Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Frankie Goes To Hollywood (FGTH) was one of the biggest, most controversial and most marketed UK pop acts of the 1980s. The band was fronted by Liverpudlian singer Holly Johnson, and was supported by Paul Rutherford along with Peter Gill, Mark O'Toole and Brian Nash. Its debut single "Relax" was famously banned by the BBC and subsequently topped the UK singles chart. Along with "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love", FGTH became only the second band in the history of the UK charts to reach number one with their first three singles.

The Power Of Love

FGTH released a third single, "The Power Of Love", at the end of 1984. A surprisingly thoughtful, well-arranged ballad, it went to Number 1 in December and gave the band the honour of being the first act for two decades (since Gerry and the Pacemakers in 1964) to achieve chart-toppers with its first three releases. The video was not banned on this occasion but still caused strife for the group — it depicted a nativity scene, lumping it (wrongly) in the category of Christmas-only records. As a result, to this day radio stations seem to give it airplay only during the festive period. The lyrics are not directly concerned with Christmas, however.

Related Topics:
The Power Of Love - 1984 - December - Gerry and the Pacemakers - 1964 - Nativity - Christmas - Radio

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The Band Aid project, for which Johnson recorded a message for the B-side, meant that FGTH managed only one week at the top this time. 1984 also saw the release of their debut album, Welcome To The Pleasuredome, but this was poorly received by the critics and didn't sell as well as expected. Along with the singles and title track, it featured a mixture of thrown-together covers (including "Born To Run", "San Jose", "Ferry Cross The Mersey") and humour-free Liverpudlian asides and skits.

Related Topics:
Band Aid - Debut

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The BBC lifted its ban on "Relax" at the end of 1984 to allow the band to perform it on the Christmas edition of Top Of The Pops (it was, aside from Band Aid, the biggest-selling single of the year).

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The album's title track, "Welcome To The Pleasuredome", was released as a single at the beginning of 1985 and peaked at Number 2, leading to absurd claims that the band was on the decline. It turned out the snipers were correct, however, but not for the alleged 'failure' of a Number 2 hit. In fact, the demise of the band was more down to lack of material and skill. Contrary to popular belief, Frankie could play their instruments, as two world tours testified, but their attitude was in question after such immediate success.

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