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Music and Lyrics Between Friends: Petula & Dee Shipman's Creative Journey

 

Dee Shipman's path to Petula Clark began through another legendary figure: Charles Aznavour. In 1976, Dee began a fruitful partnership with Aznavour, writing English lyrics for many of his songs including Pretty Shitty Days, A Very Private Christmas, and You Make Me Hungry For Your Loving. It was Aznavour who introduced Dee to Petula, sparking a creative partnership that began in 1978 and flourished for decades.

Together, Petula and Dee wrote over 50 songs for Petula's commercial recordings and stage projects, more than Petula has written with any other collaborator. Their most prominent joint venture was the original musical Someone Like You, which toured the UK in 1989 and transferred to the West End in 1990. The show showcased Petula not only as a performer but as a composer with dramatic range and emotional depth.

In a 2008 BBC Radio interview, Dee recalled the origins of Someone Like You, noting that Petula had already begun composing music and had a clear vision for the project. Petula invited Dee to join as lyricist, and their collaboration quickly took root. Their songwriting process was deeply hands-on, Petula preferred to work side by side at the piano, where ideas would organically evolve into full compositions.

Dee described their partnership as creatively intimate and intuitive, with songs often emerging directly from their shared sessions at the piano. However, despite the strength of their collaboration, the production itself proved challenging. Dee acknowledged that Someone Like You was deeply personal to Petula, something she had nurtured for over 15 years. Dee considered herself the project's "godmother," having helped shape and support it from its early stages.

Unfortunately, as the production progressed, additional creative voices and competing visions began to influence the direction of the show. Other writers were brought in to revise the book, and the original concept started to fragment. Dee candidly reflected that the experience ultimately became difficult for both of them, as the project was pulled in multiple directions.

Their second musical, Zola, based on the life of Emile Zola, remains unfinished but yielded a whole score of striking compositions. Two songs from the score were released on the 2007 Sepia Records CD In Her Own Write, a collection that also includes selections from Petula's score for the TV docudrama Petain, a project Dee co-wrote and co-produced in 1989. The film starred Harry Andrews in his final role, with Petula's music adding a haunting dimension to the historical narrative.

In 2008, during a BBC Radio interview, Dee candidly discussed the fate of Zola, the second musical she developed with Petula. She explained that the show was never staged simply because it remained incomplete, most notably, it lacked a finished book. After the emotionally difficult experience of bringing Someone Like You to the stage, both she and Petula felt creatively drained and reluctant to embark on another theatrical venture at that time. As a result, they each moved on to other projects.

Despite its unfinished status, Dee spoke warmly of the Zola project, describing the material they had created as exceptional. She referred to the musical as her "baby," underscoring the personal significance and creative investment she had in the work.

Dee's creative reach extended far beyond her work with Petula. With Aznavour, she co-wrote songs for Lautrec, a musical that premiered at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth in 2000 before transferring to London's Shaftesbury Theatre. She also collaborated with Eartha Kitt on a musical adaptation of Molly Bloom's Soliloquy from James Joyce's Ulysses, performed at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Yet through all these ventures, her bond with Petula remained singular. Their songs are marked by emotional truth, melodic elegance, and a shared sensitivity to the human experience. The sheer volume and variety of their output together stands as a testament to the depth of their creative connection, unmatched by any other collaborator in Petula's career.

In 2007, Dee reflected on Petula with the following words:

Even when someone is an iconic celebrity, we each carry our own unique perception of them. Petula Clark is internationally known as a gifted singer and actress, a household name across decades and continents. Yet fewer know her as a composer, a role in which she shines with quiet brilliance.

For me, this is the Petula I know best. I have my own special 'map' of the world that is Petula: not just the performer, but the writer, the collaborator, the melodist. We were friends and co-writers for many years, and to me she represents a rare phenomenon in the music business, a composer who is both a supreme melodist and someone who deeply honors the lyric. Her auditory and kinesthetic sensitivity, her attunement to sound and feeling, permeates everything she writes. Her modesty about her writing ability only underscores what I believe: she is one of the most underrated popular composers of our time. Not only do I rate her music highly, she is a joy to work and be with.

