Mary Hopkin

Mary Hopkin (Pontardawe, Wales, 3 May 1950) is a Welsh singer.

Her single Those Were the Days, produced by Paul McCartney, was released in the United Kingdom in August 1968 on the Apple label. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the US charts. The song is an adaptation of the Russian composition Dorogoy dlinnoyu, written by Boris Fomin with lyrics by Konstantin Podrevsky.

Hopkin also recorded McCartney’s composition Goodbye (officially credited as a Lennon–McCartney song), which was also produced by McCartney. Both tracks have appeared on numerous compilation albums, although these usually feature re-recorded versions, as Apple has rarely granted permission for the original recordings to be included on such collections.

In 1970, Hopkin represented the United Kingdom at the fifteenth Eurovision Song Contest with the song Knock, Knock Who’s There?, finishing in second place.

Mary Hopkin released three studio albums on the Apple label: Post Card, Earth Song/Ocean Song, and Those Were the Days.

In 1971, Hopkin married record producer Tony Visconti. After their marriage, she greatly reduced her recording career to devote more time to her family. The couple divorced in 1981. During that period, she also recorded as Hobby Horse with her husband, releasing the single Summertime Summertime. The song, which runs for just under two minutes, became a summer hit in the Netherlands and Germany in 1972. It spent nine weeks on the Dutch Veronica Top 40, peaking at number seven, and reached number five on the Daverende Dertig chart on Hilversum 3. The B-side of the single was Sweet and Low.

In 2010, nearly Mary Hopkin’s entire catalogue was reissued in newly remastered editions on both vinyl and CD.

The song that you can hear this week is :
Think About Your Children