In The Scaffold’s ‘Lily the Pink’, which young lady “had terrible freckles”?
Lily the Pink (song) Backing vocalists on the recording included Graham Nash (of The Hollies), Elton John (then Reg Dwight), and Tim Rice; while Jack Bruce (of Cream) played the bass guitar. The lyrics include a number of in-jokes. For example, the line "Mr Frears has sticky out ears" refers to film director Stephen Frears, who had worked with The Scaffold early in their career; while the line "Jennifer Eccles had terrible freckles" refers to the song "Jennifer Eccles" by The Hollies, Graham Nash's former band. Another version of the song, released a few months after The Scaffold's by The Irish Rovers, became a
Lily the Pink (song) Lily the Pink (song) "Lily the Pink" is a 1968 song released by the UK comedy group The Scaffold. It is a modernisation of an older folk song titled "The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham". The lyrics celebrate the "medicinal compound" invented by Lily the Pink, and chronicle the "efficacious" cures it has brought about, such as inducing morbid obesity to cure a weak appetite, or bringing about a sex change as a remedy for freckles. The Scaffold's record, released in November 1968, became No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart for the four weeks encompassing the Christmas holidays that year.