Paul Henry - Benny's Theme

 

Paul Henry, aka Benny off Crossroads, treats us to a vinyl monologue

Label: Pye

Year of Release: 1977

If a North American wanted me to give them an unequivocal example of the cultural differences between our societies, I've sometimes wondered if some video clips of Benny from the soap opera "Crossroads" would do the job. While I've no doubt that Americans have had close equivalents to Benny in both TV and film, it's rare for the innocent idiot of any soap to capture the American public's imagination to such a degree.

And capture our hearts Benny did. True, the character weaved his way into the popular lexicon in ways which weren't always positive - being called a "Benny" at school was far from a compliment, for example - but there was also a sense that he was held close to the pinnies of most of Crossroad's mature female audience, his harmless boyishness resulting in huge public affection. 

Paul Henry, who took on the role, obviously spent a lot of time considering how the character should be played, but his guiding principle remained straightforward. Benny, he once claimed, was someone so breathtakingly stupid that if somebody walked into a room claiming that it was "raining cats and dogs outside", he would assume that canines and felines were literally being dropped from the sky. Ignorant of metaphors, similes, irony, duality of meaning or even a life beyond that of being a simple handyman, he was an innocent abroad with woolly hair, puppy eyes, a bobble hat and some simple needs and dreams.

This being soapland, Benny had his fair share of disappointments and tears, of course, and this record gave him a chance to air his doubts and miseries simply and sweetly while Simon May weaved a tear-jerking orchestral tapestry behind. Inexplicably, the track wipes the syrup off the table halfway through and suddenly develops a more optimistic discofied edge, before jerking straight back into keening strings and misery again without explaining why. Henry does his best with the material available, sounding like nothing so much as a distressed abandoned Labradoodle if it could talk. 

It is, of course, remarkably bad. I try to see the good in just about any record I upload, but there's no disguising the fact that this record was just a horrible misconceived idea - but one that's so out-of-whack with any other novelty pop hits or trends that it's miraculous it found its way out. It even sold in reasonable enough quantities to slip into the Top 40 at number 39, such was Benny's ubiquity at the time. 

Paul Henry hasn't said a great deal about this single over the years, but given that both he and Jeff Lynne were in the same school year at Alderlea Boys School in Shard End, its existence means that he joined his classmate in the charts. This is the kind of obscure fact pub quizzes should feature, but invariably don't.

His character Benny had a bizarre and muted end on "Crossroads", disappearing up a ladder to decorate a Christmas Tree then never being seen again before the show was axed. As absurd as this is, perhaps it could be seen as his own small and understated ascent up a rickety stepladder into heaven. 

Henry then went on to take on a number of other theatre and TV acting roles, never quite capturing the public imagination with another character of his again, but perhaps in the end escaping from the tight skin of Benny was a welcome relief. 

If the previews below aren't working properly, please go right to the source.

(Footnote: pedants are bound to point out that the instrumental version of this track is actually the A side, but I've reordered them because it's the vocal side people actually remember and I'm presuming is also what readers will most be interested in).