Petula Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and song… Read Full Bio ↴Petula Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child performer and has had one of the longest careers of any British entertainer, spanning more than eight decades. Clark's professional career began during the Second World War as a child entertainer on BBC Radio. In 1954 she charted with "The Little Shoemaker", the first of her big UK hits, and within two years she began recording in French. Her international successes have included "Prends mon cœur", "Sailor" (a UK number one), "Romeo", and "Chariot". Hits in German, Italian, and Spanish followed. In late 1964 Clark's success extended to the United States with a four-year run of career-defining, often upbeat singles, many written or co-written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent. These include her signature song "Downtown" (US number one), "I Know a Place", "My Love" (US number one), "A Sign of the Times", "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love", "Who Am I", "Colour My World", "This Is My Song" (by Charlie Chaplin) (a UK number one), "Don't Sleep in the Subway", "The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener" and "Kiss Me Goodbye". Between January 1965 and April 1968 Clark charted with nine US Top 20 hits in the US, where she was sometimes called "the First Lady of the British Invasion".

Clark has sold more than 68 million records. She has also enjoyed success in the musical film Finian's Rainbow and in the stage musicals The Sound of Music, Blood Brothers, Sunset Boulevard, and Mary Poppins.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petula_Clark

Discography
Petula Clark Sings (1956)
A Date with Pet (1956)
You Are My Lucky Star (1957)
À Musicorama (1958)
Petula Clark in Hollywood / Pet Clark (1959)
Prends mon coeur (1959)
Tête à tête avec Petula Clark (1961)
Rendez-vous avec Petula Clark (1962)
In Other Words (1962)
Petula (1962)
Le soleil dans les yeux (1963)
Ceux qui ont un coeur (1964)
Hello Paris (1964)
Petula au Canada (1964)
Downtown (1965)
I Know a Place (1965)
The World's Greatest International Hits (1965)
Petula '65 (1965)
My Love (1966)
I Couldn't Live Without Your Love (1966)
Petula Clark '66 (1966)
Colour My World (1967)
These Are My Songs (1967)
C'est ma chanson (1967)
Petula Italiana (1967)
The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener (1968)
Petula (1968)
Portrait of Petula (1969)
Just Pet (1969)
Memphis (1970)
Warm and Tender / The Song of My Life (1971)
Comme une prière (1972)
La chanson de Marie-Madeleine (1972)
Now (1972)
Come On Home (1974)
I'm The Woman You Need (1975)
Je reviens (1977)
Destiny (1978)
Where The Heart Is (1998)
Here For You (1998)
Solitude & Sunshine: The Songs of Rod McKuen (2007)
Lost in You (2013)
From Now On (2016)
Living For Today (2017)
Vu d'ici (2018)

The Good Life
Petula Clark Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, the good life, full of fun,
Seems to be the ideal
Yes, the good life let's you hide
All the sadness you feel.

You won't really fall in love,
For you can't take the chance
So be honest with yourself,

Don't try to fake romance.

It's the good life
To be free and explore the unknown,
Like the heartaches
When you learn you must face them alone.

Please remember, I still love you,
And in case you don't know,

Well, just wake up,
Kiss the good life "hel-lo".

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Petula Clark's song “The Good Life” seem to celebrate the idea of living a carefree life, full of thrill and fun experiences. However, once the lyrics are scrutinized closely, it becomes apparent that the good life is more of a mirage to hide the deep-seated pain and sadness in one’s heart. The opening lines suggest that the good life is an illusion, one that people believe to be the perfect existence, but it's just an idea in their heads. The good life becomes a means of escape from the harsh reality of life, a kind of defense mechanism to protect oneself from the pain of heartbreak, loneliness, and despair.

As the song progresses, Petula Clark describes how the good life can lead to a life of loneliness, and it becomes a way of avoiding the risks of falling in love. The lyrics imply that people who choose the good life avoid love because of the fear of getting hurt. They would rather explore the unknown and be free to experience different things in life without falling in love with anyone. Towards the end of the song, there is a strong sense of yearning as the singer tells the person they still love them, and if they wake up, they can say hello to the good life together.

Overall, the song “The Good Life” portrays how the idea of the perfect life is just an illusion that people use as a way of escaping the pain and hardships of reality. The lyrics suggest that while the good life may seem like a great way to avoid heartbreak and the pain that comes from it, it ultimately leads to a life of loneliness.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, the good life, full of fun,
The singer believes that the good life is filled with joy and excitement.

Seems to be the ideal
The idea of the good life appears to be perfect and desirable.

Yes, the good life let's you hide
Living the good life makes it easy to conceal any feelings of sadness or negativity.

All the sadness you feel.
Even though living the good life might not solve all your problems, it can make you forget about negative emotions and focus on positive experiences instead.

You won't really fall in love,
The artist believes that living the good life means avoiding any risks, such as falling in love.

For you can't take the chance
Taking risks and opening yourself up to the possibility of hurt or pain is considered too dangerous in the good life.

So be honest with yourself,
Instead of pretending to feel something you don't, the singer advises being truthful to your own feelings.

Don't try to fake romance.
Trying to force romantic feelings in the name of idealism is not recommended in the good life.

It's the good life
Once again emphasizing the joys and benefits of living the good life.

To be free and explore the unknown,
Living the good life means having the freedom to experience new things without being tied down by obligations or expectations.

Like the heartaches
Even though the good life is full of excitement and adventure, it can also come with its fair share of pain.

When you learn you must face them alone.
In the good life, there may not always be someone there to help you deal with your problems or emotions.

Please remember, I still love you,
The singer wants to remind someone close to them that they still care about them deeply, despite their belief in the good life.

And in case you don't know,
In the event that the person is unaware of the singer's love for them, they are being informed now.

Well, just wake up,
The singer implores the person to realize the truth in this situation.

Kiss the good life "hel-lo".
Embracing the good life might seem ideal to some, but the artist wants the person to reconsider what truly matters to them before fully committing to such a lifestyle of avoidance and superficial excitement.

Lyrics © PROSADIS
Written by: Jack Reardon, Jean Broussolle, Alexandre Sacha Distel

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Dennis O'Connor

8y↑6

First heard this at sea,1968, during the Vietnam war. One of the guys on board picked up the LP in Hong Kong. When I got home I hounded the same LP and it is now in my prized collection. The memories this brings back are priceless

cashelnd

What a poignant memory of hearing this wonderful recording in a perilous time. I was in high school when I first heard it, in 1968, and still cherish Clark's cover of the song--your reminiscence adds a much deeper context to the pinnacle years of her celebrity. Thank you.