Central Park Arrest

"Central Park Arrest" is a song composed by Lynsey de Paul[1][2] for the vocal trio Thunderthighs, and told the story of a policewoman apprehending a flasher in New York's Central Park.[3] This song in the style of TV cop theme tunes of the day featured police sirens wailing, shots being fired and megaphone radio. The recording was produced by Steve Rowland (who got de Paul to write the song specifically for the trio)[4] with a musical score by British composer, arranger and conductor, John Cameron.[5] According to "Beat Instrumental", de Paul also played the piano on the recording.[6]

The song was a top 30 hit in the UK Singles Chart.[7] It also reached number 3 on the Radio Northsea Toppers chart,[8] number 2 on the Swedish Poporama chart,[9][10] and was a forecast hit on the New Zealand Pop-o-Meter chart.[11] The release garnered good reviews in the music press, with Record World choosing it as a single pick and saying "Do-do-do ladies from Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" do their own hit shopping'".[12][13] The New Musical Express listed it as one of the best songs in 1974 in their year end review.[14] It was released as a track on the compilation album, Dancing On A Saturday Night, Vol. 2, on Philips Records.[15] The recording was released on CD in 1994 on World Hits 1974, a German compilation CD album[16] as well as on Tower Of Strength.[17] In 2009, it was included in the five CD box set 100 Hits Collection 70's.[18]

The song's writer recorded her own version on the B-side to the hit single "No, Honestly" a few months later, as a lighter bongo driven song with de Paul as the producer. More recently, de Paul's version appeared on her anthology album, Into my Music.[19] It is still played on the radio in the US,[20] New Zealand,[21] and the UK.[22] It is listed in the U.S. Catalog of Copyright, Library of Congress[23] and has been mentioned in a number of books on 1970s pop/rock.[24][25][26]

  1. ^ "Song "Central Park Arrest"". Musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  2. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series, Library of Congress, Copyright Office, p. 2090, 1975
  3. ^ "'Children of the Revolution': Glam Rock and the 70s". Newsocialist.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  4. ^ Record & Radio Mirror, p. 23, 1 June 1974
  5. ^ "Thunderthighs - Central Park Arrest". Discogs.com. 20 June 1974. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  6. ^ Music World & Beat Instrumental, p. 33, July 1974
  7. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 40". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  8. ^ "Radio Northsea Toppers 20: 1974-28". Hitnoteringen.nl. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Låtarna från Poporama 30 augusti 1974". Nostalgilistan.se.
  10. ^ "POPORAMA". Nouw.com. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  11. ^ "charts.org.nz - Forum - 1974 Chart (General)". Charts.nz. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  12. ^ Record World, 15 June 1974, p. 14
  13. ^ "Record World" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com. 15 June 1974. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Rocklist.net...NME End Of Year Lists 1974." Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Various - Dancing On A Saturday Night, Vol. 2". Discogs.com. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Various - World Hits 1974". Discogs.com. 1994. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Various - Tower Of Strength". Discogs.com. 1994. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Various - 100 Hits Collection 70's". Discogs.com. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Into My Music Anthology 1975-79 2CD". Cherryred.co.uk. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  20. ^ "Atlantic Tunnel". Thefaceradio.com. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  21. ^ "Matinee Idle for Thursday 29 December 2022 Matinee Idle". Rnz.co.nz. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  22. ^ [1] [permanent dead link]
  23. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series, Page 245, Library of Congress, Copyright Office, 1974
  24. ^ Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and Its Legacy, from the Seventies to the Twenty-First Century by Simon Reynolds, Publisher Faber & Faber, October 2016, ISBN 978-0-571-30173-7
  25. ^ The Sound of Nonsense by Richard Elliott, Bloomsbury Publishing, 28 December 2017, ISBN 978-1-5013-2456-7
  26. ^ In Perfect Harmony: Singalong Pop in ’70s Britain by Will Hodgkinson, Blink Publishing, 15 September 2022, ISBN 978-1-78870-562-2