So it was announced today that Peter Sarstedt who wrote, sung Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) passed away on the 8th of January 2017. That song I know and you may know from Wes Anderson 2007’s film The Darjeeling Limited and was the opening track on that soundtrack album. To be honest I didn’t known of him before the movie but it was a big number one hit back in the late 60’s.
Sarstedt was India-born, UK-raised singer-songwriter and died at the age of 75 from after a six-year battle with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. He’s got dozens of album and 50 year career. I should know more about him but I’m just recycling the BBC there.
What I do know is I love this song and played it madly after seeing this movie, around the same time last year I wrote about David Bowie and then Life Aquatic but he’s known for alot more than just that. Wes Anderson is my fave film director so it seems I have to bang on about the songs he’s used in his movies. It does remind me of one ex-gf who’s birthday is a couple of days before his death too. In the movie Jason Schwartzman‘s character puts his ipod on to play this song and Natalie Portman‘s character says “What the hell are you listening to?” or something like that, which does sound like alot of my old ex-gfs too. Anyway the track has a mad amount of references thrown into the songs lyrics which here’s list of them all:
Marlene Dietrich: American-German actress and singer
Zizi Jeanmaire: French ballerina
Pierre Balmain: French fashion designer
Boulevard Saint-Michel: a street in the Latin Quarter of Paris
The Rolling Stones: British rock band
Sacha Distel: French singer
Sorbonne: University of Paris
Pablo Picasso: Spanish modern artist
Juan-les-Pins: the beach resort on the French Riviera
Saint Moritz: the ski resort in the Swiss Alps
Napoleon brandy: French brandy or Cognac
Aga Khan: Islamic leader and racehorse owner
It’s song as story of a girl named Marie-Claire who grows up from the backstreets of Naples then became a member of the Paris jet set or if you never heard of than term, it’s basically in 50’s/60’s an international social group of very wealthy people who travelled around the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people, to quote Wikipedia. Off course I’ve now got to included the all the words now too:
Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) lyrics
You talk like Marlene Dietrich
And you dance like Zizi Jeanmaire
Your clothes are all made by Balmain
And there`s diamonds and pearls in your hair
You live in a fancy appartement
Of the Boulevard of St. Michel
Where you keep your Rolling Stones records
And a friend of Sacha Distel
But where do you go to my lovely
When you’re alone in your bed
Tell me the thoughts that surround you
I want to look inside your head
I’ve seen all your qualifications
You got from the Sorbonne
And the painting you stole from Picasso
Your loveliness goes on and on, yes it does
When you go on your summer vacation
You go to Juan-les-Pines
With your carefully designed topless swimsuit
You get an even suntan, on your back and on your legs
When the snow falls you’re found in St. Moritz
With the others of the jet-set
And you sip your Napoleon Brandy
But you never get your lips wet
But where do you go to my lovely
When you’re alone in your bed
Tell me the thoughts that surround you
I want to look inside your head, yes I do
Your name is heard in high places
You know the Aga Khan
He sent you a racehorse for chistmas
And you keep it just for fun, for a laugh haha
They say that when you get married
It’ll be to a millionaire
But they don’t realize where you came from
And I wonder if they really care, they give a damn
But where do you go to my lovely
When you’re alone in your bed
Tell me the thoughts that surround you
I want to look inside your head
I remember the back streets of Naples
Two children begging in rags
Both touched with a burning ambition
To shake off their lowly brown tags, yes they try
So look into my face Marie-Claire
And remember just who you are
Then go and forget me forever
`Cause I know you still bear
the scar, deep inside, yes you do
I know where you go to my lovely
When you’re alone in your bed
I know the thoughts that surround you
`Cause I can look inside your head
So that’s the song again with Natalie and Jason lifted from Hotel Chevalier which was the short film prequel to The Darjeeling Limited. Plus at the top of the page is his Top Of The Pops performs in 1969. The main image here is Sarstedt old 7″ single cover from the 60’s too.
Who else loves this track?
a1000mistakes 
I’m old enoiugh to remenber this song when it was first released. Iconic and very much of its time. A great song.
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That’s cool! Yeah I guess it is very much of its time too.
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