5. Her father found a Newlove... but carried on with the old one too.
Kirsty MacColl's mum was Jean Newlove. Her father, Ewan MacColl "was also in a relationship with folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Peggy Seeger (a relationship that would continue until his death in 1989), and already had a son with Seeger."
The most prominent fact I knew about Tuesday Weld was that
there was a band named after her. And rather a good band too…
Although I’m unlikely to feature them in Namesakes any time
soon, those guys are not the only band to take Tuesday’s monicker. Here’s a
German combo from the 90s…
Whatever: I figured this would be a quick one. Then I started
digging, and soon discovered that Tuesday (real name Susan) crops up in quite a
few tunes, possibly due to her reputation for playing “impulsive and reckless
women acting out sexually”. A former model and child star, Tuesday turned down
the chance to play Lolita in the Stanley Kubrick film because, “I didn’t have
to play it. I was Lolita.” She also turned down starring roles in Bonnie &
Clyde, Rosemary’s Baby and True Grit, apparently because she knew they would be
big hits and didn’t want the pressure. Perhaps that’s why she dated Elvis but
married Dudley Moore.
There’s a lot more to Tuesday’s story, but you didn’t come
here for the biog. You came for the songs. (Yes, you did.)
Matthew Sweet included a photo of Tuesday Weld on one of his
album covers. Initially the album was called “Nothing Lasts” but apparently
Tuesday didn’t like the inference, so Sweet changed the title to Girlfriend.
In a similar genre to Matthew, here are Doublepluspop, a band
who formed in the late 90s, recorded a bunch of power pop gems, then put them
in the cupboard for a couple of decades, finally releasing them in 2020.
She was Marilyn, Tuesday Weld
We were just 13, but what the hell?
In case you’re wondering, it was an unrequited romance…
She wore a pin for a college boy
Life’s cruel to me
She couldn’t care for the kid with dirty knees
There’s this thing called a sponge? I’m pretty sure they had
those back in the 70s too, City Boy.
Tuesday also gets mentioned in the soundtrack to Hair
alongside Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and Popeye. Pretty
good company to keep.
If I only owned the Pennsylvania Railroad
And if Tuesday Weld would only be my wife (Oh, Tiny!)
If I could only stay sixteen forever
Then I'd know that I'd be satisfied with life.
70s rock dude Walter Egan is the only songwriter I found to
have named a song after Tuesday…
Never mind Sandra Dee and Yvette Mimieux
Forget Carol Lynley, ‘cos she will never do
If you see Connie Stevens, just take her away
‘Cos she can’t hold a candle to, to, to, to
Tuesday!
Although they don’t mention her surname, Swan Dive
took Ms. Weld as inspiration for this catchy little tune…
She’s groovy like it’s 1969
Gives me peace and love
Makes me feel so fine
She’s got some crazy notions
But I don’t mind at all
‘Cos each time she comes around, I fall
For Groovy Tuesday
The male vocalist in Swan Dive was Bill DeMain, a regular
guest on Ricky Ross’s Radio Scotland show, where he provides musical updates
from his home town of Nashville.
I did find a few other lyrical references to Tuesday Weld,
but none of them were really worthy of keeping company with any of the fine
tunes listed above. And they certainly weren’t in the same class as today's final tune, from
a truly classic 80s album…
Introduce me to that big blonde
She’s got a touch of Tuesday Weld
She’s wearing Ambush and a French Twist
She’s got us wild and she can tell
She loves to limbo, that much is clear
She’s got the right dynamic for the New Frontier
