"Fanlight Fanny" is a song written in 1935 by

George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he s ...

Harry Gifford Henry "Harry" Gifford (1884 – 1952) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played at representative level for Great Britain national rugby league team, Great Britain, England national ...

and

Fred E. Cliffe Frederick Cliffe Howchin (11 April 1885 – 22 September 1957), known professionally as Fred E. Cliffe, was an English songwriter, best known for his work co-writing songs with Harry Gifford for entertainer George Formby. He was born in Liverp ...

, and recorded by Formby in May that year. Another notable version was released in 1962 by Clinton Ford.

Song information

The song when originally recorded by George Formby enjoyed a successful release on

78rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

. It was released on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

(F5569) on 29 May 1935. The song also appeared in Formby's 1939 film '' Trouble Brewing'', in which it bore an additional verse. It tells the tale of a tawdry, West End-based woman of a certain age, full with alcohol and shoplifted goods, trying to earn a living in a

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

night spot, where she is "Fanlight Fanny the frowsey night-club queen". The version recorded by Clinton Ford in 1962 had accompaniment by the ' George Chisholm All Stars'. It also, with permission, had added new words written by Ford. "Fanlight Fanny" was Ford's third UK chart hit and his most successful single, reaching 22 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in March 1962. It spent ten weeks in that chart. His album ''Clinton Ford'', also known as ''Clint Ford Sings Fanlight Fanny'' (1962), peaked at 16 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

. It was an ideal type of song to counteract Ford's earlier attempts at

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

, and proved a springboard for much of what followed in his recording career. He later recorded the Wally Lindsay-penned "Fanlight Fanny’s Daughter" (1963), a track also released as a single, albeit with considerably less success. In 1968, on Ford's album ''Clinton The Clown'' (re-released in 1970 on

Marble Arch Records Marble Arch Records was a subsidiary of Pye Records that released budget records from 1964 to around 1980. Compact discs were also released from the late 1980s to around 1994. Background Pye Records created this subsidiary label with in a type o ...

), the song's character reappeared as "Fan-Dance Fanny", a renaming and re-recording which had a small change in lyrical content. With the passage of six years, Fanny wore "dustbin lids on her chest" rather than her earlier "saucepan lids".

Other uses

Formby's original version was used on the soundtrack to the 2008 horror film '' Chemical Wedding''.

References

External links

George Formby Songbook - Lyrics and musicLink to both Formby's and Ford's versions
British songs 1935 songs 1962 singles Comedy songs George Formby songs Songs written by George Formby Songs about fictional female characters Songs written by Fred E. Cliffe Songs written by Harry Gifford (songwriter) {{1960s-pop-song-stub