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Peter Sarstedt

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Peter Sarstedt
Sarstedt in 1969
Sarstedt in 1969
Background information
Birth namePeter Eardley Sarstedt
Also known asPeter Lincoln (briefly recorded as in 1967[1])
Born(1941-12-10)10 December 1941
New Delhi, British India
OriginCroydon, London, England
Died8 January 2017(2017-01-08) (aged 75)
Sussex, England
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1960–1965 (as member of The Saints") 1969-2010 (as sololist and "Sarstedt Brothers" groups)[2]
LabelsUnited Artists
Island Records
Angel Air
Singer Records
Warner

Peter Eardley Sarstedt[3] (10 December 1941 – 8 January 2017) was a British singer-songwriter and instrumentalist. He was the brother of singers Eden Kane, a teenage pop idol and Clive Sarstedt, with both of whom he also recorded and performed as The Sarstedt Brothers. The Sarstedts had the distinction of being the only family where three siblings all attained separate chart success.

Although his music was classified as pop, it generally encompassed ballads derived from traditional folk music rather than traditional rock and roll. He is best known for writing and performing the song "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?", which topped the UK Singles Chart in 1969. Set to a "faux European waltz tune"[3] and described as "a romantic novel in song",[4] it won an Ivor Novello Award. The record remained Sarstedt's biggest hit. He had one more hit single and one hit album but despite numerous releases never had chart success again.

He released the album England's Lane in 1997, which continued the story of the fictional Marie-Claire, titled Last of the Breed, a planned third installment titled Farewell Marie-Claire did not materialise.[5]

Sarstedt continued to tour mainly in 1960s revival-type shows, until his retirement in 2010 due to ill health.[6]

Early life

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Sarstedt was born as one of six in New Delhi in 1941 to English expatriates Albert James Sarstedt, and accountant and civil servant and his second wife Cora (nee Byrne) in what was then British India. His ancestors were long resident in India; his ancestor Christian Ludwig Wilhelm Sarstedt, was born in 1841 in Hanover, Germany and migrated to India where he died in 1893[7][8][3] Both of his parents had trained as classical musicians.[9]

After Indian independence from Britain in 1947, Sarstedt's parents managed a tea plantation in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, where Sarstedt attended Victoria Boys' School, a boarding school in Kurseong.[3][10] He later moved to Calcutta; in 1954, Sarstedt's father died and the family relocated to Britain,[3][10] settling in south London just before the rock 'n' roll boom.[3][11]

Sarstedt along with his two brothers Richard and Robin joined a skiffle group called "The Fabulous Five", before establishing a group in 1960 called "The Saints", with Richard as lead locallist and Peter playing bass guitar, whilst Richard was the first of the brothers to also establish a solo career in his own right also in 1960 and changing his name to Eden Kane, and becoming a teen idol having a hit record with "Well I Ask You" the following year in 1961. Peter would follow his older brother establishing his music career in the late 1960s, whist his younger brother Robin known as Clive Sarstedt would have a hit record with "My Resistance is Low" in 1976.[12][3][13]

The Sarstedts had the distinction of being the only family where three siblings all attained separate chart success.[2]

Career

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Hit recordings

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Sarstedt was best known for writing and performing his 1969 UK number one single, released on the United Artists label, "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?", a portrait of a poor-born girl, Marie-Claire, from Naples who becomes a member of the European jet set.[6][14] The song topped the chart in 14 countries.[3] and was awarded the 1970 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.[9][15] He later cited his first wife, Anita, as the inspiration for the song.[4]

Lovely followed his earlier single "I Am A Cathedral" which didn't attain chart success, and his debut self-titled vinyl LP album was released in 1969 and reached number eight on the British charts[13] his follow-up single, "Frozen Orange Juice", reached number 10 in the UK in 1969.[16][17] However, subsequent releases failed to chart. Sarstedt's recorded songs include "Beirut", "Take Off Your Clothes"[9]

Another selection from the album Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?, from which his single of the same title had been released, was an instrumental called "Overture". Sarstedt composed it in collaboration with Ian Green and Ray Singer and it was later used as the theme music for Keep America Beautiful's famous "Crying Indian" public service announcement, which starred Iron Eyes Cody.[citation needed]

Touring

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In the 1980s and 1990s, Sarstedt frequently toured the southern UK as part of the "Solid Silver '60s" package tours,[18] having returned to England after several years residing in Denmark.[7][19] In the 1990s and 2000s, he continued to release new albums and tour. In 1997 he released the album England's Lane, which featured the follow-up to "Where Do You Go To", entitled "The Last of the Breed"[5] and in 2006 an album of new material called On Song.[20] He sang harmonies on "Don't Think Twice" and "The Last Thing on My Mind" on Canadian singer Peter Thompson's 2007 album, Taking a Dive (Heart First).

