English

This recording was made by Iona Opie in Liss, Hampshire in 1976 and records a small group of girls performing the then popular singing game ‘I’m Shirley Temple’. According to the Opies this game can be traced back to Scotland in the 1960s where it emerged ‘fully fledged’ before spreading across the county. The song was accompanied by actions such as having to press your fingers into your cheeks to create dimples when referring to Shirley Temple and lifting up your skirt. Of particular interest is the line: ‘Oh Salome, Salome, you should see Salome’. Most children were unaware of who ‘Salome’ was (the daughter of Herodias, from the New Testament) and as a result this line had many variations such as ‘Selomi’, ‘Salone’, ‘Salolie’, ‘Saraly’, ‘Salami’ and ‘slowly’.