Don't be surprised by the way that I am

Heavens. "National treasure", triumph of art over nature, and our Patron Saint of Boom-Bang-A-Bang Lulu turns seventy years old today!

In her six-decade career the former Miss Lawrie has turned her hand to just about everything, from pop to blues-rock, from disco to musical theatre, comedy and mainstream drama, Hollywood movies to Ab Fab - and remains one of the most beloved and familiar faces here in the UK. Even though she's reached three-score-years-and-ten, the lady shows no signs of stopping - earlier this year she did a sixteen-week stint as the lead in the West End hit production of 42nd Street, and currently she's back on the road in (another) massive tour, taking in venues in France, Tokyo, New Orleans and Edinburgh. She is truly inexhaustible...

Facts about Lulu:

• She was only fifteen when she released her version of the Isley Brothers' Shout, which became a mega hit here in the UK; it remains her most-lauded song, and indeed her "theme tune".
• Despite being the biggest single of 1967 in the United States, selling well in excess of 1,000,000 copies, and the song that made her internationally successful To Sir With Love was actually released in the UK as the B-side of Let's Pretend and only reached number 11 in our charts.
• She became a staple on prime-time telly when she landed her own BBC One TV series in 1968, which ran until 1975, and made numerous guest appearances on shows hosted by others, such as Morecambe & Wise, Dick Emery, Les Dawson and Bruce Forsyth.
• Her song I Don't Wanna Fight became a worldwide smash for Tina Turner.
• Not only was Lulu married for four years to Maurice Gibb of the BeeGees, but she also apparently had affairs with Davy Jones of the Monkees, and with David Bowie.
• She won Eurovision, sang a Bond theme song, was one of only two performers (Cliff Richard being the other) to have sung on Top of the Pops in each of its five decades, appeared in an Adam & the Ants video and in an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, and has performed alongside a variety of artists including Take That, Chaka Khan, Marianne Faithfull, Elton John, Jools Holland, Bobby Womack, Paul McCartney, Tom Jones and French & Saunders!

Whew.

I have featured the lovely Lulu many times here - not least a cornucopia of her hits on her 60th! By way of a tiny tribute on her 70th, here are a couple of her less well-aired numbers. First up is a rare gem that I went crazy over a few years back:

The Knievels vs. Lulu - Love Loves To Love Love (Hoxton Whores mix)

...and here she is again, giving the likes of Lisa Stansfield, Rick Astley and their ilk a run for their money back in 1993:

Lulu - Independence (Brothers In Rhythm 7" Mix)

Don't be surprised by the way that I am
By the way that I feel and I act
There's too many rules, I really can't choose
I can't let those chains hold me back

I've never known what it's like on my own
But I'm takin' a chance anyway
It may not be right like some moves in the night
But I've got to do it my way

I want my independence
I want my freedom right now
I want my independence (independence)
I want my freedom right now

Many happy returns, Lulu Kennedy-Cairns OBE (born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, 3rd November 1948)!