Sandie shaw puppet on a string skor

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"If some pop music critic whom I respected said such things about 'Puppet On A String, I'd think 'Well, that's a bit of an affront'.

Sandie Shaw - Puppet On A String (1967)

"But Sandie Shaw's job was to sing songs, and I wouldn't take her analysis or criticism of the song really seriously," he said.

"She is very dismissive of a song that, by any standard, she should feel a debt to.

The singer is uncertain if the person will still be there for them in the future.

I wonder if one day that,

Reiterates the singer's curiosity about the person's feelings and care.

You'll say that, you care

The singer is eager for the person to express their affection with passion.

The singer is willing to respond positively if the person loves them deeply.

Expresses the singer's readiness to be there for the person if they express deep love.

Like a puppet on a string

Repeats the metaphor of being a "puppet on a string," suggesting a sense of powerlessness or being controlled in the relationship.

I may win on the roundabout

The singer mentions the possibility of winning in some situations but losing in others, suggesting the unpredictable nature of love.

Then I'll lose on the swings

Compares the fluctuations in their love life to the ups and downs of swings on a playground.

In or out, there is never a doubt

The singer feels uncertain about the direction of the relationship, not knowing who is in control.

Just who's pulling the strings

Questions who is manipulating the dynamics of the relationship, as if someone is "pulling the strings" like a puppeteer.

The singer feels emotionally entangled or bound to the person they are singing to.

But where's it leading me to?

It’s very efficiently tooled for Europe, a lively song on a jaunty bed of light orchestration – it sounds a few years out of date, and quite cut off from ‘pop’ as it had developed during the British mid-60s. Love is compared to a fair, with moments of joy and excitement followed by moments of disappointment and sadness.

Read on to find out.

Who wrote 'Puppet on a String'?

Not to be confused with the Elvis Presley song of the same name (written by Roy C Bennett and Sid Tepper for the 1965 movie Girl Happy), 'Puppet on a String' was written by the songwriting team of Bill Martin (words) and Phil Coulter (music).

The duo had only met in 1965, and 'Puppet on a String' was their first high-profile collaboration, but they went on to have a successful partnership that stretched past a decade.

Their other songs included Cliff Richard's own Eurovision entry (and controversial 1968 runner-up) 'Congratulations', and Bay City Rollers hits 'Shang-A-Lang' and 'Saturday Night'.

They also wrote Cilla Black's 'Surround Yourself with Sorrow' and the English translation of Jean-Pierre Bourtayre and Claude François's 'My Boy' as sung by Elvis Presley.

Coulter and Martin also wrote the 1970 England Football World Cup song 'Back Home'...

In 1968 she launched a fashion line and got a TV gig – what is probably true is that “Puppet” became a millstone in terms of the kind of fans she attracted, and her reputation.

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But that doesn’t mean it’s a horrible record – the quick, brassy rhythms suggest jerky marionette movement very effectively, the hooks are good, and Shaw doesn’t let her distaste for the thing show.

ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD 1970.

Expresses uncertainty about where this emotional connection is leading.

I wonder if one day that,

Reiterates the singer's curiosity about the person's feelings and care, echoing the beginning of the song.

You'll say that, you care

The singer is hopeful that the person will express their affection.

If you say you love me madly,

The singer is willing to respond positively if the person loves them deeply, repeating an earlier sentiment.

Reiterates the singer's readiness to be there for the person if they express deep love.

Like a puppet on a string

Repeats the metaphor of being a "puppet on a string," reinforcing a sense of powerlessness or being controlled in the relationship.

I wonder if one day that,

Reiterates the singer's curiosity about the person's feelings and care, echoing earlier lines.

You'll say that, you care

The singer is hopeful that the person will express their affection, mirroring a previous sentiment.

If you say you love me madly,

The singer is willing to respond positively if the person loves them deeply, echoing earlier lines.

Reiterates the singer's readiness to be there for the person if they express deep love, repeating a previous sentiment.

Like a puppet on a string

Repeats the metaphor of being a "puppet on a string," reinforcing a sense of powerlessness or being controlled in the relationship.

Like a puppet on a, string

The song ends with a repetition of the metaphor, emphasizing the feeling of being controlled or manipulated.

Sandie Shaw SongsPublished: January 20, 2024

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'Puppet on a String' by Sandie Shaw: The making of the UK's first Eurovision winner

17 May 2025, 09:00

The Secret History of Eurovision – documentary trailer

As the UK looks to add to its Eurovision wins, we look at its first leaderboard topper.

At the time of writing, the UK has won the Eurovision Song Contest a very respectable five times – only Sweden (6) and Ireland (7) have notched up more victories.

After a whopping five second-place spots, the very first Eurovision win for Le Royaume-Uni came in 1967, with Sandie Shaw's performance of 'Puppet on a String'.

Sandie was a well-established star at that point, having scored six top 10 singles, including the number ones '(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me' and 'Long Live Love''

But as well as Sandie coming at a good time for the UK at Eurovision, it turns out that Eurovision also came at a good time for Sandie.

