Puppet On A String

"Puppet On A String" was the winning entry for the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest, and the first such win for the UK. The song was Sandie Shaw's thirteenth single; backed by "Tell The Boys" and written by the team of Bill Martin/Phil Coulter, it was released on the Pye label, and also topped the UK singles chart becoming her third number one, a record for a female artist. The song was selected for Eurovision on The Rolf Harris Show, where she performed no less than five potential entries. In a BBC TV programme screened in April 2009, Sandie said for her it was the least favourite of the songs she showcased, something she has apparently said many times before. As with many of her singles, she recorded it in other languages, and it became the biggest seller of the year in Germany. In 2007, she re-recorded the song (in English!) for her sixtieth birthday. This "Puppet On A String" is not to be confused with an earlier song of the same name that was recorded by Elvis Presley.

Despite the song's success, Sandie despised the recording. She later said she hated it "from the very first oompah to the final bang on the bass drum. I was repelled by its sexist drivel."

Phil Coulter explained the song's Eurovision success in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh: "A lot of writers made the mistake of writing for Sandie Shaw, while we wrote for Europe. The song was geared to Europe, even down to using a bassoon on the intro. Right away you are in a fairground and we don't waste any time. You have three minutes for a Eurovision song and the meter's running. That long note at the beginning from Sandie is a rip-off from 'Volare.'"