Shapiro was born at Bethnal Green Hospital in the East End district of Bethnal Green, London. Her early childhood was spent in a Clapton council house in the London borough of Hackney, where she attended Northwold Primary School and Clapton Park Comprehensive School until Christmas 1961. She is the granddaughter of Russian Jewish immigrants; her parents, who were piece-workers in the garment industry, attended Lea Bridge Road Synagogue. The family moved from Clapton to the Victoria Park area of Hackney, on the Parkside Estate, when she was nine. "It was, and remains, a beautiful place," she said in a 2006 interview.
Although too poor to own a record player, Shapiro's parents encouraged music in their home (she had to borrow a neighbour's player to hear her first single). Shapiro played banjolele as a child and sang with her brother Ron occasionally in his youth club skiffle group. She had a deep timbre to her voice, unusual in a girl not yet in her teens: school friends gave her the nickname "Foghorn".
Aged ten, Shapiro was a singer with "Susie and the Hula Hoops," (with her cousin, 60s singer, Susan Singer) a school band which included Marc Bolan (then using his real name of Mark Feld) as guitarist. At 13 she started singing lessons at The Maurice Burman School of Modern Pop Singing, based in London's Baker Street, after the school produced singing star Alma Cogan. "I had always wanted to be a singer. I had no desire to slavishly follow Alma's style, but chose the school merely because of Alma's success", she said in a 1962 interview. Burman's connections eventually led her to a young Columbia Records A&R man named John Schroeder, who recorded a demo of Shapiro singing "Birth of the Blues".
In 1961, aged fourteen, she had a UK No. 3 hit with her first single, "Don't Treat Me Like a Child" and two number one hits in the UK, "You Don't Know" and "Walkin' Back to Happiness". The latter did not top the UK chart until 19 October 1961, by which time Shapiro had reached 15, on 26 September. She had a No. 2 in 1962 with "Tell Me What He Said", achieving her first four single releases in the top three of the UK Singles Chart. Most of her recording sessions were at EMI's studios at Abbey Road in north west London. Her mature voice made her an overnight sensation, as well as the youngest female chart topper in the UK.
Shapiro's final UK Top Ten hit single was with the ballad "Little Miss Lonely", which peaked at No. 8 for two weeks in 1962. Shapiro's recording manager at the time was Norrie Paramor.
Before she was sixteen years old, Shapiro had been voted Britain's "Top Female Singer". The Beatles first national tour of Britain, in the late winter/early spring of 1963, was as one of her supporting acts. During the course of the tour, the Beatles had their first hit single and John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the song "Misery" for her, but Shapiro did not record the composition. In 1995, during a This is Your Life highlighting her life and career, Shapiro revealed, "It was actually turned down on my behalf before I ever heard it, actually. I never got to hear it or give an opinion. It's a shame, really." Shapiro lip-synched her then-current single, "Look Who It Is", on the British television programme Ready Steady Go! with three of the Beatles (John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison).
In 1962, Shapiro appeared as herself in the Billy Fury film Play It Cool, and played the lead female role in Richard Lester's movie, It's Trad, Dad!, which co-starred another early 60s hitmaker, Craig Douglas. On 31 December 1969, Shapiro appeared on the BBC/ZDF co-production Pop Go The Sixties, singing "Walkin' Back to Happiness".
By the time she was in her late teens, her career as a pop singer was on the wane. With the new wave of beat music and newer female singers such as Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black, Sandie Shaw and Lulu, Shapiro appeared old-fashioned and emblematic of the pre-Beatles, 50s era. As her pop career declined, Shapiro turned to cabaret appearances, touring the workingmen's clubs of the North East of England. Her final cabaret show took place at Peterlee's Senate Club on 6 May 1972, where she announced she was giving up touring as she was "travel-weary" and had had enough of "living out of a suitcase". Later, after a change of mind, she branched out as a performer in stage musicals, and jazz (being her first love musically).
She played the role of Nancy in Lionel Bart's musical, Oliver! in London's West End and appeared in a British television soap opera, Albion Market, where she played one of the main characters until it was taken off air in August 1986.
Between 1984 and 2001, she toured extensively with legendary British jazz trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton and his band, whilst still performing her own jazz and pop concerts. Her one-woman show "Simply Shapiro" ran from 1999 to the end of 2002, when she finally bade farewell to show business.
Her autobiography, published in 1993, was entitled Walking Back to Happiness. She appeared as a guest on BBC Radio 4's 'The Reunion' in August 2012. In March 2013 she appeared on BBC Radio 3's 'Good Morning Sunday'
Helen Shapiro has been married since 31 August 1988 to John Judd (real name, John Williams), an actor with numerous roles in British television and cinema.
Queen for Tonight
Helen Shapiro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a queen on a throne.
And every time I hold you tight.
A palace is my home.
But will my kingdom turn to dust in the morning light?
I am a queen for tonight (queen for tonight).
But will I have a king tomorrow (tomorrow)?
Is a jewel in my crown.
I'm high and mighty as can be
With the treasure I've found.
But will my castle tumble down in the morning light?
I am a queen for tonight (queen for tonight).
But will I have a king tomorrow (tomorrow)?
You say that you belong to me
And I rule the world.
A queen in all her majesty
Knowing I'm your girl.
But will I wear a golden crown in the morninglight?
I am a queen for tonight (queen for tonight).
