View source for Lulu (singer)

{{Short description|Scottish singer (born 1948)}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Lulu
| honorific_suffix  = [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]]
| image             = Sound007RAH041022 (25 of 69) (52405441477) (cropped) (cropped).jpg
| caption           = Lulu performing at ''The Sound of 007'', 2022
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie
| alias             = Lulu Kennedy-Cairns
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1948|11|03|df=yes}}
| birth_place       = [[Lennoxtown]], Scotland
| origin            = [[Glasgow]], Scotland
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Pop music|Pop]]|[[pop rock]]|[[blue-eyed soul]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|actress|television personality}}
| instrument        = Vocals
| years_active      = 1964–present
| label             = {{hlist|[[Decca Records|Decca]]|[[Atco Records|Atco]]|[[Music for Pleasure (record label)|Music for Pleasure]]|[[Mercury Records|Mercury]]}}
| past_member_of    = [[The Luvvers|Lulu & the Luvvers]]
| spouse            = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Maurice Gibb]]|1969|1975|end=div}}
* {{marriage|[[John Frieda]]|1977|1991|end=div}}
}}
| module            = {{Infobox person
| embed             = yes
| children          = 1}}
| website           = {{Official URL}}
}}
'''Lulu Kennedy-Cairns''' (born '''Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie'''; 3 November 1948) is a Scottish singer, songwriter, actress and television personality whose career has spanned six decades. Her debut single, a cover version of [[The Isley Brothers]] song "[[Shout (Isley Brothers song)|Shout]]", reached the top ten of the [[UK Singles Chart]] in 1964. In 1967, she rose to international prominence after appearing in the film ''[[To Sir, with Love]]'', singing the [[To Sir with Love (song)|theme song]], the melody written by [[Mark London]], which topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart in the United States for five consecutive weeks and became America's biggest-selling single of 1967.

During the 1960s, she achieved another five top-ten hits on the UK Singles Chart, including "[[Boom Bang-a-Bang]]", which won the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1969|Eurovision Song Contest]] in 1969. With a powerful voice,<ref name="lulu">{{cite book |last=Lulu |title=I Don't Want to Fight |date=2002 |publisher=Time Warner Books |isbn=0751546259 |page=214}}</ref> in 1974, she sang the [[The Man with the Golden Gun (soundtrack)|title song]] for the [[James Bond]] film ''[[The Man with the Golden Gun (film)|The Man with the Golden Gun]]''. In the mid-1990s, Lulu had her first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart: "[[Relight My Fire]]", a collaboration with [[Take That]].

In 2002 she achieved her most recent top-ten entry on the UK Singles Chart when her collaboration with Irish singer [[Ronan Keating]], "[[We've Got Tonite]]", peaked at number  four. She has released 15 studio albums, with ''[[Together (Lulu album)|Together]]'' (2002) being her highest-charting, peaking at number four on the [[UK albums chart]]. She was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in [[2000 Birthday Honours]] and [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[2021 Birthday Honours]] for services to music, entertainment and charity.<ref name="auto">{{London Gazette|issue=63377|supp=y|page=B9|date=12 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57441406|title=Birthday Honours: Lulu and Linda Bauld among Scottish recipients|website=bbc.co.uk|date=11 June 2021 |access-date=12 June 2021}}</ref>

==Life and career==
Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie was born at [[Lennox Castle]], in [[Lennoxtown]] and grew up in [[Glasgow]], in 1948, where she attended Thomson Street Primary School and Onslow Drive School.<ref>Lulu 2002, p. 44.</ref> She lived in the [[Gallowgate, Glasgow|Gallowgate]] area of the city for a while before moving to Garfield Street, Dennistoun.<ref>She lived at 29 Garfield Street, according to an interview with the ''Sunday Post'' newspaper published on 5 April 2015. The interview may be seen here {{cite web |url=http://www.sundaypost.com/tv-showbiz/music-theatre/lulu-i-know-exactly-why-zayn-had-to-flee-the-pressure-of-one-direction-1.860080 |title=Lulu – I know exactly why Zayn had to flee the pressure of One Direction – Music & Theatre / TV & Showbiz / The Sunday Post |access-date=29 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701191639/http://www.sundaypost.com/tv-showbiz/music-theatre/lulu-i-know-exactly-why-zayn-had-to-flee-the-pressure-of-one-direction-1.860080 |archive-date=1 July 2015}} Retrieved 29 June 2015</ref> When she was 12 or 13, she and her manager approached a band called the Bellrocks seeking stage experience as a singer. She appeared with them every Saturday night. Alex Thomson, the group's bass player, said that even then her voice was remarkable. She has two brothers and a sister, and her father, who died at 71,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Jada |date=1 January 2022 |title=Lulu made drastic lifestyle changes after diagnosis left her 'frightened' |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/singer-lulus-drastic-lifestyle-changes-25828887 |access-date=21 January 2023 |website=mirror |language=en}}</ref> was reportedly a heavy drinker.<ref name="Scotsman i">{{cite news |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/interview-lulu-singer-1-1361537 |title=Interview: Lulu, singer |work=The Scotsman |location=Edinburgh |date=9 October 2009 |access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref> Aged 14, she received the stage name "Lulu" from her future manager [[Marion Massey]], who commented: "Well, all I know is that she's a real lulu{{efn|Definition of ''lulu'' by [[Merriam-Webster]]: ''slang'': one that is remarkable or wonderful<ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of ''Lulu'' |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lulu |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=23 June 2018}}</ref>}} of a kid."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Room |first1=Adrian |title=Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins |date=2012 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786457632 |page=298 |edition=5th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eSIhzKnNUf4C&pg=PA298}}</ref>

In August 2017, Lulu's family history was the subject of an episode in the UK series ''[[Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)|Who Do You Think You Are?]]'' The research showed that her mother had been brought up by another family. The investigation into her genealogy showed that Lulu's maternal grandparents had different religions. Her grandfather Hugh Cairns was a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] and her grandmother, Helen Kennedy, was a [[Protestantism|Protestant]]. Cairns had been a member of a Catholic [[Glasgow razor gangs|gang]] and was found in the research to have been in and out of prison at the time of the birth of Lulu's mother. Kennedy was found to be the daughter of a Worthy Mistress of the Ladies' [[Orange Order|Orange Lodge]] 52. The discovery explained why the two families had opposed the union between Kennedy and Cairns.<ref>{{cite web |title=TheGenealogist featured article on Lulu |url=https://www.thegenealogist.com/featuredarticles/2017/who-do-you-think-you-are/lulu-606/ |website=TheGenealogist |access-date=18 August 2017}}</ref>

===Early chart hits===
[[File:To Sir with Love - The Boat That I Row - Billboard ad 1967.jpg|thumb|right|190px|''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' advertisement, 24 June 1967]]

