Discovery :: Sandie Shaw

Sandie Shaw

Sandie Shaw


So for the last few months, every Wednesday and Saturday nights we make cocktails and watch Transmission on Twitch.
If you don’t know, Transmission is a show produced by DJ Jake Rudh who has been a DJ in Minneapolis for over 20 years and has a regular show on The Current.
Since the pandemic, he started doing shows on Twitch, in which he plays videos from these amazing 80s artists. He specialized “in punk, post-punk, dark wave, new wave, new romantic, synth-pop, dream pop, shoegaze, brit-pop & indie.”

Anyway, I thought I was an 80s music expert and more importantly, an expert on The Smiths. I have been listening since the beginning and I love them.

So imagine my surprise one night, while watching Transmission and Jake played a video of The Smiths song, “Hand in Glove” but instead of Morrissey, it was a woman singing lead. Apparently, this is lore and I just wasn’t aware of it. Back in 1984 when The Smiths played on Top of the Pops (Britain’s version of “American Bandstand”) they performed with Sandie Shaw.

Sandie Shaw was born Sandra Ann Goodrich in Essex England. She’s a very well-known pop star in Britain in the ’60s. You probably know her hit, “Always Something There to Remind Me” but you probably know it by Naked Eyes. I didn’t know Sandie’s but I heard Dionne Warwick’s version growing up, which was before Sandie’s but only by about a year. 
 


According to Wikipedia, in 1983,

“a new phase in her career began after she received a letter from “two incurable Sandie Shaw fans” – singer Morrissey and lead guitarist Johnny Marr of the Smiths – telling her that “The Sandie Shaw legend cannot be over yet – there is more to be done.” Shaw’s husband was a friend of Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records, the label to which the Smiths were signed, and she agreed to record some of their songs.
In April 1984, her version of “Hand in Glove” (the Smiths’ first single) was released and peaked just inside the UK Top 30.”




She also had a single in 1969, called “Heaven Knows I’m Missing Him Now”, which was the inspiration for The Smiths song, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”, 15 years later.

I just thought all of this was really interesting and something I had no idea about.


If you’re interested in more, check out her Wiki Page 
Sandie Shaw Official
Sandie Shaw YouTube

Sandie Shaw

Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

Also come on over to Twitch tonight and each Saturday night to watch 80s videos!!

 

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