Do you know who wrote the song, what it's actually about, and what Shaw really thought about it?

TOTP 1970

SANDIE SHAW – "Puppet On A String"

In a sense the UK’s relationship with the Eurovision Song Contest mirrors its attitude to ‘Europe’ as political entity: a conflicted, pendulum-swing mess of amused contempt, cynical superiority, desperate attempts to play catch-up and a fundamental feeling that no matter how hard Britain tries to play the game it will never quite understand or accept the rules.

On the one hand, ‘nobody’ takes the Eurovision seriously.

She owes something to that song because it brought her to a much wider audience than she had beforehand, sold her a lot of records, and I dare say gained her a lot of royalties."

He continued: "She has consistently bad-mouthed 'Puppet on a String'. This reflects the universal desire for love and the willingness to be vulnerable for the sake of that love.

The imagery of a "merry-go-round" and a "roundabout" in the lyrics symbolizes the ups and downs of a romantic relationship.

It's also worth mentioning that Sandie had been caught up in a scandal which was threatening her career.

In 1966, Sandie was named as a co-respondent in the breakup of Ready Steady Go! TV executive Douglas Murdoch and his wife Veronica Sands.

The judge decided that it was the then-18-year-old Shaw who caused the break-up, calling her a "spoilt child who would do anything to gain her own ends".

So Sandie had her reasons to entertain Eurovision, though the whole situation nearly stopped it from happening.

"The BBC wanted to fire me because I had a divorce scandal at the time, just before the contest," she later told Desert Island Discs.

"They didn’t think it was the right image so it was incredibly unpleasant."

But they stuck with her, and of the five-song shortlist performed on The Rolf Harris Show ahead of the contest, it was 'Puppet on a String' that won by a landslide.

What did Sandie Shaw really think of 'Puppet on a String'?

Sandie, it must be said, was not a fan of the song, ranking it bottom of the five possible number she was due to sing.

"I hated it from the very first 'oompah' to the final 'bang' on the big bass drum," she said in her memoir.

"I was instinctively repelled by its sexist drivel and cuckoo-clock tune,"

One of the song's writers, Phil Coulter, hit back in a rant for the ages.

"Sandie Shaw is not one of the greatest brains in the world," he warmed up.

The narrator is bound to their partner, but they question where this connection is leading them.

In conclusion, "Puppet on a String" delves into the themes of vulnerability, longing, and uncertainty in the context of a romantic relationship. The recurring imagery of being manipulated like a puppet underscores the idea that love can make us feel both elated and powerless.

It speaks to the common anxiety of not knowing where one stands in a relationship, and the apprehension that it might not last.

The phrase "I'm all tied up to you" suggests a sense of entanglement or dependency, further emphasizing the feeling of being controlled or manipulated in the relationship. In truth it’s the kind of immediately catchy, mildly annoying song that would have had a good shot at Eurovision whoever was singing it.

*Shaw’s record sales were on the wane in 1967, so her career as a pop star was on shaky ground anyway, “Puppet” or no.

This timeless song captures the universal experiences and emotions associated with love, making it relatable to anyone who has ever grappled with the complexities of romantic relationships.

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Lyrics

The singer is contemplating the possibility of a future event.

You'll say that, you care

The singer hopes that the person they're addressing will express care or affection for them.

If you say you love me madly,

If the person confesses their love passionately, the singer will happily respond.

The singer is willing to be there for the person if they declare their love with great intensity.

The singer compares themselves to a "puppet on a string," suggesting that they feel controlled or manipulated in this relationship.

Love is just like a merry-go-round

Love is described as a merry-go-round, full of the excitement of a fair, implying that it has its ups and downs.

With all the fun of the fair

Love is likened to the fun and unpredictability of a fairground ride.

One day I'm feeling down on the ground

The singer's emotions fluctuate between feeling low and high, much like a fairground ride that goes up and down.

The singer's emotional state shifts rapidly, just like a person going up in the air on a fairground ride.

The singer questions if the person is deceiving or leading them on in this relationship.

Tomorrow will you be gone?

Three months later, 'Think Sometimes About Me' could only match that spot.

The following January, 'I Don't Need Anything' failed to crack the Top 40, only reaching 50.

And while her debut album Sandie charted at number 3 in 1965, the same year's follow-up Me flopped.

Sandie Shaw - (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me - HQ

It was around this time that her manager Eve Taylor started pushing her towards cabaret, and the invitation came in from the BBC.

Sandie was far from certain, but Adam Faith encouraged her to go for it.

Those surges tend to result in us recruiting a top songwriter, or producer, or performer or entrepreneur to win Eurovision – and Sandie Shaw, reluctantly, was the first example.

As its writer admitted, “Puppet On A String” was designed for Eurovision, not for Sandie, so of course Shaw hated it and feared its impact on her career*.

The recurring phrase, "Like a puppet on a string," serves as a powerful metaphor throughout the song, symbolizing the feeling of being controlled or manipulated in a romantic relationship.