In 1964, under the wing of Marion Massey, she was signed to [[Decca Records]]. While only fifteen, her version of [[the Isley Brothers]]' "[[Shout (The Isley Brothers song)|Shout]]", credited to "Lulu & [[the Luvvers]]", and delivered in a raucous but mature voice, peaked at No. 7 on the UK chart. Massey guided her career for more than 25 years, for most of which time they were partners in business, and Massey's husband [[Mark London]] produced some of Lulu's recordings.<ref name="lulu"/>

After the success of "Shout", Lulu's next charting single was "Leave a Little Love" in 1965, which returned her to the UK Top Ten. Her next record, "Try to Understand", made the Top 40.<ref name="Lulu charts UK">{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28001/lulu/|title=Lulu &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com|access-date=13 June 2021}}</ref>

In 1966, Lulu toured Poland with [[the Hollies]], being the first British female singer to appear live behind the [[Iron Curtain]].<ref>Lulu 2002, p. 70.</ref> In the same year, she recorded two German-language tracks, "Wenn du da bist" and "So fing es an", for the Decca Germany label. All her Decca recordings were made available in 2009 on a 2-CD set entitled ''Shout!'', issued on [[RPM Records (UK)|RPM Records]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cherryred.co.uk/rpm/artists/lulu.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804070247/http://www.cherryred.co.uk/rpm/artists/lulu.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 August 2011|title=RPM Records : Lulu|date=4 August 2011|access-date=13 June 2021}}</ref> After two hit singles with [[the Luvvers]], Lulu embarked on a solo career.

After failing to reach the chart in 1966, Lulu left Decca and signed with [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]], to be produced by [[Mickie Most]]. She returned to the [[UK singles chart]] in April 1967, reaching No. 6 with "[[The Boat That I Row]]", written by [[Neil Diamond]].<ref name="Lulu charts UK"/> All seven singles she cut with Mickie Most made the UK Singles Chart, ending with "Boom Bang-A-Bang" reaching number 2 in 1969.<ref name="Lulu charts UK"/> When Most died in 2003, Lulu was full of praise for him and told the [[BBC]] that they had been very close.<ref>{{cite news |last=Heard |first=Chris |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/showbiz/2976450.stm |title=Entertainment &#124; Stars' farewell to producer Most |work=BBC News |date=9 June 2003 |access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref>

Lulu made her acting debut in 1967 ''[[To Sir, with Love]]'', a British vehicle for [[Sidney Poitier]]. Lulu both acted in the film and sang the title song, with which she had a major hit in the United States, reaching No. 1. "[[To Sir with Love (song)|To Sir with Love]]" became the best-selling single of 1967 in the United States. It sold well in excess of one million copies and was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]],<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book |first=Joseph |last=Murrells |year=1978 |title=The Book of Golden Discs |edition=2nd |publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/225 225] |isbn=0-214-20512-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/225}}</ref> being ranked by ''Billboard'' magazine as the number 1 song of the year. In the UK, "To Sir With Love" was released on the [[B-side]] of "Let's Pretend", a No. 11 hit.<ref name="Lulu charts UK"/>

===Television series===
[[File:Fanclub1965Lulu.jpg|thumb|right|Lulu performing "Leave a Little Love" and "He's Sure The Boy I Love", on Dutch TV-programme ''Fanclub'', 11 December, 1965]]

In the late 1960s, Lulu's pop career in the UK thrived and she had several television series of her own. Her first BBC series aired in 1965 on BBC2, where she co-hosted ''Gadzooks! It's The In-Crowd'', with [[Alan David (singer)|Alan David]], completing the run as solo host under the rebranded ''Gadzooks!'' In 1966, she made regular appearances on BBC1's ''Stramash!'' After appearing again on BBC2 in 1967, in a successful TV series ''Three of a Kind'', that featured music and comedy, Lulu was given her own BBC1 TV series in 1968, which ran annually until 1975 under various titles, including ''Lulu's Back in Town'', ''Happening For Lulu'', ''It's Lulu'' and ''Lulu''. The series often featured resident guests, including [[Adrienne Posta]], [[Roger Kitter]], [[Paul Greenwood]] and [[Pan's People]], along with dance troupes choreographed by [[Nigel Lythgoe]] and [[Dougie Squires]]. The 1972 series was billed as ''It's Lulu... Not to mention Dudley Moore'', with [[Dudley Moore]] and his trio appearing in each of the thirteen shows. [[Bernie Clifton]] was her resident guest for the last of the BBC series, airing from January to April 1975. Her BBC series included music and comedy sketches and appearances by star guests.

One episode, from January 1969, is remembered for an unruly live appearance from [[the Jimi Hendrix Experience]]. During that appearance, after playing about two minutes of "[[Hey Joe]]", [[Jimi Hendrix|Hendrix]] stopped and announced, "We'd like to stop playing this rubbish and dedicate a song to [[Cream (band)|Cream]], regardless of what kind of group they may be in, dedicate to [[Eric Clapton]], [[Ginger Baker]], and [[Jack Bruce]]." Hendrix and his band then broke into "[[Sunshine of Your Love]]". The studio director signalled for Hendrix to stop, but he continued. Hendrix was told he would never work at the BBC again, but was unrepentant. He told his girlfriend Kathy Etchingham: "I'm not going to sing with Lulu. I'd look ridiculous."<ref name=Hendrix>{{cite book |last=Cross |first=Charles R |title=Room Full of Mirrors |year=2005 |publisher=Hodder & Staunton |location=London |isbn=0-340-82683-5 |pages=242–243}}</ref>

Concurrently with her TV series, Lulu also hosted several "one-off" specials. They included ''Lulu At Bern's Restaurant'' in 1969, a show recorded in Sweden with [[Dougie Squires|the Young Generation]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/59be6b058d3c4b7b816b68acf99c2e16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418161323/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/59be6b058d3c4b7b816b68acf99c2e16 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2016 |title=Lulu – BBC One London – 8 September 1969 – BBC Genome |website=Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk |date=8 September 1969 |access-date=3 August 2016}}</ref> 1970's ''The Young Generation Meet Lulu'' (also recorded in Sweden),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/80d7998132064a48a2b6f12af7f1df9b |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418171717/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/80d7998132064a48a2b6f12af7f1df9b |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2016 |title=The Young Generation meet Lulu – BBC One London – 18 February 1970 – BBC Genome |website=Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk |date=18 February 1970 |access-date=3 August 2016}}</ref> and ''[[Bruce Forsyth]] Meets Lulu'' in 1975.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/30a855183c86456f9ad573c6c5428778 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111090914/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/30a855183c86456f9ad573c6c5428778 |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 November 2014 |title=Bruce Forsyth Meets Lulu – BBC One London – 27 May 1974 – BBC Genome |website=Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk |date=27 May 1974 |access-date=3 August 2016}}</ref>

