Frankie Goes to Hollywood | |
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 Frankie Goes to Hollywood in 1985. From front:Paul Rutherford,Holly Johnson, Brian Nash, Peter Gill and Mark O'Toole | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | |
| Works | Frankie Goes to Hollywood discography |
| Years active |
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| Labels | |
| Past members |
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| Website | frankiesay |
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English pop band that formed inLiverpool in 1980. They comprisedHolly Johnson (vocals),Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Mark O'Toole (bass), Brian Nash (guitar) and Peter Gill (drums). Johnson and Rutherford were among the first openly gay pop singers, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood madegay rights and sexuality a theme of their music and performances.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood signed toZTT Records in 1983. Their debut album,Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984), produced byTrevor Horn, achieved advance sales of more than a million, and their first three singles, "Relax", "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love", reached number one on theUK singles chart. TheBBC briefly banned them from broadcast for their provocative themes, drawing further publicity. In 2014, the music journalistPaul Lester wrote that "no band has dominated a 12-month period like Frankie ruled 1984".[7]
Johnson, Gill and O'Toole received the 1984Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Two Tribes". In 1985, Frankie Goes to Hollywood won theBrit Award for British Breakthrough Act and were nominated for Best New Artist at theGrammy Awards andMTV Video Music Awards.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood's second album,Liverpool (1986), sold fewer copies, and they disbanded acrimoniously in 1987. Johnson successfully sued ZTT to leave his contract and began a solo career. He declined invitations to reunite and tried to block the band from using the name. In 2004, Frankie Goes to Hollywood reunited without Johnson and Nash to perform at aPrince's Trust charity concert, withRyan Molloy on vocals, and held a tour in 2005. They reunited with Johnson and Nash for the first time since 1987 to perform for the2023 Eurovision Song Contest.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood formed in Liverpool in 1980.[8] The lead singer,Holly Johnson, had previously played inBig in Japan and had released some unsuccessful solo singles. He formed the first version of Frankie Goes to Hollywood with musicians includingAmbrose Reynolds, but the group soon split.[9] The name came from an advertisement announcingFrank Sinatra's film debut.[10]
In 1982, Johnson restarted the group with Peter Gill (drums) and the brothers Mark (bass) and Jed O'Toole (guitar). Jed left before 1983, and was replaced by his cousin, Brian Nash.[9] Within the band, O'Toole, Nash and Gill constituted a group known as the Lads.[7] Frankie Goes to Hollywood played their first gig at a Liverpool pub, Pickwick's, where they recruited the dancer and backing singerPaul Rutherford.[9][11]
Nash said the band admired the Liverpool groupsEcho & the Bunnymen,Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark andthe Teardrop Explodes: "That was music from Liverpool but from our generation. You would see these people walking around town, you'd seeIan McCulloch getting on the bus. I never saw any ofthe Beatles on the bus."[12] Johnson said he wanted the band to be provocative and modern, mergingpunk anddisco, and was inspired by the media impact of bands such as theSex Pistols andBow Wow Wow.[13]
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In February 1983, Frankie Goes to Hollywood performed on theChannel 4 showThe Tube, dressed infetish wear.[7] Johnson said the "extreme" look was a means of attracting attention from the music industry, but that many labels were afraid to sign them.[14] That May, Frankie Goes to Hollywood became the first act signed byZTT Records, a new record label co-founded by the producerTrevor Horn.[7][9] Horn admired the "dangerous" sexuality of their music.[7] Johnson said they turned down an offer fromBeggars Banquet Records as they wanted to work with Horn.[13]
"Relax" was selected as their first single. After recording several versions, Horn created a dramatically different arrangement without the band, using electronic instruments such as a drum machine and theFairlight, an earlysampling synthesiser.[13] It was released in October 1983, backed by a music video set in anS&M club.[15]Sound on Sound described it as a "hi-NRG brand of dance-synth-pop" that "broke new sonic ground, while epitomising '80s excess in all its garish, overblown glory".[16] Initial sales were slow, but rose after the band performed on theBBC seriesTop of the Pops the following January.[7] Soon after,the BBC banned "Relax" from its broadcasts, deeming it obscene. The ban created publicity, associating Frankie Goes to Hollywood with youth rebellion.[17] Within two weeks, "Relax" reached number one on theUK singles chart and stayed there for five weeks, and the BBC was forced to reverse its ban.[17] "Relax" won the1985 Brit Award for Best British Single.[18]
