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RIP Millie Small

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Millie Small has died. She suffered a stroke. I almost posted this on the ‘Uplifting tunes’ thread. A great track. Rod Stewart on Harmonica apparently.

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Comments

  1. Almost certainly not Rod. Most likely candidate is Pete Hogman of the 5 Dimensions, but his band mate Jimmy Powell reckons it was him. Rod, who played with both in the 5 Dimensions for a short time, comes down on the side of Hogman.

  2. I wondered how long it would be before someone repeated this story (The daily express online obit does)
    Rod Stewart denies that it was him, but Millie Small insisted that it was. Pete Hogman had a very similar haircut at the time, which might have explained the confusion – and over the years the myth grew.

  4. One of the first pop songs I knew; as a 4-year old I have a memory of some West London “mod” girls who were friends of my brother’s dancing with me to this. Also, note this fine song by Millie:

  5. Gosh, I bounced around a lot to “Lollipop” when I was a little boy.
    If memory serves. I thinks this was the first recording on Island ( or maybe their first hit record ).
    RIP Millie. Sad news.

  7. She is my clearest recollection of ‘Ready Steady Go’, my memories of Manfred Mann and Janice: Oi’ll give it foive being part imagined memory. But I remember Lollipop as clear as day, after my bath, drying in front of the grate as my sister ironed her hair straight.

    • Interesting, we’ve all got the same gestalt of this: I distinctly recall these pretty girls being kind to me, smelling nice, and dancing in with-it clothes, and me feeling a new kind of joy I’d not had before, but liking it. I also remember the fun being over too soon. (I still have that problem, though less of a concern if you think about Seals and Croft. ) “My Boy Lollipop” is a powerful memory stimulus for the joy of music and shared fun.

      • What better example of the wide field pop music can this be – one the one hand there’s Millie, who has everyone remembering jumping around, ebulliently getting into it…and on the other hand there’s Florian Schneider who, while a boffo musician, wasn’t likely to have anyone jumping around (don’t get me wrong, Kraftwerk were topsa, but they operated at a completely different end of the spectrum).

        And to think she achieved musical immortality in mere 1:53.

        • Good point, Sniffity: “musical immortality in mere 1:53.”

          In those glorious days when any 45 rpm longer than two minutes was considered to be shameless self indulgence.

          Here she is with her Nick Drake cover.

          I presume that it was Chris Blackwell’s suggestion that she covered a song by her labelmate.

          Here is another oddity: Millie given a big showbiz makeover.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKaahQWWB0Y

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