Who Am I? (Petula Clark song)

Although largely conforming to the formula established by Clark's previous work with Hatch, "Who Am I?" is distinct in its referencing concerns of the 1960s social consciousness, specifically the search for the meaning of life. The November 1967 issue of High Fidelity magazine featured an essay by Glenn Gould: The Search for Petula Clark, which Gould was moved to write after hearing "Who Am I?" on his car radio, the song striking him as a "document of despair [which] catalogues [the] symptoms of disenchantment and ennui" in contrast to the buoyancy expressed in Clark's earlier hits "Downtown", "My Love" and "A Sign of the Times". Gould later observed his essay used Petula Clark "as a jumping off point to examine the whole so-called flower-child generation of the mid-60s."^[1]^[2]

"Who Am I?" acknowledges the mid-1960s baroque vogue in its incorporation of a harpsichord in its instrumentation.

Despite reaching #21 in the US in late 1966 and being the follow-up to one of Clark's most popular UK hits: "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love", "Who Am I?" stalled at #52 on the UK charts to become Clark's first single since "Downtown" (1964) to fall short of the UK Top 50. The follow-up to "Who Am I?": "Colour My World", also missed the UK charts leaving Clark in need of a major comeback in her native land - which her next release "This Is My Song" effected. In Australia "Who Am I?" reached #42.

Despite not being one of Clark's biggest hits, "Who Am I?" by virtue of its title has long been the standard opening number for Clark's concerts. It also served as the centerpiece for the "Who Am I Medley", which opened Clark's 1968 U.S. television special.

Shirley Bassey recorded "Who Am I?" for her 1968 album This is My Life.

Billboard magazine's original review predicted the song would make the top 20 of the Hot 100. "More powerhouse hit material from the dynamic duo, Clark and Hatch. Will have no trouble picking up where "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" left off."

The 1967 album release Pet Project by the Bob Florence Big Band features an instrumental version of "Who Am I?", the album being devoted to songs associated with Petula Clark. Also Canadian flautist and saxophonist Moe Koffman recorded an instrumental version for his 1996 album Devil's Brew.

References

↑ Mach, Elyse (1980). Great Contemporary Pianists Speak For Themselves Vol. I. New York: Dodd Mead & Company Inc. p. 108. ISBN 0-486-26695-8.
↑ Glen Gould reading his article, CBC Radio Archives, Dec. 11, 1967. Accessed January 26, 2014

Petula Clark

Discography

Albums	Downtown I Know a Place The International Hits My Love I Couldn't Live Without Your Love Petula Clark's Hit Parade Colour My World These Are My Songs The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener Petula Then & Now: The Very Best of Petula Clark

Singles	"The Little Shoemaker" "Suddenly There's a Valley" "With All My Heart" "Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)" "Sailor" "Romeo" "Dance On" "Downtown" "Anyone Who Had a Heart" "I Know a Place" "Round Every Corner" "You're the One" "My Love" "A Sign of the Times" "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" "Who Am I" "Colour My World" "This Is My Song" "The Last Waltz" "Don't Sleep in the Subway" "The Cat in the Window (The Bird in the Sky)" "The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener" "Kiss Me Goodbye" "Happy Heart" "I Don't Know How to Love Him" "My Guy" "Wedding Song (There Is Love)" "The Old Fashioned Way" "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"

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