===Eurovision Song Contest===
On 29 March 1969, Lulu represented the [[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest]], performing the song "[[Boom Bang-a-Bang]]",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1h53XTJHZYYzpT415wRdC9z/eurovision-1969-lulu |title=BBC One – Eurovision Song Contest – Eurovision 1969: Lulu |publisher=BBC |access-date=28 January 2016}}</ref> written by Peter Warne and Alan Moorhouse. The song was chosen from a selection of six by viewers of her [[BBC One|BBC1]] [[Variety show|variety series]] ''Happening for Lulu'', and on a special show hosted by [[Michael Aspel]] in which she performed all six one after another. One song, "I Can't Go On...", written by [[Elton John]] and [[Bernie Taupin]], came last in the postcard vote but was later recorded by [[Cilla Black]], [[Sandie Shaw]], [[Polly Brown]] and Elton John himself, as well as by Lulu. In [[Madrid]], Lulu was accompanied by [[Sue and Sunny]] while the orchestra was conducted by Lulu's musical director [[Johnny Harris (musician)|Johnny Harris]]. Lulu later recalled:

{{blockquote|I had a series on TV, and [[Bill Cotton]] was the Head of [[Light entertainment]] [at the BBC], and he said to my manager: "I'd like her to do the [[Eurovision Song Contest]], on the series". And she came to me and I went "Why? What do I want to do that for?"...&nbsp;and she said that he said that "you'll get good ratings, and he is the boss, and he wants you to have good ratings. Maybe I could have said no, but I felt I didn't really have a choice in the matter. And I thought... I was full of myself, thinking ratings isn't what it's all about... But, you know, Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote a great song that didn't go through... I had this amazing band, like 20 pieces. We did all these different songs... every single one of us said "Which one is gonna win? Which one is gonna win?" and we all laughed and went: "Bet you it's that Boom boom bang a bang a bang a bang..." But then it won. Somehow there was an intelligence working there... and it was a huge success.}}

[[File:Lulu and The Echoes.jpg|thumb|left|Lulu and the Echoes in Glasgow in 1967]] 

"Boom Bang-a-Bang" won, though three other songs, from [[Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest|Spain]], ("{{lang|es|[[Vivo cantando]]|italic=no}}" by [[Salomé (singer)|Salomé]]), the [[Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest|Netherlands]], ("[[De troubadour]]" by [[Lenny Kuhr]]) and [[France in the Eurovision Song Contest|France]], ("[[Un jour, un enfant]]" by [[Frida Boccara]]) tied with her on 18 votes each. The rules were subsequently altered to prevent such ties in future years, but the result caused Austria, Portugal, Norway, Sweden and Finland not to enter the 1970 contest.<ref>O'Connor, John Kennedy (2007). ''The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History''. London: Carlton. {{ISBN|978-1-84442-994-3}}.</ref> Lulu's song came out the best in sales, with German, French, Spanish and Italian versions alongside the original English. Later she told [[John Peel]]; "I know it's a rotten song, but I won, so who cares? I'd have sung "[[Baa, Baa, Black Sheep]]" standing on my head if that's what it took to win.... I am just so glad I didn't finish second like all the other Brits before me, that would have been awful." Despite her dislike it is her second biggest UK hit to date, reaching number 2 on the chart in 1969.

In 1975, Lulu herself hosted the BBC's ''[[Eurovision: Your Country Needs You|A Song for Europe]]'', the qualifying heat for the Eurovision Song Contest, in which [[the Shadows]] performed six shortlisted songs. In 1981, she joined other Eurovision winners at a charity gala held in Norway, and she was a panellist at the 1989 UK heat, offering views on two of the competing eight entries. In 2009, she provided comment and support to the six acts shortlisted to represent the UK at [[Eurovision Song Contest 2009|Eurovision 2009]] on BBC1 TV.

Just weeks before her 1969 Eurovision appearance, Lulu had married [[Maurice Gibb]] of the [[Bee Gees]] in a ceremony in [[Gerrards Cross]].<ref name=wed>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/18/newsid_2550000/2550641.stm |title=BBC ON THIS DAY &#124; 18 &#124; 1969: Lulu ties knot with Bee Gee |work=BBC News |date=18 February 1969 |access-date=5 September 2011}}</ref> Maurice's older brother [[Barry Gibb|Barry]] was opposed to their marriage as he believed them to be too young.<ref>Lulu 2002, p. 124.</ref> Their honeymoon in Mexico had to be postponed because of Lulu's Eurovision commitment. Their careers and his heavy drinking forced them apart and they divorced in 1973, but remained on good terms.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maurice-gibb-601289.html |title=Maurice Gibb – Obituaries, News |work=The Independent |access-date=5 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826050742/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maurice-gibb-601289.html |archive-date=26 August 2011 }}</ref>
[[File:Lulu and Maurice Gibb 1970.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Lulu and her first husband, Maurice Gibb, {{circa|1970}}]]
===Post-Eurovision===
From 30 June to 2 July 1967, Lulu appeared with [[the Monkees]] at the [[Wembley Arena|Empire Pool]], [[Wembley]], and her brief romance with [[Davy Jones (musician)|Davy Jones]] of the Monkees during a concert tour of the United States in March 1968 received much publicity in the UK press.<ref>Lulu 2002, p. 118.</ref>

In 1969, Lulu recorded ''[[New Routes (Lulu album)|New Routes]]'', a new album, at [[Muscle Shoals Sound Studio|Muscle Shoals]] studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama: several of the songs, including a version of [[Jerry Jeff Walker]]'s "[[Mr. Bojangles (song)|Mr. Bojangles]]", featured [[slide guitar]]ist [[Duane Allman]]. The album was recorded for [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]'s [[Atco Records|Atco label]] and produced by [[Jerry Wexler]], [[Tom Dowd]] and [[Arif Mardin]].

===1970s: ''James Bond'' theme===
Lulu began 1970 by appearing on the [[BBC]]'s review of the 1960s music scene ''[[Pop Go the Sixties]]'', performing "Boom Bang-A-Bang" live on [[BBC1]] on 31 December 1969. She recorded another [[Jerry Wexler]], [[Tom Dowd]] and [[Arif Mardin]] album in the US, ''[[Melody Fair (album)|Melody Fair]]'', and scored a US Top 30 hit, "[[Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)]]", (later covered by [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Tina Arena]], [[Buster Poindexter]], and [[John Holt (singer)|John Holt]]) and collaborated with the Dixie Flyers on "Hum a Song (From Your Heart)".

