Clair - Gilbert O'Sullivan (1973) 7/5/211

Who is Clair Mills? You might be surprised!

Coming off his huge debut hit, "Alone Again (Naturally)," (which we highlighted back on 3/4/20-- See link below), Gilbert O'Sullivan threw everyone a curveball with a "Great Song" about babysitting!

Hey, why not!? Gilbert loved kids and after his manager, Gordon Mills and his wife, Jo, introduced him to their delightful 3-year-old daughter, Clair, Gilbert offered to be her "go-to" babysitter.

He became like an uncle to Clair, and she always looked forward to having Uncle Ray come over and play. (Ray is Gilbert's real first name).

When he wrote the song, he pulled a clever bait and switch with the lyrics. At first, you think it's a romantic love song, but then the lyrics change and you realize he's babysitting a precocious child.

It was a cute idea, and keeping it all in the family, Papa Gordon played the harmonica on the track. At the end, the giggling child is Clair herself.

Unfortunately, over the years, Gilbert and Gordon grew estranged. There were some lawsuits about royalties and management fees, and Gordon lost them all. Their relationship was shattered, Gordon and Jo divorced, and they all lost touch--until Gordon sadly passed away.

In 2009, Clair and Jo reunited with Gilbert at one of his concerts at Royal Albert hall in London. Then, in 2019, Clair was on hand to see Gilbert sing the song to 25,000 people at a BBC Orchestra performance in Hyde Park. Now a woman with two children of her own, Clair burst into tears because the song meant so much to her, and THAT meant a lot to...Uncle Ray.

For the record, in 1973, the song was a Top 10 hit in 8 countries, including #1 in the UK, Ireland, Norway, and Canada. In the US, it reached #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart and #2 on the Hot 100.

"Clair" by Gilbert O'Sullivan, a "Great--and Cute--Song of the '70s!

"Alone Again (Naturally)" blog post: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelCuuuk/posts/292236095583178