The ZTT co-founderPaul Morley devised a promotional campaign involving "advertising-based slogans, playful propaganda and pseudo-philosophy".[10] This included a line of T-shirts inspired by shirts created byKatharine Hamnett, bearing slogans such as "Frankie say relax" and "Frankie say arm the unemployed".[10][19] Morley said he wanted to challenge the idea of music merchandise, asking: "Why did it have to have a face on it, couldn't it be a walking billboard?"[20] The shirts quickly became popular, andMusic Week reported in July 1984 that they were outselling the singles in some stores.[10][21] By December, more than 250,000 T-shirts had been sold.[22]
Frankie Goes to Hollywood appeared in the 1984 thrillerBody Double byBrian De Palma.[23] In June, Frankie Goes to Hollywood released their second single, "Two Tribes", featuring an "annihilating" bassline and lyrics about theCold War.[7] Its music video, depicting a fight betweenRonald Reagan andKonstantin Chernenko, was played extensively onMTV.[23] The single spent nine weeks at number one on the UK singles chart.[24] Frankie Goes to Hollywood held the top two spots of the chart simultaneously when "Relax" rose back to number two that August.[7]
Frankie Goes to Hollywood released their debut album,Welcome to the Pleasuredome, featuring "Relax" and "Two Tribes", in October 1984.[25] It had advance sales of a million copies.[7] A third single, the ballad "The Power of Love", was released in November and reached number one in December.[citation needed] This made Frankie Goes to Hollywood the second act in the history of the UK charts to reach number one with their first three singles, after another Liverpool band,Gerry and the Pacemakers, in the 1960s. This record remained unbeaten until theSpice Girls achieved a six-single streak in 1996–1997.[citation needed] Writing in theGuardian in 2014,Paul Lester wrote that "no band has dominated a 12-month period like Frankie ruled 1984".[7] As of 2014, "Relax" and "Two Tribes" were the sixth and 22nd-bestselling singles in UK history.[7]
In 1985, Frankie Goes to Hollywood won theBrit Award forBritish Breakthrough Act. In the US, where they were associated with theSecond British Invasion, they received nominations for Best New Artist at the27th Annual Grammy Awards and the1985 MTV Video Music Awards.[26][27] Their fourth single, "Welcome to the Pleasuredome", was released in March 1985, and reached number two.[7] That year,Ocean Software published aFrankie Goes to Hollywood game for theCommodore 64,Amstrad CPC andZX Spectrum. The player completes a series of minigames to solve a murder mystery, with references to the band's lyrics, videos and artwork.[28]
By the end of 1984, following promotional touring in the United States, Johnson had distanced himself from the band. He spent time with his new boyfriend, Wolfgang Kuhle, who later became his manager.[11] In 1985, Frankie Goes to Hollywood left the UK for a year for tax purposes and wrote songs for their second album in Ireland.[29] The media reported that disputes had formed within the band.[29] They began recording their second album,Liverpool, inWisseloord Studios, near Amsterdam, in November 1985. Between March and June 1986, they worked in ZTT's studioSarm West in London.Liverpool was produced by the ZTT engineerStephen Lipson; Horn took over mixing in its final stages.[29]
Johnson remained distant during the sessions and was unhappy about the focus on rock over dance.[29]Jill Sinclair, Horn's wife and one of the ZTT founders, later alleged that Johnson had been uncooperative and absent for most of the sessions.[29] Johnson said later that "some of us were having mental breakdowns because of the intensity of the last couple of years".[14] According to Nash, theDuran Duran singerSimon Le Bon declined an invitation to replace Johnson.Pete Wylie was also approached, but Johnson remained and completedLiverpool.[30]
In August 1986, the first single fromLiverpool, "Rage Hard", was released, reaching number four in the UK.[31]Liverpool was released in October 1986 and reached number five. It received poor reviews, and chart returns declined rapidly with the singles "Warriors of the Wasteland" (which reached number 19) and "Watching the Wildlife" (number 28).[citation needed] Horn spent three months creating remixes of "Watching the Wildlife" and "Warriors of the Wasteland" for the single releases, spending an estimated £50,000.[29] By March 1988,Liverpool had sold around 800,000 copies.[29]
