NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Singer Petula Clark expressed shock and disbelief that her 1964 hit “Downtown” was aired just minutes before a bomb detonated in Nashville on Christmas morning.
“I was told that the music in the background of that strange announcement — was me — singing ‘Downtown’! Of all the thousands of songs — why this one?” the 88-year-old Clark wrote on a Facebook post Tuesday.
“Of all the thousands of songs — why this one?” Clark’s message states. “Of course, the opening lyric is ‘When you’re alone and life is making you lonely you can always go Downtown’. But millions of people all over the world have been uplifted by this joyful song. Perhaps you can read something else into these words — depending on your state of mind. It’s possible.”
Clark said she loved Nashville and wished she could give everyone in the city a hug.
The explosion took place in the heart of Nashville’s historic downtown. The blast killed the bomber, injured several people and damaged dozens of buildings. The RV blared a warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes then switched to a recording of “Downtown” before the blast.
“(Millions) of people all over the world have been uplifted by this joyful song,” Clark wrote. “Perhaps you can read something else into these words — depending on your state of mind. It’s possible.”
Clark rose to success in the 1960s as the most popular female artist to emerge during the British musical invasion with a slew of hits (in addition to the chart-topping “Downtown”) including “Don’t Sleep in the Subway,” “I Know a Song” and “A Sign of the Times.”
