DANA Brookside Theme Song 1984 (FoD#12)

DANA sings the Brookside theme tune! It's listed as an unreleased single called So Clear*. The Liverpool-based soap opera devised by Phil Redmond first appeared on TV on 2 November 1982, the day Channel 4 first began broadcasting. During its 21-year lifespan it was often the channel's highest rated show with over 8 million viewers. Dean Sullivan, who played Jimmy Corkhill so well, also played Prince Danilo in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, staged at the Liverpool Empire in 1988/89. Snow White was played by DANA.
She returned to Liverpool soon after that panto to offer support at a fundraising event held at the Adelphi Hotel, in aid of the then-recent Hillsborough disaster, where 96 people were crushed to death due to overcrowding at the Liverpool v Nottingham Forest FA Cup semi-final, held at the Sheffield Wednesday stadium on 15 April 1989.
In her fan club newsletter dated June 1984 she mentioned this song:
"Now... I'm sorry to say that the new single So Clear had to be withdrawn due to opposition from the publishers who felt the lyrics did not reflect the character of the programme Brookside. I was very disappointed at their decision as I had already recorded three television shows featuring the song and it left us too late to find a replacement single. Ah well! These things happen. We will now, most likely, have to wait till next Spring to release new material."
I see the clouds how they are a-changing
Shadows of life's ups and downs
The places people rearranging
Have always meant so much to me
How can it be so clear and yet so hard to see
Those backstreet days when we were younger
With all the dreams we used to share
The ferry boats across the river
The tiny waves with time to spare
How can it be so clear and yet so hard to see
How can it be so clear and yet so hard to see
The open doors, the smiling faces
People were there to lend a hand
But now those days are just empty spaces
But now they've taken them away
How can it be so clear and yet so hard to see
To see
So hard to see
Theme music written by Dave Roylance and Steve Wright.
Trivia: This is another rescued bondbrookebond upload that got deleted ~ 2009
*On 7 May 2020 bondbrookebond uploaded an audio version taken from the Ladybirds programme. It doesn't sound like the finished article, though, as her vocals are drowned out by the music (some will say that's a good thing!). Still nice to hear. • Dana * So Clear * Broo...

[@jend80]

This clip is from It's Mike Yarwood (Thames, 1984) , the full tv special including a better quality version of this performance is on the Freemantlemedia dvd It's Mike Yarwood "And this is me.

[@roimlil]

Great song, good god Dana, what a beautiful woman with a voice that haunts my soul.

[@davidatkins5004]

What a great little find! I had no idea this even existed and I'm the biggest Brookie fan.

[@AdamSmith-tv9su]

David Atkins snap I still bang on about it now it pisses me off they got rid of it and kept hollyoakes 😑

[@waynehigham6504]

Who was ur favourite character

[@0800338833]

Wayne Higham Sinbad sticks out as a contender for me 👍🏻

[@waynehigham6504]

@@0800338833 for me Barry grant I know him well

[@jasonvarley6952]

I couldn't believe that someone actually sang the Brookside theme song it's amazing and I'm also a brookside fan

[@thisbighush]

I simply love it and wish it was a single

[@michaelhoare5037]

What a find! The words seem to fit the Brookie theme tune perfectly. Although this is not the first time a soap theme tune has set to words. In Eastenders Anita Dobson sang Anyone can fall in love and in Howard's way Marti Webb sang Always there.

[@shill_8573]

Well it was the first time in that case as it was before either of those shows/songs 😜

[@johnpearson8190]

HELL YEAH RELEASE THIS NOW

[@marcelinoteran4628]

Una muñeca viviente saludos dana donde estés

[@tsg50647]

..love it!❤

[@adiupton-winiarczyk7692]

Love this!! ❤

[@marthasheilds2446]

Brookside song like Eastenders has a vocalist to thier song.

[@lucygillespie3409]

Only Dana can make Brookside's theme song sound beautiful 😆

[@richardhewitt-dutton9395]

I didn't know Brookside theme had lyrics originally

[@jamesrolfe6180]

This could have been a hit single

[@faltskog36abba]

it was and it didn't chart.

