“Clair” by Gilbert O’Sullivan

If the lyrics of Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Clair” had to be described in just one word, that word would probably be strange. Right of the bat, let the reader be aware that the addressee is sort of like the god-niece of the singer. 

And if you listen to the song with that foreknowledge in mind from the onset, the wording is for the most part acceptable, even if relatively unorthodox. In other words, yes, at certain points they sound semi-romantic, or some would even say like a “straightforward love song”. But then in the back of your mind, once again considering the relationship between the singer and the addressee, logically you’re like, ‘nah, can’t be’.

Then at the end of the third passage, Gilbert goes and messes everything up by insinuating that the two of them may get married in the future. Or at least such is what his niece, in her baby-like youth, envisions for herself and “Uncle Ray” (i.e. O’Sullivan) in the future. So perhaps we can say that Claire too is a bit unusual, i.e. a small child who expresses a desire to marry her de facto uncle.

Lyrics get even more Inappropriate?

Then O’Sullivan proceeds to throw fuel on the lyrical fire by alluding to late-night interactions between him and Clair where, after being entreated, he gives her “a drink”. Eventually he does let it be known that the titular female is someone he’s been tasked with ‘babysitting’, as in a child. 

But then he proceeds to use the word “murder” as part of a metaphor pointing to Clair having two different personalities in the night and in the morning. And even beyond using such a violent term in a song about a child, the other wording used in aforementioned metaphor is more reminiscent of a lovemaking tune where similar observations are made.

All in all…

Despite this song being arguably creepy, this track still managed to top the UK Singles Chart. Also as implied earlier, Gilbert O’ Sullivan is in fact cool with Claire’s parents. In fact her dad was his producer at the time. And it was at the parents’ request that he would babysit the child. 

In fact the singer has actually classified this tune, in his own words, as “a family record”. Moreover the adult Clair apparently has no issues with the lyrics at hand. So ultimately, it can be said that whether one finds the words of this song bizarre or not is truly a matter of individual perspective.

Facts about “Clair”

This track is derived from “Back to Front”, Gilbert O’Sullivan’s sophomore album. Gilbert O’Sullivan is an Irish artist whose heyday was during the 1970s (having promptly fallen off thereafter). And “Clair” marks one of two instances where he was able to top the UK Singles Chart. (The other being 1973’s “Get Down”.)

This O’Sullivan classic came out as the lead single from the aforementioned album during October of 1972. It was issued by MAM Records, a British label that went defunct around the early 1990s.

Clair is the daughter of Gordon Mills (1935-1986) and a former model by the name of Jo Waring. At the time that this song was released, she was three years old. 

Meanwhile Mills was the music executive who put O’Sullivan on the map. In fact he was the founder (alongside Tom Jones) as of the abovementioned MAM Records. And ultimately, regardless of how close he and the singer may have been at one point, their relationship soured. Gilbert ended up successfully suing Gordon for a massive amount of money in the 1980s. And this, according to some, largely contributed to Mills passing away prematurely at the age of at the age of 51.

Clair was written solely by Gilbert O’ Sullivan. And it was the selfsame Gordon Mills who produced the track.

This song is not on Spotify, at least not in some areas of the world, even as recently as 2020.

Success on the Charts

Chart-wise, this song was very successful. It reached the pinnacle of the UK Singles Chart and stayed there for a couple of weeks. It also scored number ones in the following countries:

• Canada
• Ireland
• Norway

In the United States, it hit number 2 on the renowned Hot 100 chart.