Petula Clark may be best known for taking us “Downtown,” but her album Living for Today finds the legendary singer planted firmly in the present. Speaking from New York after a whirlwind recording session in Montreal, Clark reflects on old friendships, new songs, and the joy of revisiting timeless material.
“We made the record in this tiny little studio at the bottom of my producer’s garden in London,” she says with a laugh. “It was the size of a small kitchen, but it was technically fantastic. Roses, trees, birds, cats—very English, very funky. A great vibe.”
Despite its cozy setting, Living for Today is anything but small. The album includes a new co-write with longtime collaborator Tony Hatch (yes, that Tony Hatch—“Downtown,” “Don’t Sleep in the Subway”), called “Rainbow.” “Tony had a piano in his house in Menorca, and I was just fiddling around,” Clark says. “He told me, ‘Write it!’ And there it is. The lyric is mine. He helped with the music. It’s uplifting, and I’ve been doing it live for a while—but now we’ve finally got it on record.”
The album’s title track, which Clark co-wrote with her musical director, began with a “cute” opening line but deepens during its bridge. “I wanted to go somewhere else musically,” she says. “The lyric just came—it was in me, and I let it go. I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m preaching. It’s just something I feel.”
That blend of humility and conviction defines her approach, even when covering iconic material like “Fever.” “I was very hesitant,” she confesses. “That was Peggy Lee’s song—and we were friends. But the producer laid down the track, and I had a little word with Peggy. I said, ‘Hey girl, I hope you don’t mind me doing this. It’s yours, but I gotta sing it for you.’” The result is a rocked-up version that Clark says she performs not as an imitation but as an homage.
Another standout is a hushed, vulnerable version of the Beatles' “Blackbird.” “I’d never sung it before,” she says. “The producer played Paul’s version, and it was lovely, of course. Then I stepped to the mic, and I just loved it. It’s delicate and quite complicated—but it’s become a magic moment on stage for me.”
With a catalog as vast as hers, Clark says she’s still happy to revisit the classics. “If it were a really nasty song, it might be different,” she says. “But ‘Downtown’—let’s face it—it’s a great song. It has a life of its own. And I’m blessed to still have them, still sing them, and still feel joy doing it.”
At 85, Petula Clark isn’t just preserving her legacy—she’s actively expanding it. And she’s still doing it with grace, curiosity, and an unmistakable voice that, like the songs she sings, refuses to age.
Listen to the interview above and then check out her cover of "Blackbird" below!