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New interest was sparked in his music after "Where Do You Go To" was used in the 2007 Wes Anderson films Hotel Chevalier and The Darjeeling Limited.[6][3] In 2012 a compilation of songs called Highlights—the Demos was released.[21]

Later years

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Sarstedt's final album, was a compilation released in 2013, was titled Restless Heart.[16] It was produced by Ray Singer and the single and accompanying video, "Valentine", directed and produced by Lara Singer, was released on Singer Records.[22] A third installment of "Where Do You Go To", continuing the story of Marie-Claire, to be titled "Farewell Marie-Claire", did not materialize.[23] Sarstedt last performed live in 2010.[24]

Personal life and death

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Sarstedt married dentist Anita Atke in 1969 and moved to Denmark. The couple divorced five years later.[4] His second wife was Joanna Meill. From 2013 he lived in a retirement home in Sussex, England. He had progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), diagnosed in 2015, but originally misdiagnosed as dementia in 2013.[24] He died on 8 January 2017 at the age of 75.[6][25] He is survived by his wife and two adult children.[4]

Discography

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Singles

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Year A-side B-side Label UK Chart US Chart Notes
1967 "In the Day of My Youth" "My Monkey Is a Junkie" Major Minor MM520 -- -- as "Peter Lincoln"[1]
1968 "I Must Go On" "Mary Jane" Island WIP-6028 -- -- [7][3]
"I Am a Cathedral" "Blagged" United Artists UP 2228 53[A] -- [7][3][9]
1969 "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" "Morning Mountain" United Artists UP 2262
U.S.: World Pacific 77911 		1 70 [26][7][27]
"Frozen Orange Juice" "Arethusa Loser" United Artists UP 35021
U.S.: World Pacific 77919 		10 116 [7][16][27]
"As Though It Were a Movie" "Take Off Your Clothes" United Artists UP 35041 -- -- [7][28][9]
1970 "Without Darkness" "Step into the Candlelight" United Artists UP 35075 -- -- [7]
1971 "You're a Lady" "Useless" United Artists UP 35301 -- -- [29]
1972 "Every Word You Say" "What Makes One Man Feel" United Artists UP 35369 -- -- [30]
1973 "Chinese Restaurant" "Beloved Illusions" Regal Zonophone RZ 3081 -- -- Credited to The Sarstedt Brothers
1975 "Tall Tree" "Mellowed Out" Warner Bros. K 16575 -- -- [29]
1978 "Beirut" "Hollywood Sign" Ariola/Hansa AHA 517 -- -- [9]
"You'll Never Be Alone Again" "Waitress in the Whiskey" Ariola/Hansa AHA 531 -- -- [29]
1979 "Mulberry Dawn" "I Am No Longer" Ariola/Hansa AHA 537 -- -- [29]
"The Far Pavilions" "Juli's Theme" Monarch MON 04 -- -- [29]
1981 "English Girls" / "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)" "Frozen Orange Juice" Liberty BP 396 -- -- [29]
1982 "Love Among the Ruins" "Don Quixote" Peach River BBPR 2 -- -- [29]
1984 "Other People's Lives" "You'll Never Be Alone Again" Audiotrax ATX 4 -- -- [29]
1986 "Hemingway" "Don Quixote" Filmtrax FRAME 102 -- -- [29]
1987 "Suzanne" "Stress" Trax PTS 1 -- -- [29]

Albums

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Sarstedt issued 15 albums in his 50-year-long career.[9][31][32]

