I don't remember a whole lot about 1968. Well, nothing at all really apart from I know it was the year my brother was born and remember going to stay with my aunt and uncle until he'd popped out.
According to legend she took me with her on a shopping trip to Winchester where I inevitably sang Winchester Cathedral at the top of my voice down the high street, then asked a fat woman if she was having a baby like my mummy was. How we laugh about it now.
When my brother arrived I was taken into see him and I do remember on the cot was a present for me which turned out to be Captain Scarlet's car. I was mad on Captain Scarlet. When asked what I'd like to call the new arrival, well, you can guess the rest.
Funny what you remember though, isn't it? I didn't even know that I Can't Let Maggie Go was a song in its own right for years. I thought it was just the Nimble bread jingle, which I'm sure must have played out for years and years it's so ingrained in my head.
Who from that era doesn't recall the superslim popsy floating off in a hot air ballooon?
Now I know this song to be a folky thing of great beauty by the curiously-named and now forgotten baroque pop purveyors Honeybus. It may well be one of the only songs I remember from the Sixties at the time, though it may not have been used until the dawn of the Seventies and even then I don't think this is actually Honeybus singing. Maggie: is there a more Seventies woman for a hip young woman about town who's busy watching her weight by day and go-go dancing in hotpants by night?
I'm sure you know this ad and this song. If not:
Yes to Captain Scarlet, I'd love to see a live action version. I heard from someone in the know last week - the reason the Spectrum crowd were typically sitting down, riding about - and using moving footpaths/seats etc was to limit the jerky Thunderbirds style movements.
ReplyDeletePS - for related goodies get this in your Ebay basket
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COUNTDOWN-TV-ACTION-COMPLETE-RUN-1-132-DVD-INC-specials-and-annuals-/140691534566?_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D4%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D6021383449226001428#ht_1830wt_1185
Ah, Nimble. It featured heavily in our home as my Mum and grown-up sisters were always in a half-hearted battle with their weight. What my Mum failed to grasp was that 'low calorie' didn't mean 'calorie free'. Consequently she would tuck into Nimble by the entire loaf, and then wonder why "it didn't work". I used to sing this song at her to torment her. Happy days.
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