had to throw in "Shelby" too because... well, you'll see. You can read about Anthony Newley and find a list of his records and films on Wikipedia here.
[ Anthony Newley: September 24, 1931 — April 14, 1999 ]
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