But will I have a king tomorrow?
In Helen Shapiro's song "Queen for Tonight," the lyrics speak of a woman reveling in the attention and love of her partner, feeling as if she is royalty. The opening lines express the transformative effect of being with this person, feeling like a queen seated on her throne. The chorus questions how long this sense of grandeur will last, pondering whether the woman's happiness will disappear with the light of the new day. She wonders if she will still have a king, or whether her "kingdom" will turn to dust.
As the song progresses, the woman continues to describe the feeling of being with her partner as one of great wealth and status. Every kiss is a jewel in her crown, elevating her to new heights of grandeur. But again, there is a sense of insecurity and fear that this happiness is only temporary, that the castle of her fantasy will come crumbling down with the morning light.
Ultimately, the song expresses a sense of longing and uncertainty. The woman feels like a queen for the night, but wonders if she will still have the love and attention of her partner come morning. Despite the grandiose language and royal metaphors, the real heart of the song lies in its sadness and uncertainty, reflecting the emotional complexity of many real relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Just being here with you tonight.
Simply by being in your presence tonight, I feel regal and grand.
I'm a queen on a throne.
In this moment, I feel as powerful and important as a queen sitting on her throne.
And every time I hold you tight.
Whenever I embrace you closely, I feel as though I'm surrounded by the luxuries of a palace.
A palace is my home.
Through my connection with you, I feel like I belong in the grandest of palaces.
But will my kingdom turn to dust in the morning light?
Despite feeling powerful and regal now, I fear that this feeling may be temporary and will fade with the morning sun.
I am a queen for tonight (queen for tonight).
For now, I am indeed a queen, but only for this one night.
But will I have a king tomorrow (tomorrow)?
I am uncertain whether my royal status will continue into the future or if it will simply be a fleeting moment in time.
Every kiss you're giving me
Each time you kiss me, it feels like I'm being given a precious gem to add to my collection.
Is a jewel in my crown.
These cherished moments with you make me feel even more powerful and important as a queen.
I'm high and mighty as can be
In this moment, my confidence and sense of self-worth are soaring to great heights.
With the treasure I've found.
I feel incredibly fortunate and lucky to have found someone like you, who makes me feel like a queen.
But will my castle tumble down in the morning light?
Like the fear that my reign will be temporary, I worry that everything I've built with you may come crashing down with the arrival of a new day.
You say that you belong to me
When you tell me that you are mine, I feel even more empowered and in control, like a queen ruling over her kingdom.
And I rule the world.
With you by my side, I feel like I am capable of conquering everything and anything in my path.
A queen in all her majesty
My sense of grandness and authority is amplified by my association with you in this moment.
Knowing I'm your girl.
Being with you fills me with a sense of pride and contentment, knowing that I am loved and cherished by such a strong and powerful person.
But will I wear a golden crown in the morninglight?
This feeling of royalty and grandeur may dissipate with the morning sun, leaving me uncertain of my place and my status.
I am a queen for tonight (queen for tonight).
Regardless of what happens in the future, I am claiming this moment as one where I am truly the queen of all I survey.
But will I have a king tomorrow?
Despite my doubts and fears, I still hold out hope that this moment is just the beginning of a future where I will find myself surrounded by royalty and majesty once more.
Contributed by Savannah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
wyndhl eodumegwu
In my kindergarten youthfulness, Helen took my friends and me pleasurably off our feet with her energy, power, operatic soulfulness, unpretentious romanticism, tonal delivery and smooth presentation.
Oh, how every a lad and lass would rush for a dancing partner!
"...may I have this dance?"
I shall be grateful to hear Lalah Hathaway's modern take on this song, and Barbara Lynn's "If You Lose Me" (oh yes, you lose a good thing)
The melody with its lyrics and delivery of this standard classic, Queen For Tonight, is so powerfully magnetic and enticing that we all never focused on the underlined philosophical significance of the song.
Today, after hearing, and singing this song (professionally) for a number of years, I now have gotten the message - the foreboding, the lover's apprehension, if you will.
Someone has said it: "Will this be a one night affair?"
"Will you shower me with all these verbal niceties in the future for everyone to hear and see?"
What a philosophy in song!
Bring back Yesterday when lyrics had had meanings and profound significance!
Excellent, Helene!
Thanks for letting me into your therapeutic musical world by posting such a well-sung romantic song.
Will Ruha
This is a truly unique and wondrous voice, so full-throated, melodic, rich, and vibrant. A great singer America should have been introduced to half a century ago in great number via the Ed Sullivan Show, Jack Paar, and other programs.
Wanda Theelen
@PAT GAVIGAN
Bernard Condry
They had the chance and blew it. She was set to due a tour and then the Beatles hit it big in America and Helen got pushed to the rear of the bus.
raphael doolichand
Can't recall ever hearing another voice like this to date.
John Tate
Yes she should have been a success in the USA...she wouldve looked ok up against any of the american performers eg brenda lee lesley gore etc
ginkaas
@PAT GAVIGAN I'm in COMPLETE agreement!
David Overholt
I still love playing this tune 60 years later! Still have joy in my heart from Helen Shapiro singing with that voice!!!
Donna Lynch
same here 🤗
davidkoury
me too
ginkaas
I can't get enough of this singer!!! Her voice is so smooth and she was so pretty, How did the U.S.A. miss her?