Before Taylor Swift, there was the Cleaners of Venus song "Clara Bow"

As the world awaits the April release of Taylor Swift's new album containing a song titled "Clara Bow" ... I'm reminded of an earlier song with that same title. I speaking of the Cleaners of Venus 'swonderful "Clara Bow", from their 1986 album Living with Victoria Grey. This song, which I've always liked a lot,  used to stream on the now defunct RadioLulu, the Louise Brooks Society station which streamed Louise Brooks and silent film inspired music of the 1920s, 1930s and today. It can be streamed here and on Spotify. Give it a listen.

If you're not familiar, The Cleaners of Venus were / are a lo-fi alternative/indie pop/rock band from England. The band, lead by musician and poet Martin Newell, formed in 1980 and released their first album in 1981 and are still going strong. As a matter of fact, Newell is currently playing dates around England. (see the schedule below) Visit Newell's Cleaners of Venus website for details and more. 

Here are the lyrics to "Clara Bow".

[Verse 1]
I saw your face on the silent screen
And on the cover of a magazine
Clara Bow
You were the image of a plastic age
You spent your lifetime in a silent cage
Clara Bow

[Chorus 1]
Clara Bow
Is it true the camera struck you dumb?
Clara Bow
I would like to see your pictures but I can't

[Verse 2]
You were the lipstick butterfly
No need for words when you can flutter your eyes
Clara Bow
And you were living in an "It" world, "It" girl
But you were speaking for American working girls
Clara Bow

 

[Chorus 2]
Clara Bow
Did your money make it any better?
Clara Bow

I would like to hear you speaking but I can't

[Solo - Interlude]
Clara Bow
Clara Bow

[Chorus 3]
Clara Bow
Did your money make it any better?
Clara Bow
I would like to hear you speaking but I can't

(I can't)

[Outro]
Clara Bow
Clara Bow

 

BTW: there is a documentary about Newell on amazon prime. It is called The Jangling Man. The Cleaners of Venus also have a BandCamp page.  And here are some of the band's upcoming dates. I hope he plays "Clara Bow."

Following Taylor Swift's Grammy Awards announcement of her forthcoming album containing the "Clara Bow" song, news stories have begun appearing about the silent film actress -- explaining who she was to a new generation. A few of them have mentioned Bow's contemporary, Louise Brooks. Here is one of them, "Who is Clara Bow? And why did Taylor Swift name a song after her?", which appeared in Entertainment Weekly. And here is another from the New York Post, "Who is Clara Bow? Taylor Swift cites ‘It Girl’ actress with tortured past for new song title." 

The best of them, "The silver screen legend who inspired Taylor Swift’s latest song," appeared in the Australian Women's Weekly. It quotes Louise Brooks, "'[Clara] was an absolute sensation,' noted fellow star Louise Brooks, another icon of the era. 'She just swept the country. I thought she was wonderful – everybody did. She became absolutely a star overnight without nobody’s help'.

And here is another, "TAYLOR SWIFT CLARA BOW'S FAMILY THRILLED W/ TRIBUTE ... 'Her Name Lives On!'", which appeared on TMZ. I also noticed David Stenn's heartbreaking 1988 biography, Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild is selling briskly on amazon, and like a Taylor Swift song, is rising through the charts.

One look at that cover image suggests why the Cleaners of Venus and now Taylor Swift have sung about Clara Bow, one of the very biggest film stars of the 1920s. Did you know she once received 45,000 fan letters in a single month? If you need a little more convincing, check out this video clip from IT (1927), which is accompanied by an even earlier song about the It girl.

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