Along with your then husband Tony Hatch, you wrote the theme song for Neighbours, but what other television music did you have prior to this?
What inspired you to pursue singing?
My soul inspired me to sing, to perform and to write lyrics and poetry. I sang for family and neighbours, from the age of three. As a child I won a National poetry competition. After being turned away at first audition, I went back next day, to compete in a National touring talent competition; I went on to win, then picked up my first commercial work – age 11. I’ve been a professional singer ever since.
Of course, I had the gift of a good singing voice to drive me.
What do you remember about being asked to write the theme tune for Neighbours?
We lived in St Ives, Sydney. Tony called me upstairs, to our office/studio:
Tony said: “Reg Watson’s with Grundy television now. He’s just called to ask us to come up with a theme song for a brand new series: ‘Ramsay Street.’ Other people will be submitting their ideas too, so it’s ‘best man wins.’ And we have a deadline, as usual…”
Over one afternoon we set to; Tony worked on the melody, upstairs in the studio, whilst I wrote the lyric downstairs as I prepared dinner. Mum sat with me.
We decided to suggest calling the series Neighbours: “Ramsay Street is too close to Coronation Street.”
Where you given any premise to the show - how much did you know about it when writing the theme tune?
We were given the ‘Story Book’ of the show to work with
Where you given any instruction about what the lyrics should be about, or did you just write what you thought would suit the show?
We fitted the Story Book, of course
- Mr and Mrs
- Mr and Mrs ‘weekly’ with Derek Batey (a very nice man), later revamped to Mr & Mrs & Celebrity Mr & Mrs;
- ‘Positive Thinking’ for Eric Morcombe & Ernie Wise Show
- ‘The Persuaders’ – ‘Got To Getaway’ opening theme
- ‘Travels With My Aunt’
- ‘My Country,’ adopted by Channel 7 as their closing item/song for many years
- ‘Colour My World’ coloured Channel 10’s world when they went to colour; that ran for years, too.
- ‘My Everything’ for ‘The Lanky Yank, Don Lane on his TV show
What inspired you to pursue singing?
My soul inspired me to sing, to perform and to write lyrics and poetry. I sang for family and neighbours, from the age of three. As a child I won a National poetry competition. After being turned away at first audition, I went back next day, to compete in a National touring talent competition; I went on to win, then picked up my first commercial work – age 11. I’ve been a professional singer ever since.
Of course, I had the gift of a good singing voice to drive me.
What do you remember about being asked to write the theme tune for Neighbours?
We lived in St Ives, Sydney. Tony called me upstairs, to our office/studio:
Tony said: “Reg Watson’s with Grundy television now. He’s just called to ask us to come up with a theme song for a brand new series: ‘Ramsay Street.’ Other people will be submitting their ideas too, so it’s ‘best man wins.’ And we have a deadline, as usual…”
Over one afternoon we set to; Tony worked on the melody, upstairs in the studio, whilst I wrote the lyric downstairs as I prepared dinner. Mum sat with me.
We decided to suggest calling the series Neighbours: “Ramsay Street is too close to Coronation Street.”
Where you given any premise to the show - how much did you know about it when writing the theme tune?
We were given the ‘Story Book’ of the show to work with
Where you given any instruction about what the lyrics should be about, or did you just write what you thought would suit the show?
We fitted the Story Book, of course
Did you ever expect it to become one of the most recognised theme tunes, not just in Australia, but around the world?
Never.
What’s it like hearing your lyrics still being sung thirty years later?
I wrote co/wrote some 400 songs – and counting. It’s a constant pleasure and pride to hear our work played around the world
Over the years, the theme song has undergone various renditions, which has been your favourite?
Crocker’s. Over the years, the Company have put out variations on the original main theme. To me, there is only one perfect theme and that’s the Barry Crocker version: a distinctive voice and a definite ‘Neighbours,’ reflecting the core family storyline. Unfortunately, TV execs seem to get rid of the old to bring things up-to-date and yet East-Enders, Emmerdale and Coronation St in UK have been running much longer – still with the original theme-tune, and UK is the main market for ‘Neighbours?’
Were you pleased with how Barry Crocker performed the song for the first time?
We called Crocker at 11pm that night we wrote the song, he turned up right away, put his voice on the demo’ and that was that: perfect. Just maybe we should have recorded the song ourselves, but we were in a rush at the time.
What other television music have you done since Neighbours?
None as theme tunes, as I recall at the moment, but a number of songs for various shows.
Away from the television world, what does your discography include?
Please refer my 400-odd song list on www.jackietrent.com
Who have you been most proud and excited to collaborate with? Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
Tony Hatch, of course.
Will we be hearing any new songs and albums from you in the near future?
A new musical, based on my life and songs, is currently being written, for 2015
You have an auto-biography in the works, how is that going?
Red hot, with frank detail of my whole life, from 1940 onwards. We have some 50,000 words in draft – of years before I ever met Tony Hatch. No-one really knows what I did, or achieved, in those years: they soon will…
Are you a fan of Neighbours? Do you watch the show these days?
Of course: who isn’t?
Finally, for a show that nearly didn’t make its first anniversary, it’s amazing to see it approach 7000 episodes and a 30th anniversary. What do you think is the secret of the ongoing success of Neighbours?
‘Neighbours:’ good, bad or indifferent, are daily life around the world. I think that’s the key.
Never.
What’s it like hearing your lyrics still being sung thirty years later?
I wrote co/wrote some 400 songs – and counting. It’s a constant pleasure and pride to hear our work played around the world
Over the years, the theme song has undergone various renditions, which has been your favourite?
Crocker’s. Over the years, the Company have put out variations on the original main theme. To me, there is only one perfect theme and that’s the Barry Crocker version: a distinctive voice and a definite ‘Neighbours,’ reflecting the core family storyline. Unfortunately, TV execs seem to get rid of the old to bring things up-to-date and yet East-Enders, Emmerdale and Coronation St in UK have been running much longer – still with the original theme-tune, and UK is the main market for ‘Neighbours?’
Were you pleased with how Barry Crocker performed the song for the first time?
We called Crocker at 11pm that night we wrote the song, he turned up right away, put his voice on the demo’ and that was that: perfect. Just maybe we should have recorded the song ourselves, but we were in a rush at the time.
What other television music have you done since Neighbours?
None as theme tunes, as I recall at the moment, but a number of songs for various shows.
Away from the television world, what does your discography include?
Please refer my 400-odd song list on www.jackietrent.com
Who have you been most proud and excited to collaborate with? Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
Tony Hatch, of course.
Will we be hearing any new songs and albums from you in the near future?
A new musical, based on my life and songs, is currently being written, for 2015
You have an auto-biography in the works, how is that going?
Red hot, with frank detail of my whole life, from 1940 onwards. We have some 50,000 words in draft – of years before I ever met Tony Hatch. No-one really knows what I did, or achieved, in those years: they soon will…
Are you a fan of Neighbours? Do you watch the show these days?
Of course: who isn’t?
Finally, for a show that nearly didn’t make its first anniversary, it’s amazing to see it approach 7000 episodes and a 30th anniversary. What do you think is the secret of the ongoing success of Neighbours?
‘Neighbours:’ good, bad or indifferent, are daily life around the world. I think that’s the key.
Interviewed June 2014