Single:
Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? entered the Australian singles chart* on 15 March 1969 and went all the way to #1. It was #10 on the Top 100 of 1969.
Album:
The song is on Peter Starstedt’s 1969 debut, self-titled album.
Songwriter:
Peter Sarstedt
Producer:
Ray Singer
Record label of Australian release:
United Artists
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Single version
Album version
The version on the album Peter Sarstedt has extra stanzas beginning “You go to the embassy parties …” and “You’re in between twenty and thirty….”.
(Album audio with television images.)
BONUS SONG BELOW – Sarstedt’s sequel to this song, The Last of the Breed
Wikipedia:
Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? is about a fictional girl named Marie-Claire who grows up on the poverty-stricken backstreets of Naples, becomes a member of the jet set, and goes on to live in Paris. The lyrics describe her from the perspective of a childhood friend; it is left unclear whether they have remained close. The rhetorical question of the title suggests that her glamorous lifestyle might not have brought Marie-Claire happiness or contentment.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Do_You_Go_To_(My_Lovely)?
Songfacts:
Among the personalities this song references is Zizi Jeanmarie, a French ballerina who in the 1950s was reckoned to be the best dancer of her generation. It also refers to the Aga Khan, a wealthy Islamic leader who married the English fashion model Sarah Croker-Poole in 1969. The names of Marlene Dietrich, Picasso, Sacha Distel and The Rolling Stones are also mentioned.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/peter-sarstedt/where-do-you-go-to-my-lovely
Was this song inspired by Sophia Loren?
It was a common theory at the time that the song was inspired by glamorous Italian actress Sophia Loren, who was bought up in the back streets of Naples. However, this was denied by Sarstedt.
He said: “I can see why people may think it was written with Sophia Loren in mind. But that’s just a coincidence. I really wasn’t thinking of anyone specific.'”
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Do_You_Go_To_(My_Lovely)? and www.songfacts.com/facts/peter-sarstedt/where-do-you-go-to-my-lovely
Lyrics:
You talk like Marlene Dietrich
And you dance like Zizi Jeanmaire
And your clothes are all made by Balmain
And there′s diamonds and pearls in your hair, yes there are
And you live in a fancy apartment
Off the Boulevard St. Michel
Oh, where you keep your Rolling Stones records
And a friend of Sacha Distel, oh yes you do
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 60s
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
BONUS
In 1997 Sarstedt recorded a sequel, The Last of the Breed (Lovely 2), on his CD England’s Lane. This picks up the story of Marie-Claire 20 years on, living now in London. It names more people and places, including Belgravia, Ballets Russes, Cape Town, Claridge’s, Gstaad, John Galliano, Harrods, Jerusalem, Long Island, Milan, Rudolf Nureyev, Palm Beach, Rio de Janeiro, and Isabella Rossellini.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Do_You_Go_To_(My_Lovely)
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