When I was young my father wrote ditties and advertising jingles which he sent off to toiletry manufacturers and record labels. Every one was rejected until the call came from a secretary at Decca records.
My parents went to London, my mother’s hair newly set. ‘We saw the back of Tom Jones’s head,’ she said. ‘And what’s good enough for Mr Jones, is good enough for us.’ My father signed on the dotted line for a no-royalties payment; just sufficient for a summer holiday.
Twenty years later his song – 1973’s Christmas number one – is still hummed by housewives, still crackles from supermarket speakers. My father would have been delighted.
***
This 110-word piece of flash fiction is inspired by the picture above as part of the Friday Fictioneers online writing group. We all write 100 words or so from a picture supplied to us weekly by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (and this week provided by Rochelle herself). You can join in here, or read other people’s stories here.
***
Next year my novel, Our Endless Numbered Days, will be published by Fig Tree / Penguin in the UK, Tin House in the US, as well as various other publishers in other countries. If you’d like to keep up to date with news about my writing, you can subscribe to my newsletter here. Or, if you’re on Goodreads, you add the novel to your ‘to read’ list here.
Claire Fuller 
Not your usual style, Claire – but still a good read. Assume it is made up 🙂
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Yes, it’s made up. I was toying with swapping the last line with ‘My father killed himself in January 1974’, but it was one word more 😉 But that would probably have made it seem more my usual style!
Claire
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As much as I love dark twists to story’s, I really think that it would have been overkill here. I love the imagery and use of references like Tom Jones and getting her hair “set” to establish the timeline. Very nicely done!
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Reminds me of About a Boy by Nick Hornby. Looking forward to getting my hands on your novel.
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I’ve not read that, but still I’m flattered. Thanks Helena.
Claire
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The main character is a trust-fund adult, living off the royalties of a Christmas song his father wrote — one holiday jingle and he was set for life. It’s a fantastic read — laugh out loud funny.
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And here I thought the narrator would be disappointed over the no-royalties contract. I like the satisfaction at the end–a good change of pace.
The detail of Mother spotting Tom Jones is golden.
All my best,
Marie Gail
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I was trying to lead the reader a certain way and then surprise them. Glad it worked.
Claire
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I like the fact he’s still proud and not bitter over the lost royalties (though Decca where greedy)..
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He died a happy man. But it could so easy have gone the other way.
Claire
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Nicely done. I’m glad there’s not a “bitter” end.
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For once I’ve written a happy little story (almost!).
Claire
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Some people don’t give value to their work, and sometimes the price is very high. Nice story!
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Sometimes it’s the creation and the giving of pleasure, rather than the money. If only we could all afford to be so generous.
Claire
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And so he lives on … I guess money’s not everything! Well written.
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I hadn’t thought of it. He does, indeed, live on.
Thanks,
Claire
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Such a wonderful story and very well written! The father still should have received “fair compensation” for his work – regardless of the contract taking advantage of he and his wife being star-struck. This is a great story! Nan 🙂
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But I think he was happy knowing that his music was played (on and on).
Claire
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But were they really sure it was Tom Jones?? I hope they had a really amazing holiday with the cheque. A touching story.
Marg
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Hah! No, I reckon it wasn’t Tom Jones at all.
Claire
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Dear Claire,
It does seem the dad was quick to sign away his song. At any rate, a lovely, believable story that left me smiling and has me wanting to Google Christmas songs of 1973. BTW my mother adored Tom Jones. If he was on a show the TV was hers.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’ll save you the pain. In the UK it was Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody and in the US Jim Croce – Time in a Bottle. I love the idea of your mother hogging the TV if Tom Jones was on.
Claire
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Sounds like he should have held out for royalties! Lovely story – I like how mum gave the go-ahead after seeing (what may have been!) Tom Jones.
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He probably should, but I still think he died happy.
Claire
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For some people a lifetime of happiness is worth more than the pot of gold at the end. Though in a way the story is also a gentle poke at how big business ripped off the little guy (Superman creator Jerry Siegel anybody?)
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I’m sure there are lots of instances of that. But at least the narrator’s father was never bitter, that would have been the easy and expected ending I think.
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Sweet and nostalgic. Well done! I also added your book in my TBR list on Goodreads!
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Thanks. I’m glad you liked it and thanks for adding my book to your Goodreads list.
Claire
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Really enjoyed the sense of time passing, but also the sense of changing eras. All in the details. Looking forward to your book coming out, I love the premise.
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From Noah: I really liked your story and how you include what the narrator is thinking about how their father would have reacted to his song’s ongoing popularity.
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Thanks Noah. Glad you liked it.
Claire
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Such a lovely, nostalgic story. One of my favorites this week.
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Nice. It’s a lovely sense of satisfaction you get from the author, as opposed to the bitterness that all too easily could have resulted.
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Yes, I felt like bitter would be the easy and expected ending.
Claire
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Although I can imagine myself to be bitter about the no-royalties agreement, I guess for creative people the kick out of creating a masterpiece is reward itself 🙂
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I think the narrator might be bitter, but not the father. Thanks for reading.
Claire
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True for writers too, you may not make money, but boy does it feel good when you find that someone read and enjoyed your book.
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I’ve just had my first review (which was good!) from someone who doesn’t know me, and it is a great feeling. Thanks, as always, for reading.
Claire
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I love where you went with this, Claire. I would have believed it, if I hadn’t read the comments! 😉
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Hah! No, not a word of it is true.
Claire
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Dear Claire, congratulations on your book. I enjoyed your story. Songwriting is a tricky business. LHN
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Thanks for the book congratulations. And glad you enjoyed my story.
Claire
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Great story, Claire, although if I were this character’s father, I’d be kicking myself for not getting royalties.
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Me too, but he seemed happy.
Claire
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This is so totally believable that I had to read the other comments to discover it wasn’t true!
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I wonder why you felt that, but glad it worked.
Claire
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“…which he sent off to toiletry manufacturers…” this made me smile and showed me a bit of his personality. What a great imagination to take the photo prompt in this direction 🙂
Ellespeth
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Thanks Ellespeth. Glad you liked it.
Claire
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Lovely Claire, liked especially that to him, the greatest thing was to get his family a vacation, it is all in difference of scale. Back then he must have felt like he could buy the world. Very optimistic ! v
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Thanks Veronika, glad you liked it. It was one of my more optimistic stories! (And how are you by the way? Thanks for dropping by my website x)
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It’s Not Unusual for somebody to love my songs. Unfortunately, no one bought one and made it famous. If they had, I would feel just like the Father in this story. I think the biggest thrill in creating something is to see others enjoy it.
Congrats on the publication of your novel. This is big news indeed and sure to be enjoyed by the masses.
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Hah – I see what you did there with the first line. And thanks for the congratulations.
Claire
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This was a nice surprise at the end… I thought you were going to comment on how much money he’d missed out on, but to say he’d be delighted gave me a much better sense of the character, and was a much better ending to the story!
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