Clair (song)
Encyclopedia
"Clair" is a popular song by Irish singer Gilbert O'Sullivan
and is one of his biggest-selling singles. Written by O'Sullivan and produced by Gordon Mills
, it was the number one single in the UK for two weeks in November 1972, number one in Canada
on the RPM 100
national singles chart the following January, and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. It was also O'Sullivan's second and last number one hit on the U.S. Easy Listening chart, after "Alone Again (Naturally)
".
The song is the love song
of an uncle for his young niece, though for the first part of the song, the ambiguous text leads one to think that it is from one adult to another. The brief instrumental introduction is the sound of Gilbert whistling, before he comes in. The real Clair was the young daughter of O'Sullivan's producer-manager, Gordon Mills
, by the model Jo Waring, and the little girl's giggling is heard at the end of this song. The "Uncle Ray" mentioned in the song is O'Sullivan himself, a reference to his real name of Raymond O'Sullivan. The instrumental break in the middle section is done half a step up from A to B-Flat, before going back to A.
"Clair" was included in Sullivan's album Back to Front
(1972). An Italian version was performed in 1973 by the crooner Johnny Dorelli
. A cover by Singers Unlimited was sampled by producer J Dilla
for the Slum Village
song "Players."
Gilbert O'Sullivan
Gilbert O'Sullivan is an Irish-English singer-songwriter, best known for his early 1970s hits "Alone Again ", "Clair" and "Get Down". The music magazine, Record Mirror, voted him the No...
and is one of his biggest-selling singles. Written by O'Sullivan and produced by Gordon Mills
Gordon Mills
Gordon William Mills , was a successful London-based music industry manager and songwriter who was born in Madras, India and grew up in Trealaw in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales...
, it was the number one single in the UK for two weeks in November 1972, number one in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on the RPM 100
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
national singles chart the following January, and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. It was also O'Sullivan's second and last number one hit on the U.S. Easy Listening chart, after "Alone Again (Naturally)
Alone Again (Naturally)
"Alone Again " is a song by Irish singer–songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. It was released in 1972, and in total spent six weeks, non-consecutively, at #1 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In Casey Kasem's American 'Top 40 of the 1970s', "Alone Again " ranked as the fifth...
".
The song is the love song
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
of an uncle for his young niece, though for the first part of the song, the ambiguous text leads one to think that it is from one adult to another. The brief instrumental introduction is the sound of Gilbert whistling, before he comes in. The real Clair was the young daughter of O'Sullivan's producer-manager, Gordon Mills
Gordon Mills
Gordon William Mills , was a successful London-based music industry manager and songwriter who was born in Madras, India and grew up in Trealaw in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales...
, by the model Jo Waring, and the little girl's giggling is heard at the end of this song. The "Uncle Ray" mentioned in the song is O'Sullivan himself, a reference to his real name of Raymond O'Sullivan. The instrumental break in the middle section is done half a step up from A to B-Flat, before going back to A.
"Clair" was included in Sullivan's album Back to Front
Back To Front (Gilbert O'Sullivan album)
Back to Front is a 1972 album by singer/songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan.- Track listing :All songs written by Gilbert O'SullivanSide One# "Intro/I Hope You'll Stay" – 2:47# "In My Hole" – 2:46# "Clair" – 3:02# "That's Love" – 3:02...
(1972). An Italian version was performed in 1973 by the crooner Johnny Dorelli
Johnny Dorelli
Johnny Dorelli is an Italian actor, singer and showman.Born as Giorgio Guidi in Meda, he debuted as singer in the late 1950s for CGD label. In 1958 he won the Sanremo Festival in duo with Domenico Modugno, with the songs "Nel blu dipinto di blu" and "Piove "...
. A cover by Singers Unlimited was sampled by producer J Dilla
J Dilla
James Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...
for the Slum Village
Slum Village
Slum Village was a hip hop group from Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan.The group was formed by three members: rappers Baatin and T3, plus rapper and producer J Dilla . J Dilla left in 2002 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records...
song "Players."
See also
- List of number-one singles of 1972 (Ireland)
- List of number-one singles from the 1970s (UK)
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1972 (U.S.)