Lulu is the stage name of Scottish singer Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, who became a major pop and soul performer in the 1960s. Her powerful, slightly raspy voice helped her stand out from many of the era’s singers, and she later represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest and continued performing for decades.
“To Sir with Love” was released in 1967 and became Lulu’s signature recording. Written by Don Black and Mark London for the film To Sir, with Love, starring Sidney Poitier, the song was used over the film’s closing credits and became an enormous international hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
A few interesting points
- Artist: Lulu
- Born: 1948, Lennoxtown, Scotland
- Song: “To Sir with Love”
- Released: 1967
- Writers: Don Black and Mark London
- Film connection: To Sir, with Love (1967), starring Sidney Poitier and Judy Geeson
- U.S. chart success: No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100
- Billboard year-end: The song was the No. 1 single of 1967 in the United States.
- Lulu’s voice: Her soulful delivery gave the song an emotional quality that helped distinguish it from a conventional movie-theme ballad.
- Other Lulu hits: “Shout,” “The Boat That I Row,” “The Man with the Golden Gun,” and “The Man Who Sold the World” are among her other notable recordings.
“To Sir with Love” remains one of the defining recordings of Lulu’s career—a heartfelt 1960s song that successfully connected the worlds of pop music, soul, and cinema. Its combination of Lulu’s expressive voice and the song’s message of gratitude gave it a lasting place in the music of the era.