The Last Remaining Virgin in London

Abstract

Lulu was fourteen when she released her first single, a virtuosic cover of the gospel-inspired “Shout.” This chapter connects Lulu’s use of vocal techniques with Black American origins to public perceptions of her youthfulness and to conversations about her sexuality. Lulu was barely out of childhood when she began her career and her youthful performances of respectability responded to racial anxiety. First, the chapter discusses Lulu’s rise in the Glasgow music scene; then, it examines media representation of Lulu’s virginal persona. This is followed by discussion of her voice in the context of anxiety over race, drawing examples from her performances in the films Gonks Go Beat and To Sir with Love. The chapter then explores Lulu’s efforts to reinvent herself in the late 1960s and closes with a postscript on Lulu’s recent concert performances.