Dee Shipman passed away at her home in Hitchin on 11 June 2020, aged 77, leaving behind a resonant and enduring body of work. Her partnership with Petula stands as a testament to what happens when two artists meet not just in craft, but in spirit. Their songs, whether heard on stage, on record, or in quiet reflection, carry the imprint of a rare and beautiful collaboration.

Though many of their songs reached audiences through stage, studio, and broadcast, a quiet trove of unfinished collaborations between Dee Shipman and Petula Clark still survives, preserved on lyric sheets and audio tapes. These fragments, never fully realised but rich with promise, remain as tender echoes of a creative partnership defined by trust, melody, and mutual respect. They speak not only to what was, but to what might have been.

At the Fan Archive Collection, we were fortunate to have known Dee Shipman personally and to have witnessed her immense talent firsthand. Our collaboration with Dee included work on reviving the Zola score, and we proudly served as executive producers for the original concept cast recording of J'Accuse...! - The Passions of Emile Zola, recorded at London's renowned Angel Studios between January and March 2011.

As an archive, we have carefully documented Dee's creative partnership with Petula and present this page in tribute to their remarkable body of work.

Timeline of Key Milestones in Petula & Dee's Creative Partnership:

Year(s)	Key Highlights
1976	Dee Shipman begins her songwriting partnership with Charles Aznavour, who would later introduce her to Petula

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1978	Petula and Dee write their first song together. On With The Show marks the beginning of a prolific collaboration that would span for four decades

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1985 - 1986

Early development begins on Someone Like You, their original musical Petula records the first demos including Young 'Un at Redwood Studios, London Marjorie Barnes, Paul Jones and Steve Barton join the project, voicing characters in future demos as the musical evolved Dee and Petula's first commercial collaboration, Mad About You, was recorded and featured on the 1986 Petula album Give It a Try

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1987 - 1989

Recorded in 1987 in Hilversum, Holland, Colours of Love, featuring lyrics by Dee and music by Petula, was included on Clark's European album This Is My Song, also released under the title My Greatest Petula and Dee co-write How and it is released as the flip to Life's a Game on Fly Records Petula and Dee co-write You'll Sail in the Sun for the Canadian Society for Research on Alzheimer's Disease The song is recorded in English and French and released on the cassette album Je Me Souviens / I Remember Dee co-produces the TV docudrama Petain, with portions of the score composed by Petula Petula and Dee begin writing their second musical J'Accuse ... The Passions of Emile Zola First demons for Zola recorded in Hexton by Petula, Dave Willetts, Barbara Clark, Dee Shipman and Ian Wilson arranged by Kenny Clayton

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1989 - 1990

Someone Like You premieres in the UK and transfers to the West End, showcasing Petula's music and Dee's lyrics in a full-scale production.

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1991	The first demos for J'Accuse ... The Passions of Emile Zola are recorded in Southgate under the musical supervision of Paul Bateman

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1998	Dee and Petula co-write World War II, which was ultimately performed live in 2000

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2002	Dee pens an alternate lyric for All Through the Years (a song from Someone Like You), which Petula records and releases, offering a fresh interpretation of the original song

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2007	Sepia Records releases In Her Own Write, featuring selections from Someone Like You, Zola and Petain, and other tracks preserving rare Clark / Shipman compositions

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2011	Dave Willetts, Meredith Braun and Jill Martin head a studio concept  cast recording of J’Accuse...! The Passions of Emile Zola, released by Stage Door Records

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2020	Dee passes away on 11 June, leaving behind a legacy of lyrical depth and theatrical storytelling. Her partnership with Petula remains the most extensive co-writing relationship of Clark's career

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The Petula and Dee Songbook: A-Z of Their Compositions:
It is worth noting that each of these compositions exists in recorded form, whether as a commercially released studio track, a formal studio demo, a domestic demo, a soundboard recording, an ambient audience recording or a writing-session tape, ensuring their preservation. In certain cases, multiple iterations of a composition exist across varied recording contexts, including studio sessions, domestic demos, and informal writing tapes, reflecting the evolving nature of the material.

