Downtown (Petula Clark song)

"Downtown"
Solid centre edition of 1964 UK single
Single by Petula Clark
from the album Downtown
B-side"You'd Better Love Me"
ReleasedNovember 1964
Recorded16 October 1964
StudioPye Studios, London
GenrePop[1]
Length3:05
Label
Songwriter(s)Tony Hatch
Producer(s)Tony Hatch
Petula Clark singles chronology
"True Love Never Runs Smooth"
(1964)
"Downtown"
(1964)
"I Know a Place"
(1965)
Official audio
"Downtown" on YouTube

"Downtown" is a song written and produced by English composer Tony Hatch. Its lyrics speak of going to spend time in an urban downtown as a means of escape from everyday life. The 1964 version recorded by British singer Petula Clark became an international hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. Hatch received the 1981 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.[2]

The song has been covered by many singers, including Dolly Parton, Emma Bunton and the Saw Doctors.

  1. ^ Scapelliti, Christopher (1998). "Petula Clark". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 240.
  2. ^ Lister, David, "Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion", The Independent, 28 May 1994