During theLiverpool tour, the relationship between Johnson and the band deteriorated.[32] Before a concert atWembley Arena in January, a fight broke out backstage between Johnson and O'Toole.[33][34] Johnson said that ZTT had encouraged the rift as a means ofdivide and rule,[29] and that Horn had once suggested Johnson and Rutherford fire the other members and work as a duo.[29] Sinclair instead blamed Johnson's manager and boyfriend, Kuhle, who she said was a negative influence and had triggered resentment in the band.[29][35] Nash recalled: "During the last tour, everybody knew it would end, as the relationship between Holly and the rest of us was so strained. He didn't want to be in a band situation anymore. Everybody was fed up with the whole thing."[32] Their last concert was on 1 March 1987, atRotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands.[9]
On 23 July, Johnson told ZTT that he planned to leave and sign toMCA Records. ZTT filed aninjunction to prevent this, as their record contract specified that any member who left would remain contracted to ZTT.[35] In court, ZTT argued that the success of Frankie Goes to Hollywood was a result of ZTT's production and marketing and that Johnson had been disruptive and uncooperative. Johnson's team argued that ZTT had been financially irresponsible when recordingLiverpool, and that their contract constituted an unreasonablerestraint of trade.[35] In 1988, theHigh Court found in Johnson's favour and the band members were released from their contract.[29] Horn later wrote that his decision to pursue the lawsuit had been "stupid".[33] Johnson said ZTT had believed that "they were the ones with the talent, and we were just five oiks from a provincial town to front their genius".[14]
Soon after the breakup, Nash, O'Toole and Gill attempted to re-form Frankie Goes to Hollywood with a new singer, Grant Boult.[32] According to Nash, they recorded songs in a deal withLondon Records.[11] Johnson blocked the project, saying it would devalue their achievements.[32]
Johnson began a solo career with MCA, and released a number-one album,Blast, in 1989.[36] His second solo album,Dreams That Money Can't Buy, released in 1991, was unsuccessful. That year, Johnson was diagnosed withHIV and retreated from public life to focus on his health.[36] In 1994, he published an autobiography,A Bone in My Flute.[37] He has since released further albums and studied at theRoyal College of Art.[36]
Nash returned to work as an electrician, and signed to Swanyard Records to record music with Boult asLow.[32] He later became an officiator of weddings and funerals and a tour guide of Liverpool's musical heritage.[38] He published a memoir,Nasher Says Relax, in 2012.[30] O'Toole moved to Los Angeles, where he wrote music,[32] and later moved to Florida.[39] Gill toured as part of an Australian soap actor's band, and formed a music production company, Love Station, which released singles featuring vocalists includingLisa Hunt.[32]
Rutherford released a single, a cover of theChic track "I Want Your Love", and an album,Oh World, in 1989, which were unsuccessful. He released the single "That Moon" with Pressure Zone in 1991, and worked as a stylist for bands. He also appeared in the music videos for "Walking on Broken Glass" (1992) byAnnie Lennox and "Give In to Me" (1993) byMichael Jackson.[32] He later moved to New Zealand.[39]
In 1998, a band using the name Frankie Goes to Hollywood began to tour the United States.[40] They were led by an American using the stage name Davey Johnson, who claimed he was Holly's brother and had performed uncredited onWelcome to the Pleasuredome.[40] Horn and the members of Frankie Goes to Hollywood refuted both claims. O'Toole, who had been living in Florida, became aware of the impostor band and warned concert promoters not to hire them.[40]
TheFlock of Seagulls frontmanMike Score, who had been a Liverpool acquaintance of the members of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, removed the impostor band from his tour.[40] After Johnson contacted the trade magazinePollstar to confirm that the act was unauthorised, they were dropped by a booking agent, but were booked by small clubs throughout the southern United States.[40] In September 2000,Spin published a feature on the incident.[40] That year, ZTT released a Frankie Goes to Hollywood greatest-hits compilation,Maximum Joy, featuring remixes by acts includingApollo 440.[41]
The members of Frankie Goes to Hollywood reunited inHolloway, London, for a 2003 episode of theVH1 showBands Reunited, but did not perform.[38] In an interview the following year, Johnson said he had not wanted to perform with the band again and felt the episode was a "debacle".[42] In his 2012 memoir, Nash, who had also been uninterested in a reunion, described the VH1 episode as a "circus" that had tried to depict Johnson negatively.[11]
