“Here I am, a walking primrose.…” Sarah Harding in Girls Aloud’ , The Promise.
Yesterday Sarah Harding, who I will always remember as the core member of Girls Aloud, died at the age of 39 of advanced stage breast cancer.
I spent my evening trawling the internet news, watching micro-videos of her life as a celebrity and listening to Girls Aloud on Spotify. It is very sad to hear she lost her battle.
Sarah did not have children and I am not going to claim to be a huge follower of Girls Aloud but I bought their Greatest Hits on CD and I still rate Biology as one of the greatest pop tunes ever. They were however, one of a few bands in the noughties which formed the backdrop to ‘middlest’ and ‘eldest’s’ early years. When I hear Love Machine or No Good Advice, it reminds me of crazy dancing in the living room with the kids. The sound of Biology, conjors images of tea in the morning after school drop off and Stand By Me triggers a memory of the community in which we lived.
The music just made it past the point where I would associate it with the chaos and aftermath of their father and had become established enough to avoid being linked with losing my sister. They held their own, never attaching to bad thought or feeling so I can listen to them freely – though of course now, listening will be bittersweet.
I am sad. Her passing is another reminder that death comes to us all, it’s not selective or considerate- it just is.
May your soul rest in peace, Sarah.
Mum’s the word 