Four more German-language tracks ("Ich brauche deine Liebe", "Wach' ich oder träum' ich", "Warum tust du mir weh", and "Traurig, aber wahr") were recorded on the Atlantic/WEA label. She was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' on 10 May 1972, when she was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

Lulu was one of the main artists invited to appear on the BBC's anniversary show ''[[Fifty Years Of Music]]'' in 1972. The same year she starred in the Christmas [[pantomime]] ''[[Peter and Wendy|Peter Pan]]'' at the [[Opera House, Manchester]], and repeated her performance at the [[London Palladium]] in 1975. She returned to the same role in different London-based productions from 1987 to early 1989. She made an appearance on the ''Morecambe and Wise Show'' in 1973, singing "[[All the Things You Are]]" and "Happy Heart". Also in 1972, Lulu made a brief but memorable appearance, alongside [[Ringo Starr]], on ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]''. She and Starr fight with [[Michael Palin]], in his "It's Man" character as a talk show host whose programme goes awry.

On 27 May 1974, BBC1 screened ''Bruce Forsyth Meets Lulu'' a special variety TV show for the UK bank holiday.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/30a855183c86456f9ad573c6c5428778 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111090914/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/30a855183c86456f9ad573c6c5428778 |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 November 2014 |title=Bruce Forsyth Meets Lulu |date=27 May 1974 |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 November 2014}}</ref> In 1974, she performed [[The Man with the Golden Gun (soundtrack)|the title song]] for the James Bond film ''[[The Man with the Golden Gun (film)|The Man with the Golden Gun]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Man with the Golden Gun |url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/the-man-with-the-golden-gun-t1326108 |website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=5 September 2011}}</ref> Two slightly different versions of the song were used, at the start and end respectively; James Bond was mentioned in the end version. Released as a single, it is the only Bond film title track not to chart as a single in either the United Kingdom or the United States.

In the same year, Lulu covered [[David Bowie]]'s songs "[[The Man Who Sold the World (song)|The Man Who Sold the World]]" and "[[Watch That Man]]". Bowie and [[Mick Ronson]] produced the recordings. Bowie played saxophone and provided backing vocals. Rumours of a brief affair between him and Lulu were confirmed in her 2002 autobiography.<ref>Lulu 2002, p. 168.</ref> "The Man Who Sold the World" became her first Top 10 hit in five years, peaking at No. 3 in the UK chart in February 1974, and was a Top 10 hit in several other European countries. She recorded other songs with Bowie, including his "Dodo," that were never officially released. In 1975, she released the disco single "Take Your Mama For A Ride", which peaked in the UK chart at No. 37, remaining in the Top 75 for four weeks.

On 31 December 1976, Lulu performed "Shout" on BBC1's ''[[A Jubilee of Music]]'', celebrating British pop music, as part of  Queen Elizabeth II's [[Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II|impending Silver jubilee]] celebrations. In 1977, Lulu became interested in [[Siddha Yoga]]<ref name=yoga>{{cite news |last=Grice |first=Elizabeth |title=Lulu:'I think the best is yet to come – even now' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3635501/LuluI-think-the-best-is-yet-to-come-even-now.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3635501/LuluI-think-the-best-is-yet-to-come-even-now.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=5 September 2011 |newspaper=telegraph.co.uk |date=4 February 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and married hairdresser [[John Frieda]]. They divorced in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glasgowcityofmusic.com/glasgow_city_of_music/history/notable_glaswegians/lulu |title=Lulu |publisher=Glasgow City of Music |access-date=5 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819235138/http://www.glasgowcityofmusic.com/glasgow_city_of_music/history/notable_glaswegians/lulu |archive-date=19 August 2011}}</ref> They had one son, Jordan Frieda.<ref>{{cite news |author=Cassandra Jardine |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3617882/Prince-William-I-needed-the-work.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3617882/Prince-William-I-needed-the-work.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Prince William? I needed the work |publisher=Telegraph |date=28 May 2004 |access-date=5 September 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===1980s: Other ventures===
Lulu's chart success waned in the 1980s but she remained in the public eye, acting and hosting a long-running radio show on London's [[Capital London|Capital Radio]] station.<ref>Lulu 2002, p. 164.</ref> She was associated with [[Freemans]] fashion catalogue during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1979 she recorded for Elton John's label [[The Rocket Record Company]] and released "I Love to Boogie".

Notable London stage appearances came in the early 1980s and included [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'s ''[[Song and Dance]]'' and the [[Royal National Theatre]]'s ''[[Guys and Dolls (musical)|Guys and Dolls]]''. Lulu damaged her [[Vocal folds|vocal cords]] while performing in the Lloyd Webber show, requiring surgery that threatened her singing voice. She co-hosted a revived series of ''[[Oh Boy! (TV series)|Oh Boy!]]'' for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] in the early 1980s. In 1981, she returned to the US chart with "[[I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)]]", a Top 20 hit that also reached No. 2 on the [[Adult contemporary music|Adult Contemporary]] chart despite stalling at No. 62 in the UK. Early the following year, she had a more modest US hit with "If I Were You", which just missed the Top 40, appeared in the video for "[[Ant Rap]]" alongside [[Adam and the Ants]], and was nominated for a [[Grammy Award|Grammy]] for "Who's Foolin' Who" from the "Lulu" album.

She won the [[Rear of the Year]] award in 1983<ref>{{cite web |title=Past Winners |url=http://www.rearoftheyearcompetition.com/past-winners/ |website=Rear of the Year |publisher=Rear of the Year Ltd |access-date=20 December 2014}}</ref> and rerecorded a number of her songs. They included "Shout", which reached the Top 10 in 1986 in the UK, securing her a spot on ''[[Top of the Pops]]''. Lulu was one of only two performers ([[Cliff Richard]] being the other) to have sung on ''Top of the Pops'' in each of the five decades that the show ran. A follow-up single to "Shout", an updated version of [[Millie (singer)|Millie]]'s 1960s hit "[[My Boy Lollipop]]", failed to chart and Lulu stopped recording until 1992, focusing instead on TV, acting and live performances. The two tracks were released on the [[Jive Records]] label. Lulu has had releases on the Decca, Columbia, Atco, [[Polydor Records|Polydor]], [[Chelsea Records|Chelsea]], [[Alfa Records|Alfa]], Jive, Dome, [[RCA Records|RCA]], [[Mercury Records|Mercury]] and [[Universal Records|Universal]] labels. She has also released singles for [[GTO Records|GTO]], Atlantic, Globe, [[EMI]], Concept, Lifestyle, Utopia and Rocket, and [[Epic Records|Epic]] in the US.