Composition	Project
All That Matters To Me	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
All Through The Years	Someone Like You
Amen	Someone Like You
An Ordinary Man	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
Anger	Dave Willetts Debut Album
(It's A) Big Big Country	Someone Like You
Celebrate	One-Woman-Show
Colours Of Love	This Is My Song Album / My Greatest
The Credo	Someone Like You
Empty Spaces	Someone Like You
The Face Of Love	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
The Fight	Someone Like You
Friend Of My Heart	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
Get It Together	Someone Like You
Getting The Right Thing Wrong	Someone Like You
Green Hills Of Old England	Someone Like You
Green Hill, West Virginia	Someone Like You
Guess You've Got A Lot To Learn	Someone Like You
Here We Are	Someone Like You
Home Is Where The Heart Is	Someone Like You
Honour Of France	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
How	Commercial single
I Am What You Need	Someone Like You
I Know You	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
Into The Light	Someone Like You
It's Not Enough	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
It's Up To You	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
I've Had Enough	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
Liberty	Someone Like You
Look Where The Journey Led	Someone Like You
Losing You	Someone Like You
Love For Life	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
Love Is All That Really Matters	Someone Like You
Mad About You	Give It A Try Album
Now	Proposed Commercial Recording
On With The Show	The first collaboration
One Man Woman	Someone Like You
Paris - Take A Look Beneath The Surface	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
Picking Up The Pieces	Someone Like You
Respectable	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
Round And Round	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
So Easy	Someone Like You
Soldier Blues	Someone Like You
Someone Like You	Someone Like You
This Isn't How I Planned It	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
Three Time Loser	Someone Like You
(I Love You) Ti Amo	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
Together At Last	Proposed Commercial Recording
Too Good To Be True	Someone Like You
Too Soon (Ken's Song)	Song idea in tribute to Dee's husband Kenneth Shipman
What Can One Person Do?	Someone Like You
What You Got!	Someone Like You
Without You	Someone Like You
World War II	One-Woman-Show
Words, Words, Words	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
The Writer	J'Accuse! ... The Passions of Emile Zola
You'll Sail In The Sun	Canadian Society for Research on Alzheimer's Disease
Young 'Un	Someone Like You

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In Their Own Hand: Petula & Dee’s Musical Keepsake

As part of the Fan Archive Collection, we are proud to hold a handwritten music manuscript of the title song from Petula and Dee's musical Someone Like You, presented to cast and creatives as a commemorative gift on the occasion of the show's London opening.

Performed in Act I by the character of the Major and reprised in Act II as a duet between the Major (Dave Willetts) and Abigail (Petula), the manuscript is dated 22 March 1990 and bears personal inscriptions from both creators: "My love as always, Petula Clark" and "Much luv, and thanks, Dee x." Petula's handwritten pencil annotations appear throughout, including musical suggestions such as "Dee, this might be better for Dave in Bb." And the handwritten lyrics are in Dee's handwriting. A photograph of Petula and Dee is printed at the centre of the manuscript, which measures 13" x 10".

This artefact (purchased from an online auction website) is not only a poignant piece of musical theatre history but also a significant testament to Petula's work with Dee as a composer. It stands as a cherished recent addition to the Fan Archive Collection.

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By 2011, the Zola project had been revived, culminating in the recording of a new concept cast album. At this stage, Dee Shipman had restructured the running order, completed a new version of the book, and successfully encouraged Petula to contribute additional material for the production. A subsequent recording was made in 2014, incorporating selections from the 2011 sessions alongside newly written songs. That same period saw Dee and Petula host a staged reading of the musical at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London's West End, further affirming their commitment to the work's development. 

Following Dee Shipman's passing in 2020, and with a substantial body of new material already developed for the production, Dave Willetts, whom Dee had personally appointed as both lead actor and director, undertook the task of writing a new version of the book. As of now, however, no further progress has been made in advancing the production beyond the recordings and the various unfinished books.

Questions? Drop us an email: info@petula-archives.co.uk