LILY THE PINK
by SCAFFOLD

Lily The Pink was the third, and most successful, of five chart entries for Liverpool group The Scaffold, comprising playwright Roger McGough, comedian John Gorman and performer Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney – and yes, he does have a slightly more famous brother). Lily The Pink was a modernisation of an older folk song titled The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham.

The Scaffold entered the UK Official Singles Chart at Number 41 in November 1968 rising to place themselves at the top on their sixth week on the list and remaining there for three weeks across Christmas, before dropping to Number 2 to be replaced by – in perhaps a case of sibling revenge – the Paul McCartney-written Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da sung by Marmalade, before reclaiming the throne for a fourth week.

Backed by something of an all-star cast with Cream bassist Jack Bruce, Graham Nash from The Hollies and lyricist Tim Rice, as well as a then-unknown singer Reg Dwight who was about to change his name and turn attention to his own career as Elton John.