In 1985 her first autobiography, ''Lulu : Her Autobiography'', was published.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lulu |title=Lulu : her autobiography. |date=1985 |publisher=Granada |location=London |isbn=0246124768}}</ref> On television, she replaced [[Julie Walters]] as [[Adrian Mole]]'s mother in ''[[The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (TV series)|The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole]]'' in 1987. In 1989 and 1990 she voiced the title character in the animated series ''[[Nellie the Elephant (TV series)|Nellie the Elephant]]'' on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]. In 1989, Lulu and her manager of 25 years, Marion Massey, parted company. During their twenty-five year association, Massey and Lulu were equal partners as a business enterprise but, encouraged by her husband [[John Frieda]], Lulu ended their business association in 1989 as she was frustrated that she was no longer seen as a recording artist and Massey was unable to further her recording career.<ref>Lulu 2002, page unknown.</ref>

===1990s: Musical comeback===
In 1993, Lulu made a recording comeback with the single "[[Independence (song)|Independence]]", which reached No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart. It was the title track from the ''[[Independence (Lulu album)|Independence]]'' album, and all four singles released from the album reached the lower ends of the UK chart, as did two later singles, released in 1994. Her second single after "Independence" was "I'm Back for More", a duet with soul singer [[Bobby Womack]], which charted at No. 27. The album was not successful, peaking at No. 67 in the [[UK Albums Chart]]. Also in 1993, the song "[[I Don't Wanna Fight]]", co-written by Lulu, her brother Billy Lawrie, and [[Steve DuBerry]], became an international hit for [[Tina Turner]].

Later that year, she guested on the [[cover version]] of the [[Dan Hartman]] song "[[Relight My Fire]]", with [[boy band]] [[Take That]]. The single reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and Lulu appeared as Take That's supporting act on their 1994 tour. At that time, she also appeared as an unhappy public relations client of Edina Monsoon in two episodes of the BBC television programme ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'', and teamed with [[French and Saunders]] many times, including their send up of the [[Spice Girls]] (the Sugar Lumps) for [[Comic Relief]] in 1997, when she took the role of "Baby Spice", mimicking [[Emma Bunton]]. An album, provisionally titled ''Where the Poor Boys Dance'', was completed in late 1997 and due for release in early 1998, but was postponed by the record label, Mercury.<ref>Lulu 2002, p. 290.</ref> A single, "Hurt Me So Bad", was released in April 1999, which rose no higher than No. 42 in the UK and, a year later, the title track from the cancelled album reached No. 24, with Lulu appearing on ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' to promote it.

In 1999, Lulu returned to BBC One to host the Saturday night [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lottery]] game show ''Red Alert''. The theme song, sung by Lulu, was released as a single but only reached No.59 in the UK. She also co-wrote and recorded a duet with UK pop singer [[Kavana (singer)|Kavana]] entitled "Heart Like the Sun", but it was not released commercially until Kavana's 2007 "greatest hits" collection, ''[[Special Kind of Something – The Best of Kavana|Special Kind of Something: The Best of...]]''.

===2000: Return to prominence and ''Together''===
[[File:Lulu cropped.jpg|thumb|right|Lulu in 2004]]

Now known as Lulu Kennedy-Cairns<ref>Lulu 2002, p. 307.</ref> (her late mother's birth name before she was adopted by the McDonald family<ref>Lulu 2002, p. 5.</ref>), in 2000 she was awarded an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire|OBE]] by Queen [[Elizabeth II]]. Lulu's autobiography, published in 2002, was titled ''I Don't Want to Fight'' after the [[I Don't Wanna Fight|hit song]] she and her brother wrote with songwriter [[Steve DuBerry]] for [[Tina Turner]], a song that Lulu herself released in 2003 as part of her album ''[[The Greatest Hits (Lulu album)|The Greatest Hits]]''. Her 2002 gold album, ''[[Together (Lulu album)|Together]]'', was a collection of duets with Elton John and [[Paul McCartney]] among others, tracks from which were performed in a high-profile TV special for ITV, ''[[An Audience with...|An Audience With Lulu]]'', which saw Lulu reunited with her first husband [[Maurice Gibb]] for a live performance of "[[First of May (Bee Gees song)|First of May]]". Her rendition of "We've Got Tonight", with Ronan Keating, reached No. 4 in the United Kingdom, matching the chart peak of the ''Together'' album.

In 2000, Lulu sat on the 5,387,862nd and final classic Mini when it came off the production line.<ref>{{cite news | title = End of the Mini | publisher = [[BBC News Online]] | date = 4 October 2000 | url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/955500.stm | access-date = 28 January 2016}}</ref> In the ceremony at the [[Birmingham]] factory, Lulu drove a red [[Mini Cooper]], registration 1959–2000, off the track to music from ''[[The Italian Job]]'', the 1969 film in which several Mini Coopers featured prominently. In 2004, she released the album ''[[Back on Track (Lulu album)|Back on Track]]'' and went on a UK-wide tour to celebrate forty years in the music business. The album charted at No. 68. In late 2004, she returned to radio as the host of a two-hour radio show on BBC Radio 2, playing an eclectic blend of music from the 1950s to the 2000s. In 2005, Lulu released ''A Little Soul in Your Heart'', a collection of soul classics that entered the [[UK Albums Chart]] at No. 28. In March 2006, she launched her official [[MySpace]] profile. She also appeared on the popular British comedy programme ''[[The Kumars at No. 42]]''.

Lulu continued to act occasionally and starred alongside [[Tom Courtenay]] and [[Stephen Fry]] in the British film ''[[Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?]]'' She also appeared in the BBC's reality TV show ''[[Just the Two of Us (TV series)|Just the Two of Us]]'' in 2006 as a judge, alongside [[Trevor Nelson]], [[CeCe Sammy]] and [[Stewart Copeland]]. She was replaced by [[Tito Jackson]] for Series Two in 2007. In late June and early July 2006, she appeared on Take That's tour of the UK and Ireland to perform their song "Relight My Fire". She appeared on ''[[American Idol]]'' Season 6 on 20 March 2007 as a mentor for the female contestants, and the following night performed "To Sir With Love". Later in 2007, she appeared in the UK as a guest for [[Jools Holland]] in a series of concerts and features, and on Holland's CD release "Best of Friends", performing "Where Have All the Good Guys Gone?" Lulu's complete Atco recordings, made between 1969 and 1972, were released on 12 November 2007. The two-CD set included previously unreleased and demo versions of some of her recordings from this period. In December 2007 she released a download single on [[iTunes]] in the UK, called "[[Run Rudolph Run]]". At this time Lulu was also promoting a range of beauty products on [[QVC (UK)|QVC]], called "Time Bomb", and appeared on a 2007 Christmas television advert for the [[Morrisons]] supermarket chain in the UK.

[[File:Lulu guesting for Jools Holland at Border Hill 230607.jpg|thumb|left|Performing with [[Jools Holland]] at [[Borde Hill Garden]] 23 June 2007.]]

