Is That You, Petula?

‘At the start of the war, I had been an anonymous six-year-old girl who loved playing in the mountain streams of Wales. By the end of it, I had become famous. And that fame never really stopped.’

Petula Clark has had a life, and career, like nobody else. She sang to wartime troops as a child star, became a leading British singer in the 1950s, evolved into a European musical icon and then conquered America with a string of hit records, beginning with ‘Downtown’. This international superstar of music, stage and screen has illuminated both major Hollywood movies and stage musicals.

Along the way, Petula has sung to US presidents, dined with Frank Sinatra and watched him pull out a gun, danced through fields with Fred Astaire, politely rebuffed Elvis Presley’s advances in Vegas and was one of thirteen maids of honour at Liza Minnelli and David Gest’s wedding… all dressed in black.

Yet, beyond the spotlight, Petula’s life has had its shadows. In this candid memoir, she speaks with moving honesty about a complicated childhood, a sometimes turbulent adolescence and a family life that wasn’t always as perfect as it appeared. She reveals how she mastered the art of pretending things were fine, even when they were not.

Why did John Lennon, at his legendary bed-in for peace with Yoko, ask ‘Is that you, Petula?’ The answer is just one of the many extraordinary stories in this honest, intimate and unforgettable autobiography. This is Petula Clark, a resilient, remarkable and utterly unique figure in popular culture, telling you her story, in her own words.