Twinkle and the story of Golden Lights..

[Ruffian]

The year was 1964, Lynne Annette Ripley should have been at home riding ponies and dreaming of finishing school.. But instead she wrote a song about a young girl mourning her dead boyfriend including the controversial lines 'drove into the night, accelerated his motorbike..' and got banned by the puritans at the BBC. And so Twinkle became best known for this international best seller 'Terry' a self penned number that she wrote whilst still at school which had the distinction of being banned on the grounds of bad taste! Yet unlike the more aesthetically pleasing Sandie Shaw she was the only 60's female pop star actually writing her own material... Her follow up 'Golden Lights' also made the charts.. and was later covered by The Smiths, Morrissey being a big Twinkle fan. 'Golden Lights' though, was a poignant comment on the pitfalls of fame.. and this would prove depressingly prophetic...

And so Twinkle retired at the grand old age of 17.. as the record companies took control, and stopped her releasing her own songs.. so when further singles flopped she simply shrugged her shoulders and walked away.. Hmm.. whatever happened to her?

Ruffian..

 

[Billy Budd]

> The year was 1964, Lynne Annette Ripley should have been at home riding
> ponies and dreaming of finishing school.. But instead she wrote a song
> about a young girl mourning her dead boyfriend including the controversial
> lines 'drove into the night, accelerated his motorbike..' and got banned
> by the puritans at the BBC. And so Twinkle became best known for this
> international best seller 'Terry' a self penned number that she wrote
> whilst still at school which had the distinction of being banned on the
> grounds of bad taste! Yet unlike the more aesthetically pleasing Sandie
> Shaw she was the only 60's female pop star actually writing her own
> material... Her follow up 'Golden Lights' also made the charts.. and was
> later covered by The Smiths, Morrissey being a big Twinkle fan. 'Golden
> Lights' though, was a poignant comment on the pitfalls of fame.. and this
> would prove depressingly prophetic...

> And so Twinkle retired at the grand old age of 17.. as the record
> companies took control, and stopped her releasing her own songs.. so when
> further singles flopped she simply shrugged her shoulders and walked
> away.. Hmm.. whatever happened to her?

> Ruffian..

I have a rare interview with her from some time in the mid to late 80s, at this precise moment in time I can't remember what mag it was in or the exact date, or much of the content, I remember her saying in it something about receiving letters from severall well known musical personalities of the time - Morrissey anyone ? I've put it away and haven't dug it out for years, but I might just do that on boring old Sunday. And I'll post some details of it on here next week.

I know little about the original, but I think the Smiths cover is great, anyone who was unaware that it was a cover on first listening to the track, could be forgiven for mistaking it to be one of Moz' own, the lyrics are almost typical Morrissey if you know what I mean.

 

[Ruffian]

> I have a rare interview with her from some time in the mid to late 80s, at
> this precise moment in time I can't remember what mag it was in or the
> exact date, or much of the content, I remember her saying in it something
> about receiving letters from severall well known musical personalities of
> the time - Morrissey anyone ? I've put it away and haven't dug it out for
> years, but I might just do that on boring old Sunday. And I'll post some
> details of it on here next week.

Yes.. do so.. and of course.. it's classic Smiths/Morrissey trivia..

> I know little about the original, but I think the Smiths cover is great,
> anyone who was unaware that it was a cover on first listening to the
> track, could be forgiven for mistaking it to be one of Moz' own, the
> lyrics are almost typical Morrissey if you know what I mean.

I haven't heard the original but I would like too.. I must say, I have heard that the Smiths version is clumsy and ill advised.. but I base that opinion on heresay. It is certainly not one of my favourites but having looked into it a bit more the story of Twinkle kind of lends it some charm. I have a picture here of her and she looks quite tawdry but attractively interesting in a black eye-linered kind of way.

Ruffian

PS, Are you going up/down whatever for this Leeds Panic club on Friday?

 

[Tingle]

Re: Twinkle & Ewell

I believe that Twinkle lived in Ewell, Surrey, and went to school in Kingston (where I live now). I think that her daddy was v.wealthy and that she was on a drive out on a Sunday near Mickleham bends (where all the bikers from miles around congregate) when she dreamed up 'Terry'. There was some TV on her not very long ago. Was it the 'Brit Girls' series which also featured our Sandie?

> The year was 1964, Lynne Annette Ripley should have been at home riding
> ponies and dreaming of finishing school.. But instead she wrote a song
> about a young girl mourning her dead boyfriend including the controversial
> lines 'drove into the night, accelerated his motorbike..' and got banned
> by the puritans at the BBC. And so Twinkle became best known for this
> international best seller 'Terry' a self penned number that she wrote
> whilst still at school which had the distinction of being banned on the
> grounds of bad taste! Yet unlike the more aesthetically pleasing Sandie
> Shaw she was the only 60's female pop star actually writing her own
> material... Her follow up 'Golden Lights' also made the charts.. and was
> later covered by The Smiths, Morrissey being a big Twinkle fan. 'Golden
> Lights' though, was a poignant comment on the pitfalls of fame.. and this
> would prove depressingly prophetic...

> And so Twinkle retired at the grand old age of 17.. as the record
> companies took control, and stopped her releasing her own songs.. so when
> further singles flopped she simply shrugged her shoulders and walked
> away.. Hmm.. whatever happened to her?

> Ruffian..

 

[Tingle]

Re: Twinkle - more

One of her songs was "Unhappy boy"

I believe that Twinkle lived in Ewell, Surrey, and went to school in
> Kingston (where I live now). I think that her daddy was v.wealthy and that
> she was on a drive out on a Sunday near Mickleham bends (where all the
> bikers from miles around congregate) when she dreamed up 'Terry'. There
> was some TV on her not very long ago. Was it the 'Brit Girls' series which
> also featured our Sandie?




Biography

 

[The Magic Fairy]

Re: Twinkle - still more

The excellent RPM UK record label put out a compilation of her material in the early 90s. It's since been reissued, with extra tracks. See link below for more details. You can buy it from the label, if you want.

Further to "Unhappy Boy", she also had a song called "Poor Old Johnny"! Apt.

TMF


Twinkle CD here

 

[Earl]

recent (sort of) Twinkle news

> Hmm.. whatever happened to her?

Twinkle did backing vocals on Jack Oblivian's cd "So Low" in 1998. Haven't heard of anything else though.


Jack Oblivian - So Low