In November 2008, Lulu was announced as one of a number of Scottish celebrities to feature in the advertising campaign for [[Homecoming Scotland 2009|Homecoming Scotland]], a year-long event to encourage people around the world with Scottish heritage to return to Scotland. Also in November 2008, Lulu posted the following message on her website, celebrating the election of [[Barack Obama]] as President of the United States: "Barack Obama Is In – Yippee, now we have got hope in the World. I've just turned 60, Obama is the new president of the USA and I think its going to be a fantastic year. Love Lu X". In the 1979, 1983 and 1987 [[United Kingdom general elections overview|UK general elections]], Lulu had been a supporter of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].<ref name=Tory>{{cite news |title=Interview: Lulu, singer |url=http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/interviews/Interview-Lulu-singer.5720745.jp |access-date=6 September 2011 |newspaper=Scotland on Sunday |date=11 October 2009}}</ref>

In January 2009, Lulu began a four-week stint as an advisor/coach on the BBC show ''[[Eurovision: Your Country Needs You]]'', helping to choose the singer to represent the UK at the [[2009 Eurovision Song Contest]]. In the summer of 2009, Lulu guest presented on [[STV (TV network)|STV]]'s daily lifestyle show ''[[The Hour (magazine series)|The Hour]]'', alongside main presenter [[Stephen Jardine]]. She appeared between 27 and 31 July. The Scottish magazine programme airs weekdays at 5pm. Around this time she pitched her range of "Lulu's" anti-ageing products and other cosmetics through the home shopping channel QVC (UK), using her youthful appearance as a promotional tool. After appearing at an [[ABBA]] tribute concert in [[Hyde Park, London]] during September 2009, Lulu announced that she would be touring the UK in a [[Here Come the Girls (concert tour)|Here Come the Girls]] alongside [[Chaka Khan]] and [[Anastacia]]. The trio promoted the concert series on UK TV, ahead of the first performance in November 2009, which took on twenty different dates.

===2010s: Touring and Commonwealth Games ===
[[File:Lulu (2010).jpg|thumb|right|Lulu performing in [[Glasgow]] in 2010 during the [[Here Come the Girls (concert tour)|Here Come the Girls]] tour]]

In early 2010, Lulu sang the theme "The Word Is Love" for the film ''[[Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!!]]'' and toured the UK a second time with [[Here Come the Girls (concert tour)|Here Come the Girls]] alongside [[Anastacia]] and [[Heather Small]]. In November 2010 she hosted the BBC TV series ''Rewind the 60s'', with each episode focusing on a year during the 1960s, highlighting the social and political issues of the decade, as well as music and interviews with personalities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00w8n4p |title=BBC One&nbsp;– Rewind the 60s |publisher=BBC.co.uk |date=2 June 2011 |access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref>

On 26 February 2011, she appeared in the second heat in the third series of ''[[Let's Dance for Comic Relief]]''. She danced to [[Soulja Boy]]'s hit "[[Crank That (Soulja Boy)|Crank That]]". In May 2011, she made an appearance on the ITV2 programme, ''[[Celebrity Juice]]'' and, in July 2011, she performed at the [[Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/2011/04/07/lulu-set-for-llangollen-international-musical-eisteddfod/ |title=Lulu set for Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod « Shropshire Star |publisher=Shropshirestar.com |date=15 August 2015 |access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref> In October and November 2011, Lulu took part in the BBC series ''[[Strictly Come Dancing (series 9)|Strictly Come Dancing]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m8dq |title=Strictly Come Dancing |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |work=BBC News |date=17 October 2011 |access-date=17 October 2011}}</ref> Partnered by [[Brendan Cole]], she was eliminated 5th.

In August 2014, Lulu opened the [[2014 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony|closing ceremony]] of the [[2014 Commonwealth Games|2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/sports-Bytes/minogue-sparkles-in-glittering-cwg-closing-ceremony.html |title=Minogue sparkles in glittering CWG closing ceremony |date=4 August 2014 |work=The Pioneer [Glasgow] |access-date=30 August 2018}}</ref> On 11 February 2015, she appeared on ''[[The Great British Bake Off|The Great Comic Relief Bake Off]]'' in aid of [[Comic Relief]], when she revealed that she had never before made a pastry.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b052sjf9 |title=BBC One&nbsp;– The Great Comic Relief Bake Off, Series 2, Episode 1 |work=BBC |access-date=11 February 2015}}</ref> On 1 April 2017, she appeared as a guest on ''[[All Round to Mrs. Brown's]]'' alongside [[Holly Willoughby]] and [[Phillip Schofield]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ltmgn |title=All Round to Mrs. Brown's − Episode 2, Series 1 |publisher=BBC |access-date=30 August 2018}}</ref> On 17 August 2017, she was the subject of the BBC's ''[[Who Do You Think You Are? (UK TV series)|Who Do You Think You Are]]'' programme.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/08/17/do-think-lulus-family-history-not-much-shout-review/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/08/17/do-think-lulus-family-history-not-much-shout-review/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Who Do You Think You Are? Lulu's family history was not much to shout about&nbsp;— review  |author=Gerard O'Donovan |date=17 August 2017 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=30 August 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

On 19 March 2018, she joined the cast of ''[[42nd Street (musical)|42nd Street]]'' playing the lead role Dorothy Brock for a 16-week tenure.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://britishtheatre.com/lulu-42nd-street-dorothy-brock/ |title=Lulu Joins The Cast Of 42nd Street as Dorothy Brock |author=Douglas Mayo |date=23 February 2018 |work=British Theatre.com |access-date=30 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/theatre/923151/Lulu-42nd-Street-West-End-leading-role-Dorothy-Brock-Theatre-Royal-Drury-Lane |title=Lulu RETURNS to West End with leading role in 42nd Street |author=Sarah Westcott |date=23 February 2018 |work=[[Daily Express]] |publisher=Express Newspapers |access-date=30 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/lulu-will-return-to-west-end-after-30-years-as-dorothy-brock-in-42nd-street |title=Lulu Will Return to West End After 30 Years as Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street |author=Andrew Gans |date=23 February 2018 |work=Playbill |access-date=30 August 2018}}</ref> Between April and June 2019, Lulu toured with Take That and their Greatest Hits tour, performing "Relight My Fire". On 18 December 2019, she performed "Run Rudolph Run" and "Shout" in the ''[[Miss World 2019]]'' pageant.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uls9LLML3dE | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/Uls9LLML3dE| archive-date=2 November 2021 | url-status=live|title=Run Rudolph Run Lulu MISS WORLD 2019 | date=18 December 2019|publisher=Miss World – Youtube |access-date=18 December 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWOjAA7I6Pw | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/eWOjAA7I6Pw| archive-date=2 November 2021 | url-status=live|title=Lulu 'Shout" Miss World 2019 | date=18 December 2019|publisher=Miss World – Youtube |access-date=18 December 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===2020s: ''The Masked Singer'' and television===
[[File:Sound007RAH041022 (25 of 69) (52405441477).jpg|thumb|right|Lulu performing at ''The Sound of 007'', 2022]] 
In October 2021, Lulu was a guest judge on the BBC program ''[[RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 3)|RuPaul's Drag Race UK]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BBC Three – RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Series 3, Episode 6|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09y9bgd|access-date=29 October 2021|website=BBC|language=en-GB}}</ref> In March 2022, she voiced a character in ''[[My Old School (2022 film)|My Old School]]'', the film about 30-year-old fraudulent pupil Brandon Lee at [[Bearsden Academy]] in Glasgow, and also sang the closing theme, "[[My Old School (song)|My Old School]]".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sabljak |first1=Ema |title=Alan Cumming impresses Lulu in My Old School about 30-year-old schoolboy Brandon Lee |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19968106.alan-cumming-impresses-lulu-old-school-30-year-old-schoolboy-brandon-lee/ |access-date=6 January 2023 |work=The Herald (Scotland) |date=4 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|CjkvbzReCRU|My Old School}}</ref>