Year Title Label UK Albums Chart Notes
1969 Peter Sarstedt United Artists ULP 1219 8 [27]
As Though It Were a Movie United Artists UAS 29037 -- [33]
1971 Every Word You Say Is Written Down United Artists UAS 29247 -- [citation needed]
1973 Worlds Apart Together EMI SRZA8516 -- (credited to "The Sarstedt Brothers") [34]
1975 Tall Tree Warner K56129 -- [35]
1979 Ps... Ariola/Hansa AHAL8006 -- [36]
1981 Up Date Festival Records D 19106 -- [37]
1986 Colors: Asia Minor Music Maker CMMR923 -- (credited to Peter and Clive Sarstedt)[38]
1987 Never Say Goodbye TRAX PETER/_IMS/POLYGRAM -- [37]
1997 England's Lane Roundtower Music RTMD89 - BMG -- [39]
2004 Singer/Songwriter EMI 5762632 -- [40]
2006 On Song RMS Studios -- (credited to Peter Sarstedt with Clive Sarstedt on guitar)[41]
2008 The Lost Album Singer SING 204 -- [42]
2012 Highlights – the Demos -- [21]
2013 Restless Heart Singer -- [9][43]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Chart position is from the official UK "Breakers List".

References

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  1. ^ a b "Major Minor Records". Irishrock.org.
  2. ^ a b "Peter Sarstedt obituary".
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Unterberger, Richie. "Peter Sarstedt". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d "Obituary: Peter Sarstedt, singer-songwriter who topped charts with Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)". The Scotsman. scotsman.com/. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Peter Sarstedt – England's Lane (CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d "Singer-songwriter Peter Sarstedt dies aged 75". BBC News. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Peter Sarstedt". 45-rpm.org.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Peter Sarstedt". British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h "Singer-songwriter Peter Sarstedt dies aged 75". The Guardian. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  10. ^ a b "British-Indian singer-songwriter Peter Sarstedt dead at 75". Scroll. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  11. ^ "The Sarstedt Brothers". Petersarstedt.com.
  12. ^ "Peter Sarsedt Biography". Music Entertainment Network. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  13. ^ a b "Peter Sarstedt - British Singer-songwriter". Britannica.com. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Singer-songwriter Peter Sarstedt dies aged 75 after a long battle with illness". Mirror. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  15. ^ "The 15th Ivor Novello Awards". The Ivors. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  16. ^ a b c "Peter Sarstedt, singer of Where Do You Go To My Lovely?, dies at 75". The Telegraph. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  17. ^ "Lyricszoo.com". Lyricszoo. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  18. ^ Rock movers & shakers. Billboard Publications. 1989. p. 445. ISBN 9780823076086.
  19. ^ "'Where Do You Go to My Lovely?' Singer Peter Sarstedt dead". KTVL. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  20. ^ "On Song". AllMusic.
  21. ^ a b "Highlights - Demos". Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  22. ^ Singer Records (12 June 2013). "Peter Sarstedt - Valentine (Official)". Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2017 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ "Peter Sarstedt website". Petersarstedt.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  24. ^ a b "Peter Sarstedt 'Where Do You Go To My Lovely' writer dies". Music News. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  25. ^ "Peter Sarstedt dies". The Times. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  26. ^ "Morning Mountain". YouTube. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  27. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 482. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  28. ^ "As Though It Were a Movie". AllMusic.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Peter Sarstedt – Discography". 45cat.com.
  30. ^ "Every Word You Say". AllMusic.
  31. ^ "Peter Sarstedt dead: Pop star behind one of the most iconic songs of the Sixties dies aged 75". Independent. 8 January 2017. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  32. ^ "Peter Sarstedt – Albums". petersarstedt.com. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  33. ^ "Peter Sarstedt/As Though It Were a Movie – Peter Sarstedt – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  34. ^ "Peter Sarstedt 4th ALBUM". petersarstedt.com. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  35. ^ "Tall Tree – Peter Sarstedt – Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  36. ^ "Peter Sarstedt 6th ALBUM". petersarstedt.com. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  37. ^ a b Gregory, Andy (1 January 2002). The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. Psychology Press. ISBN 9781857431612. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via Google Books.
  38. ^ "Asia Minor [Colors] – Peter Sarstedt – User Reviews". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  39. ^ "England's Lane – Peter Sarstedt – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  40. ^ "Singer/Songwriter – Peter Sarstedt – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  41. ^ "On Song – Peter Sarstedt – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  42. ^ "The Lost Album – Peter Sarstedt – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  43. ^ Ltd, XTS Internet Services. "Peter Sarstedt Singer Records – The Music stays the most important part of the equation". singerrecords.com. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
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