Proteges and Welsh Icons

Following her success in the TV show "Opportunity Knocks", Mary Hopkin was noticed by the model Twiggy who, in turn, told her friend Paul McCartney. The rest, as they say, is history. A quick glance at the UK singles chart of this week in 1968 sees Mary Hopkin occupying the top spot with her massive first hit single "Those were the days". Her voice was perfect for folk vehicles such as this. She brought a plaintive, lilting style which perfectly captured the mood of the day. The Producer of the single, Paul McCartney, ensured that the girl from the Valleys became the first artist signed to the Apple label. Apple is now more synonymous with the IT giant but in 1968 Apple meant fame for an up and coming artist because, as the play thing of the Beatles, it was as near to a guarantee of success as you could hope for. For a first foray in to the market of discovering new talent, this was a pretty good start as that single along sold in excess of 8 million copies. While Hopkin occupied the top spot, her Producer was belting out the lyrics to that years' Ivor Novello award winning single, "Hey Jude", in the number two spot. Such occurrences were not exceptional then. A year later, the Who held the number two spot while the group produced by their song writer Pete Townshend topped the chart. The wonderfully named "Thunderclap Newman" held the top spot with the superbly crafted "Something in the Air". The Who never did attain the coveted top spot but there was no shame in that given that the 1960s was surely the most competitive decade of them all to try and reach the summit. The contenders for the top spot in any given week during that decade were of a very high class in any era. Hopkin was arguably one of the first major artists to continue to record in both English and Welsh. By the 1990s several bands performing in the medium of Welsh had entered the mainstream but Hopking, in may ways, was the true pioneer. Next year sees Wales gearing itself up for the centenary of the birth of the man who the Welsh considered to be too English and who the English considered to be too Welsh. There is no doubt that Dylan Thomas divided opinion like few others. His works have stood the test of time and although most people are familiar with "Under Milkwood" and "Do not go gentle in to that good night", it was interesting this week to hear Prince Charles choosing to read "Fern Hill". Thomas was, like many geniuses, his own worst enemy. Like many of his countrymen, he had a penchant for the liquor and, in the end, the liquor won. Like his contemporary Richard Burton, Thomas experienced considerable international success and inspired the likes of John Lennon and Bob Dylan to name but a few. The opening lyric to "Those were the days" might have been written with Thomas in mind; "Once upon a time there was a tavern"... "Hey Jude" was famously written about John's young son Julian as he and his first wife went through an acrimonious divorce. As a song, it has an anthemic power which has obviously influenced a great many artists since. Like many of McCartney's finest songs, the lyrics are remarkably simple and perhaps therein lies the secret. Julian of course could never hope to be his father's protege and that song must have been a great blessing and a blessed curse at the same time.