Walking in My Shoes

Imagine my nerves as I stood before John Cooper Clarke, my hero, ready to hand him a book for signing. It was a moment I’ll never forget.

“What is your name?” he asked.
“Yana,” I replied.
“What a beautiful name,” he said. “Do you know that there was a very famous model and singer by the same name?”

That was the moment my journey with Yana began, a journey that would ignite my curiosity and leave a lasting impression on me.

Yana, born as Pamela Guard on 16 February, a day before my own birthday, in Essex.

Yana’s singing career took off at the Astor Club in London, a bold move prompted by her friends at a private party. Her courage was not just inspiring; it was a beacon of bravery that I deeply admire. She was 19 at the time!

The peak of Yana’s fame came in the years 1955–1960, when she appeared in her own BBC TV show, The Yana Show (1956), as well as on The Bob Hope Show in the United States.

Somebody quoted Hope in the American press as saying that he had discovered a new singer in Britain, Yana by name, as well as that “she has a beautiful voice and she’s England’s answer to Marilyn Monroe.”

Over the following year, Yana made over 200 TV appearances in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Yana’s most significant success as a singer was with Climb Up the Wall, one of the top 30 British popular songs of the 1950s.

Yana kept much of her private life private and, by some, was seen as cold and aloof. She was married three times.

She also had a brief affair with George Formby—the reason I recently bought the book George Formby: An Intimate Portrait of the Troubled Genius.

Yana’s style was ultra-feminine even by the standards of the 1950s, and was markedly exuberant. She kissed the Lord Mayor of Newcastle repeatedly during a performance of Climb Up the Wall and, when councillors complained at the loss of civic dignity, offered to visit Newcastle and kiss all of them if they were jealous. She went about with an entourage of white poodles and offered to lend the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin her car (personalised number plate YG1) when he visited London in 1961. Her style was not just unique, it was a spectacle that would leave you intrigued and fascinated.

After all this fame, very suddenly, she stopped being famous in the 1960s—a turn of events that was both surprising and tragic. She then worked in Boots pharmacy in London. She died at 58 years old.

A very bright but very brief life, a reminder of the fleeting nature of fame and fortune.

Through my research, I bought several photos signed by Yana, original vinyls, magazine covers from that time, and anything limited that I could find about her. Born under the same horoscope sign as Aquarius, I can understand her personality.

There is a saying that the soul is alive if someone remembers you.

I wanted to make sure to remember Yana and just maybe on my next year John Cooper Clarke’s gig, I will have an opportunity to share with him my findings.

But for now, I want to share with you a beautiful song by Yana, Climb Up the Wall, which was one of her most significant successes as a singer.

Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nVb_FkyRPk

With Love as Always,
Yana