ANNE SHELTON - “Lay Down Your Arms”
(21st September 1956)
Straight-backed and strident march ordering a returning soldier back to his lovin’ duties with Anne. A shoo-in for No.1 in 1946 I’d have thought, but ten years later it sticks out like a teddy boy in a bearskin hat. (More anachronism fun with the lyrics too - “A girl who loves a soldier is either sad or gay”! Hur hur.) Shelton sounds bossily prim on the verses and downright scary on the chorus - rarely has demob seemed so unappealing. For all that “Lay Down Your Arms” has a brash charm - if there were any more songs like this on the list I’d probably despise it; as it is curio value wins out. 3
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Rosie on April 8th, 2007
It’s ripe for parody of course. I’m sure the I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again team would have had a go but I’m certain that it found its niche finally as the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation’s company song, Share and Enjoy in the second radio series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, circa 1979.
Tez Burke on September 20th, 2007
The most interesting thing about this stentorian and somewhat atavistic record is that it was Joe Meek’s first number one; the future genius of Holloway Road worked as engineer on this.
Marcello Carlin on September 20th, 2007
Second - he also engineered “Let’s Have Another Party” for Atwell.
andy on October 17th, 2007
great song rousing and the troops were happy to hear Ann sing this during the war
Marcello Carlin on October 17th, 2007
Do you mean Suez?