British songbird Petula Clark was one of the finest singers of the 1960s (or any decade, for that matter) and she brings us today’s classic song of the day. The tune is “Who Am I” and it was released as a single in October of 1966. The song inexplicably failed to chart in her native UK but went to #21 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Like most of Ms. Clark’s hits, “Who Am I” was penned by Tony Hatch and his partner Jackie Trent. Mr. Hatch also produced the track.
“Who Am I” is a reflective song about the search for one’s identity. You can hear it in the lyrics:
The buildings reach up to the sky
The traffic thunders on the busy street
Pavement slips beneath my feet
I walk alone and wonder who am I?
I close my eyes and I can fly
And I escape from all this worldly strife
Restricted by routine of life
But still I can’t discover who am I?
For decades, Petula Clark used this tune to open her live sets. Which leads us to today’s daily bonus video of the day, Petula Clark singing “Who Am I” on the October 9, 1966, episode of The Ed Sullivan Show. I could listen to Pet sing the phone book and be happy.
