Lynsey de Paul
A fiercely independent singer-songwriter who broke male-dominated barriers in the 1970s UK music scene with her sharp pop songcraft and production savvy.
1948–2014 (age 66)·English singer-songwriter and record producer·Birthday: June 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Lynsey de Paul arrived in the glam and glitter of early 1970s Britain with a potent combination of melodic genius and business acumen that set her apart. She first made her name writing hits for others, like 'Storm in a Teacup' for The Fortunes, before stepping into the spotlight herself with the slinky, irresistible 'Sugar Me'. De Paul wasn't just a performer; she was a meticulous arranger and producer, taking control of her sound in an industry where women were rarely afforded such authority. Her career was a mosaic of firsts: the first British woman to have a self-penned number one, a successful Eurovision entry with 'Rock Bottom', and ventures into film scoring and television. With her distinctive winged-eye makeup and assertive presence, she carved a path as a sophisticated, self-contained artist in a pop world often dismissive of female talent.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Lynsey was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Lynsey Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Lynsey's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2014Died at 66
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- First British female artist to have a UK No. 1 single with a self-written song ('Won't Somebody Dance With Me').
- Represented the United Kingdom in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing second with 'Rock Bottom'.
- Wrote and produced the UK Top 10 hit 'Sugar Me', which also became a success across Europe.
- Composed the score for the film 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' and the theme for the TV show 'No Honestly'.
Did You Know?
She was a trained painter and attended the Hornsey College of Art.
She was briefly engaged to actor James Coburn in the 1970s.
She was a vocal advocate for composers' rights and served on the board of the Performing Right Society.
She wrote the theme music for the UK television show 'Heartbeat'.
“I've always been my own producer and my own arranger. I like to be in control of my own destiny.”