In January 2023, Lulu appeared on the fourth series of ''[[The Masked Singer (British series 4)|The Masked Singer]]'' as "Piece of Cake". She was the second contestant voted out of the competition.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Masked Singer reveals pop icon Lulu, 74, behind Piece of Cake's mask in second elimination |url=https://metro.co.uk/2023/01/07/the-masked-singer-who-was-second-celebrity-revealed-as-piece-of-cake-is-eliminated-18058601/ |last=Bashforth |first=Emily |date=7 January 2023 |access-date=7 January 2023 |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]}}</ref> Her ''For The Record'' UK Tour in 2023 was Lulu's first tour since 2019, an ambitious and extensive return to her live performance schedule.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.luluofficial.com/ |access-date=21 January 2023 |website=Lulu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sloan |first=Billy |title=Billy Sloan meets Lulu: 'I loved a satsuma at Christmas... and Ziggy Stardust' |url=https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/lulu/ |access-date=21 January 2023 |website=The Sunday Post |language=en-US}}</ref>  

On 3 November 2023, to celebrate her seventy-fifth birthday, Lulu announced her ''Champagne for Lulu!''  UK tour dates for 2024; her only London performance, held on 17 April at the [[London Palladium]], marked the sixth decade anniversary of her first hit single, ''Shout''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lulu announces Champagne for Lulu tour to mark 60 years since 'Shout': Dates, venues, and ticket details |url=https://www.goldradiouk.com/news/music/lulu-champagne-tour-dates-venues-tickets/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Goldradiouk.com|language=en}}</ref>

On 29 June 2025, Lulu was a special guest for [[Rod Stewart]] who played the Legends spot at the [[Glastonbury Festival 2025|Glastonbury Festival]], with the set being broadcast live by the [[BBC]]. The pair sang Stewart's 1978 hit "[[Hot Legs]]", the first time they had performed together.<ref>{{cite web | title=Glastonbury 2025: Rod Stewart joined by Ronnie Wood, Lulu and Mick Hucknall in Pyramid Stage legend's slot | website=[[NME]] | date=29 June 2025 | url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/glastonbury-2025-rod-stewart-joined-by-ronnie-wood-lulu-and-mick-hucknall-in-pyramid-stage-legends-slot-3874444 }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
[[Maurice Gibb]] and Lulu married on 18 February 1969 and separated in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|author=Marion Adriaensen |url=http://www.brothersgibb.org/history-part-4.html |title=History Part 4 |publisher=Brothersgibb.org |date=25 November 1966 |access-date=27 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117155230/http://www.brothersgibb.org/history-part-4.html |archive-date=17 January 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{fv|date=September 2025}} Their careers and his heavy drinking forced them apart and they divorced, childless.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maurice-gibb-601289.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maurice-gibb-601289.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Maurice Gibb – Obituaries, News |work=The Independent  |access-date=5 September 2011}}</ref> The divorce was finalized on 21 August 1975. Gibb later said they both drank: "We didn't have any responsibilities, we'd just party."<ref name=drink>[[Woman's Day]] Australia, 3 October 1992. "Maurice Gibb: Demon Drink", page 8.</ref>

From 1977 until 1991, [[John Frieda]] was married to Lulu and together they had a son, actor Jordan Frieda.<ref>{{cite book |first1= Lulu |last1= Kennedy-Cairns |title= Lulu: I Don't Want To Fight |publisher= Little, Brown Book Group |date= 17 February 2011 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=h0pH1gWLfYgC |isbn= 978-0-7515-4625-5 |accessdate= 15 April 2018}}</ref>

Lulu has said she had an affair with David Bowie in the 1970s.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/lulu-affair-david-bowie-not-wanting-children-fancies-barack/|title=Lulu on her affair with David Bowie, not wanting his children and why she fancies Barack Obama|first=Telegraph|last=Reporters|work=The Telegraph |date=11 February 2017|via=www.telegraph.co.uk |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In 1993, when she recorded “[[Relight My Fire]]” with [[Take That]], she and [[Jason Orange]] had “a very brief dalliance.”<ref name="auto2"/>

In September 2025, to coincide with the publication of her memoir ''If Only You Knew'', Lulu stated in an interview with [[BBC News]] that she was an [[alcoholic]], had attended [[Alcoholics Anonymous]], and had been sober for almost 12 years.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Savage |first1=Mark |title=Lulu: Telling the world I'm an alcoholic was liberating |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g7p8l8214o |website=BBC News |access-date=24 September 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250924093353/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g7p8l8214o |archive-date=24 September 2025 |date=23 September 2025}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Lulu discography}}
{{div col}}
* ''[[Something to Shout About (album)|Something to Shout About]]'' (1965)
* ''Love Loves to Love Lulu'' (1967)
* ''[[Lulu's Album]]'' (1969)
* ''[[New Routes (Lulu album)|New Routes]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Melody Fair (album)|Melody Fair]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Lulu (1973 album)|Lulu]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Heaven and Earth and the Stars]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Don't Take Love for Granted]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Lulu (1981 album)|Lulu]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Take Me to Your Heart Again]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Independence (Lulu album)|Independence]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Together (Lulu album)|Together]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Back on Track (Lulu album)|Back on Track]]'' (2004)
* ''A Little Soul in Your Heart'' (2005)
* ''[[Making Life Rhyme]]'' (2015)
{{div col end}}

==TV shows==
{{Main|Gadzooks! (TV programme)|Three of a Kind (1967 TV series)|Lulu's Back in Town (TV series)|Happening for Lulu|It's Lulu (TV series)}}
Lulu appeared three times on ''Show of the Week'', twice in 1969 and once in 1972. In early 1978, she was the regular guest on ''[[The Les Dawson Show]]'' on BBC1.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=asc&q=the+les+Dawson+show+lulu&svc=9371541#search |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305160139/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=asc&q=the+les+Dawson+show+lulu&svc=9371541#search |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 March 2016 |title=It's Lulu |website=Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk |access-date=3 August 2016}}</ref> From 1999 to 2000, Lulu hosted 14 episodes of ''[[Red Alert (game show)|Red Alert with the National Lottery]]''.