[@chriswinwood6501]

Blimey

[@GeoNeilUK]

How I would have loved to have seen Cilla Black sing a 1960s style Merseybeat of this. Sadly, that will never be :'(

[@CaptainSiCo]

When the Channel 4 programme 'Ladybirds' featured Dana, a video clip was shown featuring a studio version of this track. The title was just captioned as 'Vocal version of the theme to Channel Four's serial Brookside'.

[@johnpineapple3329]

I thought I was going to hate it...

[@bondbrookebond]

Will put the studio version of this up soon!

[@bondbrookebond]

Sorry Alan been so busy of late, I should explain better than I did above, it is indeed the Studio take she made and was first aired on the Tv programme Ladybirds. I just have to convert the tape to digital and upload it here. Its not high quality though I must stress but listenable/watchable all the same. If I can I will put the whole show up on KZbin for everyone. Will take a bit of time though...watch this space.

[@bondbrookebond]

@@alanwilson04 Hi Alan, really sorry about the long delay on this one, there's me shouting my mouth off about an upload, and months later (nothing). I am determined to not let this one beat me, and will do my best to get it up on here very soon. With my music uploads its a simple straight forward conversion from vinyl to cd to digital upload, with this one being from video, I need to get the right equipment to do it, because I have loads of material to convert for KZbin from this source. Cheers.

[@CaptainSiCo]

I remember seeing a video clip of the studio version on the show Ladybirds - Dana came in out of the rain shaking her umbrella, I think!

[@bondbrookebond]

@@alanwilson04 Its up now at last, really sorry for the lllllong delay! It would be great if you can remaster it in some way. link....kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5aqiKWdqLaMnbs

[@danwoodward23]

It's like a slow northern soul song

[@ALLKINDSOFDANA]

Would love to see that Ladybirds programme. From what you say it seems there is no title to the song, so I'll stick with BTS. Studio version? Sounds like she did record it after all. I want to buy it!

[@CB1A2]

Hi, I'm just wondering whether the studio version of the song will be appearing on KZbin any time soon? The update was posted in September.

[@RAFchurchlawford4469]

It's here at last but her voice is buried in the mix. Sounds like a demo version 😕 kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5aqiKWdqLaMnbs

[@ku______]

Can anybody point me in the direction of a higher quality version? Please!!!

[@RAFchurchlawford4469]

It's here at last but her voice is buried in the mix. Sounds like a demo version 😕 kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5aqiKWdqLaMnbs

[@jend80]

It's on the dvd It's Mike Yarwood "And This Is Me" released by Freemantle media - performance is from the Thames special It's Mike Yarwood from 1984.

[@iant9461]

Reminiscent of ABBA The Visitors. Bjorn and Benny could ABBAfi this no problem.

[@johnjtm1097]

Who actually wrote the words to this song?

[@nathansumray6344]

Mersey clasic

[@ALLKINDSOFDANA]

I agree, TVGIRL5! If only they had kept that "body under the patio" storyline going for...ever, the programme might still be running. But no - they just could not resist having someone find that corpse almost immediately. Missed opportunity!

[@ALLKINDSOFDANA]

I've transcribed the lyrics in response to your excellent question, but cannot see an obvious title to this song. How can it be so clear and yet so hard to see?

[@TheKonga88]

Gooly goo goo volleyball wilson and pies 🐒🐵🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🏠🏠

[@garethheywood1433]

I would love to get hold of this on c.d. Any ideas how. I love it

[@garethheywood1433]

How can I get this on any CD. Means a lot. Any help pls x

[@terrykennedy2413]

what are the words

[@joshsmith2911]

The words she is singing

[@gbmruk123]

shame there is no lyrics

[@ALLKINDSOFDANA]

+George Boon Click on Show More and you'll see them.

[@gbmruk123]

thank you mate

[@strumbolli]

Sounds like something Bowie should've done with Eno and Iggy in Berlin

[@97channel]

Lol, I love Brookside and I've nothing against Dana, but that was awful. Good grief.

[@keithroberts8693]

She was overdressed as usual but did her best with an awful song ... although her best is not that good. Nice find.

[@alanhansen3230]

This was in the 80s.... She would have actually been considered underdressed! Haha