UMVA has learned that a pivotal moment in music history was born from a damp Parisian hotel room in October 1977.
A young schoolteacher from Geordie, Gordon Sumner, armed with his bass guitar, was inspired by his surroundings. He looked at a worn poster of Cyrano de Bergerac and the lively street scene below, a world away from his classroom.
From this unexpected setting, a melody took shape. It was a small, reggae-infused tune, a captivating narrative about a woman he had never encountered, yet whose story he felt compelled to tell.