Lulu has also appeared in a number of TV specials, including one with [[Bruce Forsyth]] in 1974 and ''Lulu's Big Show'' in 1993 taped at Glasgow's Tramway. Another special in 1999 was dedicated to Lulu's life and career.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/dc0cc397e0394909a0d4fe2c0ff1d786|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118225243/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/dc0cc397e0394909a0d4fe2c0ff1d786|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 November 2017|title=It's Lulu! – BBC One London – 12 November 1999 – BBC Genome|website=Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk|date=12 November 1999 |access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref>

Lulu also lent her voice to the cartoon [[Nellie the Elephant (TV series)|Nellie the Elephant]], voicing the titular character and singing the theme song.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

Lulu appeared in a one-off episode of ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'' in November 2002, titled "Harmony", as singer Deborah Vine, mother of a rising star who becomes pregnant. She sings "To Sir, With Love" at a concert, and is joined on stage later by her daughter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/tv/17-famous-faces-who-made-18926797|title=17 famous faces who have made guest appearances in Heartbeat down the years|first=Craig|last=Jones|date=13 September 2020|website=Leeds Live}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{{div col}}
* ''[[Gonks Go Beat]]'' (1965)
* ''[[To Sir, with Love]]'' (1967) (also theme song)
* ''[[Cucumber Castle (film)|Cucumber Castle]]'' (1970)
* ''[[The Cherry Picker]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Alice (1982 film)|Alicja]]'' (1982) (voice)
* ''[[To Sir, with Love II]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie]]'' (2016)
* ''[[The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart]]'' (2020)
* ''[[My Old School (2022 film)|My Old School]]'' (2022) (voice and closing theme)
* ''[[Arthur's Whisky]]'' (2024)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/diane-keaton-boy-george-lulu-david-harewood-patricia-hodge-arthurs-whisky-arclight-films-cannes-1235602232/|website=Variety.com|access-date=6 December 2023|date=3 May 2023|title=Diane Keaton, Boy George, Lulu, David Harewood, Patricia Hodge in 'Arthur's Whisky': Arclight Films to Launch Sales at Cannes|first=Naman|last=Ramachandran}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Honours==
In 2017 Lulu was Guest of Honour at the City Lit Awards,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lulu Guest of Honour at the 2017 City Lit Awards |url=https://www.citylit.ac.uk/city-lit-fellows/lulu |access-date=4 October 2022 |website=City Lit}}</ref> celebrating the outstanding work and achievements of various students and staff from across the college, as well as the transformation adult learning can bring.

Lulu was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in [[2000 Birthday Honours]] and [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[2021 Birthday Honours]] for services to music, entertainment and charity.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/>

==See also==
{{wikiquote}}
* [[List of number-one hits (United States)]]
* [[List of artists who reached number one in the United States]]
* [[Mononymous person]]

==References==
;Notes
{{notelist}}
;Sources
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Lulu, ''I Don't Want to Fight'', Time Warner Books, 2002
* Lulu, ''Secrets to Looking Good'', HarperCollins, 2010
* Lulu, ''If Only You Knew'', Hodder & Stoughton, 2025<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g7p8l8214o|title=Lulu: Telling the world I'm an alcoholic was liberating|date=23 September 2025|website=BBC News}}</ref>

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://www.luluofficial.com/}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120323163845/http://www.lulubapo.com/ Lulu Brit Award Petition Online]
* {{IMDb name|0525801|Lulu}}
* [http://www.whatsonwales.co.uk/interviews/i/20712/l/1/ Lulu Interview] on What's on Wales
* {{NPG name}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Julie Walters]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Pauline Mole]] Actress | years=1987}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Alison Steadman]]}}
{{s-ach}}
{{succession box
| before = {{flagicon|Spain|1945}} [[Massiel]]<br />with "[[La La La (Massiel song)|La, la, la]]"
| title = [[List of Eurovision Song Contest winners|Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest]]
| years = [[Eurovision Song Contest 1969|1969]]<br /><small>(tied with {{flagicon|Spain|1945}} [[Salomé (singer)|Salomé]], {{flagicon|France}} [[Frida Boccara]], {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Lenny Kuhr]])</small>
| after = {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Dana Rosemary Scallon|Dana]]<br />with "[[All Kinds of Everything]]"
}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Cliff Richard]]<br />with "[[Congratulations (Cliff Richard song)|Congratulations]]"
| title = [[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest|UK in the Eurovision Song Contest]]
| years = 1969
| after = [[Mary Hopkin]]<br />with "[[Knock Knock, Who's There?]]"
}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Paul McCartney and Wings]]<br /><small>''[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]]'' [[Live and Let Die (song)|(song)]], 1973</small>
| after = [[Carly Simon]]<br /><small>''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'' ("[[Nobody Does It Better]]"), 1977</small>
| title = ''[[James Bond (film series)|James Bond]]'' title artist
| years = <small>''[[The Man with the Golden Gun (film)|The Man with the Golden Gun]]'' [[The Man with the Golden Gun (soundtrack)|(song)]], 1974</small>
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Lulu}}{{List of Eurovision Song Contest winners}}
{{Billboard Year-End number one singles 1960–1979}}
{{United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest|state=collapsed}}
{{Eurovision Song Contest 1969|state=collapsed}}
{{Songs of Europe (Eurovision)|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lulu}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Scottish singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century Scottish actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from Glasgow]]
[[Category:Atco Records artists]]
[[Category:British Invasion artists]]
[[Category:Child pop musicians]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Eurovision Song Contest winners]]
[[Category:Epic Records artists]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists]]
[[Category:Musicians from East Dunbartonshire]]
[[Category:Singers from Glasgow]]
[[Category:People educated at Whitehill Secondary School]]
[[Category:People from Dennistoun]]
[[Category:People from Lennoxtown]]
[[Category:Rocket Records artists]]
[[Category:21st-century Scottish autobiographers]]
[[Category:Scottish child singers]]
[[Category:British film actresses]]
[[Category:Scottish musical theatre actresses]]
[[Category:British pop singers]]
[[Category:British soul singers]]
[[Category:British television actresses]]
[[Category:British television personalities]]
[[Category:Scottish voice actresses]]
[[Category:Scottish women in business]]
[[Category:British women autobiographers]]
[[Category:Actresses from East Dunbartonshire]]