The Subway Movie: A Sleeper Hit

Don't Sleep in the Subway is a song written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent and recorded by British singer Petula Clark. It was released in April 1967 and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Song in 1968. The song is about a couple who have many disagreements, with the man often retreating into himself instead of engaging with the issue. When he threatens to walk out, the woman tells him that it's better to come up with a solution and make up, asking him to don't sleep in the subway but to spend the night with her instead. The song's title was also used in a sketch on Monty Python's Flying Circus and it was performed in the 2014 Glee episode New New York.

The song's meaning

"Don't Sleep in the Subway" is a song about a couple who have many disagreements. The man tends to retreat into his own world instead of engaging with the issue. The lyrics advise the man against storming out after an argument due to his "foolish pride". If he does, he will sleep in the subway or stand in the pouring rain to prove his point. The subway in the song title refers to a pedestrian underpass, not a mode of transportation.

The song is about the woman coaxing the man back, telling him that it's wrong to think anything is important enough not to compromise on. She is asking him to spend the night with her instead of leaving. The lyrics advise him to "take off [his] coat, my love, and close the door", suggesting that he should stay with her.

The song was written by Tony Hatch and his wife, Jackie Trent, and recorded by British singer Petula Clark, who released it as a single in April 1967. It was Clark's favourite of her own hits, though she admitted that she was not quite sure what the song was about. The song was constructed from three different sections of music previously composed by Hatch, changing in style from pop to symphonic, and then to a Beach Boys-like melody for the chorus.

The song's structure

"Don't Sleep in the Subway" is a song written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent and recorded by British singer Petula Clark. It was released as a single in April 1967 and was also included in the 1967 album "These Are My Songs". The song is a combination of three different sections of music previously composed by Hatch, changing in style from pop to symphonic and then, for the chorus, to a Beach Boys-like melody.

The song's lyrics narrate the story of a couple who have many disagreements. The man often retreats into himself instead of engaging with the issue and threatens to walk out on the woman. In response, the woman tells him that it's better to find a solution and make up, asking him to "don't sleep in the subway" but to spend the night with her instead. The "`subway`" in the title refers not to a mode of transportation but to the underground passages for pedestrians in London.

The song has a distinct structure, with three distinct sections moulded from Hatch's three different unfinished songs. It begins with a pop style, then transitions to a symphonic sound, and finally, for the chorus, adopts a Beach Boys-like melody. This chorus is memorable and has contributed to the song's enduring appeal.

The song's chart performance

"Don't Sleep in the Subway", written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent, was released as a single in April 1967 by British singer Petula Clark. The song is a combination of three different sections of music previously composed by Hatch, transitioning from pop to symphonic to a Beach Boys-like melody for the chorus.

The song's lyrics depict a couple's disagreement, with the narrator advising her sweetheart against storming out due to his "foolish pride". If he does, he will be sleeping in the subway or "standing in the pouring rain". The term "subway" here refers to a pedestrian underpass, as is common in England, rather than an underground transit system.

"Don't Sleep in the Subway" achieved notable commercial success, peaking at No.5 on the US charts in July 1967. This marked Clark's final appearance in the US Top Ten singles chart. The song also reached No.1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, where it remained for three consecutive weeks, following the success of her previous release, "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love".

In the United Kingdom, "Don't Sleep in the Subway" peaked at No.12 in July 1967, a decline from Clark's previous single, "This Is My Song", which had spent two weeks at No.1. Despite this, the song managed to reach No.1 in Australia, No.3 in Rhodesia, No.5 in Canada, No.7 in New Zealand, No.10 in South Africa, and No.16 in Germany.

"Don't Sleep in the Subway" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Song in 1968 but lost to "Up, Up and Away" by The 5th Dimension. The song's popularity has endured, with Clark citing it as one of her favourites, and it has been covered by numerous artists, including Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Maye, and Matt Monro.

The song's legacy

"Don't Sleep in the Subway" is a song written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent and recorded by the British singer Petula Clark, who released it as a single in April 1967. The song is about a couple who have a lot of disagreements, with the man often retreating into himself instead of engaging with the issue. In the song, the woman asks her partner not to sleep in the subway, a reference to the underground passages in London, but also to not spend the night alone or "stand in the pouring rain". The song's lyrics advise against storming out after an argument due to "foolish pride".

The song was constructed from three different sections of music previously composed by Hatch, changing in style from pop to symphonic and then, for the chorus, to a Beach Boys-like melody. It was Clark's last single to reach the Top 10 in the US, peaking at No.5 on the US charts in July 1967. It was also Clark's final appearance at No.1 on an official national chart in Australia, where it spent two weeks at the top spot. "Don't Sleep in the Subway" received a 1968 Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Song, losing to "Up, Up and Away" by The 5th Dimension.

The song has been recorded by several other artists, including Betty Chung, Rita Hovink, Marilyn Maye, Matt Monro, Patti Page, Frank Sinatra, Caterina Valente, and Mari Wilson. A Spanish version, "No duermas en el metro", was recorded by Gelu and Los Stop. In addition, Siw Malmkvist recorded a Swedish version, "Sov inte på tunnelbanan", in 1970.

"Don't Sleep in the Subway" has made several appearances in popular culture, including in an episode of the TV show Malcolm in the Middle, where the song is blasted by a character to avoid confronting an issue, and in the 2014 Glee episode "New New York", where it was performed by two characters.

The song's writer

"Don't Sleep in the Subway" is a song written by Tony Hatch and his wife, Jackie Trent, and recorded by the British singer Petula Clark. The song was released as a single in April 1967 and became a commercial success, peaking at No.5 on the US charts in July 1967. It was Clark's final US Top Ten single. The song also reached No.12 in the UK charts.

The song is a combination of three different sections of music previously composed by Hatch, with the style changing from pop to symphonic, and then to a Beach Boys-like melody for the chorus. The lyrics depict a couple who have many disagreements. The man often retreats into himself instead of engaging with the issue and threatens to walk out. The woman, the narrator, advises him against storming out due to his "foolish pride". She tells him not to "sleep in the subway" or "stand in the pouring rain" to prove his point.

According to co-writer Jackie Trent, the title lyric was inspired by the 1961–62 Broadway musical "Subways Are for Sleeping". The "subway" in the song refers to a pedestrian underpass, as is common in London, rather than an underground transit system.

Clark has cited "Don't Sleep in the Subway" as one of her favourite songs, although she has admitted that she is "not quite sure what it's about". The song has been recorded by several other artists, including Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Maye, and Matt Monro, and has appeared in various TV shows and films, including "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Glee".

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