She was born Sandra Ann Goodrich in 1947. She got her break thanks to a music contest and the patronage of then popstar Adam Faith. Re-named Sandie Shaw, she hit the #1 spot in the UK charts before her 18th birthday and went on to enjoy a further seven Top 10 hits before the 60s were over.
But by 1984, she was mostly forgotten. She had released a handful of singles in the 70s, but there was a gap of 14 years from 1969 – 1983 between albums. I said mostly forgotten, for the fact was a young emerging vocal talent called Steven Patrick Morrissey and his sidekick guitarist called Johnny Marr carried torches for her.
So much so that in April 1984, they hit upon the idea of re-releasing the debut single by The Smiths, only with Sandie singing lead vocal. This took Hand In Glove into the charts and got Sandie back on Top of the Pops for the first time in 15 years. It was a memorable performance in which the three members of the band paid tribute to her by playing barefoot – just the way Sandie had done in her prime. Sandie, to her credit, did a more than passing resemblance to a live Morrissey performance by falling to the floor and writhing around in ecstasy…
At this point in time I only knew of Sandie Shaw as someone who used to get played on the radio when I was a really young kid. I assumed she was a fair age, and so was surprised to learn that she was just 37 years old when her comeback began…..
Aiming squarely for the same market that adored The Smiths, two singles, both cover versions were released in 1986, with the b-sides being straight tributes to Morrissey and then Marr. But while they were given much critical acclaim, neither single, nor a subsequent LP released in 1988, sold well.
As you can see from the above cover, there was also a 12″ single released containing four songs recorded for the Janice Long show on BBC Radio 1. While I knew of the existence of this record, I never owned a copy of it. And I still don’t…..but I one day received a really nice e-mail from a reader of the old blog called Jason Ruff which talked about some great old songs from the 80s, and in which he attached some mp3 files and artwork.
mp3 : Sandie Shaw – Frederick
mp3 : Sandie Shaw – Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
mp3 : Sandie Shaw – Steven (You Don’t Eat Meat)
mp3 : Sandie Shaw – Girl Don’t Come
Note the plethora of great musicians who played on this session….
Enjoy
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
M not exactly glowing in his views on SS in his autobiography , although the same can be said about most people who feature
I still don’t get the Smiths (despite having seen Morrissey live in Concert) but I always loved this Sandie Shaw. Somehow her versions spoke to me whereas the originals still don’t ( i still see SPM as a morose whinger)
Sandi Shaw is the sound of the 60’s for me. She has interpreted Bacharach and David better than anyone to these ears. You did fail to mention her contribution to B.E.F.’s Music Of Quality And Distinction Vol. 1 released in 1982. For this Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh wrapped her gorgeous vocals around a deep piano and synth arrangement of Bacharach and David’s “Anyone Who Had A Heart’ taking the song into an incredible space – yeah I just love this song.
I have to say I enjoyed her take on Hand In Glove and it gives the song a very different dimension lyrically. Her take on Patti Smith’s ‘Frederick’ and especially Lloyd Cole’s ‘Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken’ are sold tracks.
Wow, thats a find, I produced this session along with a lot of other Radio 1 sessions during the 80s. She was a dream to work with, her vocals were brilliant. Thanks for reminding me 🙂