On 11 November 2004, Frankie Goes to Hollywood reunited without Johnson and Nash to perform at aPrince's Trust charity concert at Wembley Arena celebrating Horn's 25 years as a record producer.[43][44] Johnson and Nash declined to take part.[45] In his memoir, Nash wrote that he gave the band his blessing and watched from the audience.[11] Following open auditions held on 31 October inLeicester Square, London,[45]Ryan Molloy was selected as the new vocalist.[46] O'Toole's brother Jed, who had played in the band in the 1980s, replaced Nash.[47]
PopMatters wrote that the Wembley performance had "unstoppable 1984 pop glory" and that "even strong detractors of the group would likely be won over by energy the band members radiate".[48] TheIndependent wrote that it "fell somewhat flat".[49] Writing inThe Guardian,Alexis Petridis wrote that the show "ultimately underwhelms" and that the songs "were designed as studio-bound production extravaganzas, not live showstoppers".[50] Nash praised the performance and wrote that "Molloy did a great job filling Holly's shoes".[11] In his memoir, Horn wrote that Molloy was "a hell of a good frontman".[33]
The Wembley performance was followed by a series of concerts across Europe in 2005,[51][52][53] including atNorthampton Balloon Festival,[54] andBig Gay Out inFinsbury Park, London.[55][56][57] In 2006, Molloy said he had written new songs for Frankie Goes to Hollywood.[53] However, the material went unreleased and a European tour was cancelled.[54] The group remained active until 2007 using the name Forbidden Hollywood, as Johnson would not allow them to use the original name.[58]
In April 2004, Johnson attempted to register the name Frankie Goes to Hollywood as atrademark for his exclusive use, arguing that it was his intellectual property as he had used it for a previous band.[52][59] The other band members opposed the registration. In 2007, it was blocked by anIntellectual Property Office judge, who ruled that Johnson had acted inbad faith in an attempt to prevent the band performing without him.[52][59]
In 2011, ZTT reissuedLiverpool in an expanded edition, plusThe Art of the 12", a compilation of tracks from ZTT artists including Frankie Goes to Hollywood.[60] In 2017,Universal Music purchased ZTT, including the Frankie Goes to Hollywood back catalogue.[61]
On 7 May 2023, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, including Johnson and Nash, reunited for a concert featuring multiple acts celebrating Liverpool music for theEurovision Song Contest.[62] They performed one song, "Welcome to the Pleasuredome".[62] It was their first performance together since 1987.[38] The performance drew praise but disappointed those hoping for more songs.[62][63][64] TheTelegraph gave the concert three out of five, writing that Johnson remained "a commanding presence" but that Frankie Goes to Hollywood's short set was disappointing.[64] The BBC wrote: "Maybe one song is as much time as the five band members can bear to share a stage for—but at least they proved that they and their music can still sound compelling and fresh."[62] In 2025, Johnson said he had contemplated another reunion but that the idea "seems to have gone away".[14]
On 10 May 2023,Working Title Films announced it was developing a Frankie Goes to Hollywoodbiographical film,Relax, based on Johnson's memoir.Bernard Rose, the director of the first "Relax" music video, is set to direct, withCallum Scott Howells as Johnson.[65]
Johnson and Rutherford are openly gay, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood madegay rights and sexuality a theme of their music and performances.[7] They were connected to a rise ingay culture in 1980s Britain, alongside bands such asBronski Beat.[23][66] Morley said that Frankie Goes to Hollywood combined the "exploratory gay energy" of Johnson and Rutherford with the "heterosexualscouse energy" of the other band members.[7] Bernard Rose, who directed the first "Relax" video, said Frankie Goes to Hollywood were the first openly gay major pop act, before gay artists such asBoy George,George Michael,Freddie Mercury orElton John hadcome out, and "caused a shockwave".[67]
As Frankie Goes to Hollywood rose in popularity, some outlets reported that they were a "manufactured" group controlled by ZTT. A 1984 article in theWashington Post described them as "a modern-dayMonkees, a post-punkVillage People sprung forth fully armed from the brow of junk culture".[23][32] As only Johnson performed on the studio version of "Relax", and the band did not tour at the height of their popularity, rumours spread that they could not play their instruments.[16][68] Johnson said the media had undermined them and underestimated their contributions to their records.[32] Horn said later that the British music media often misunderstood the processes involved in studio recording. He said the band were "better than people gave them credit for", and cited "The Power of Love", "Born to Run" and "Krisco Kisses" as examples of their playing onWelcome to the Pleasuredome.[16][68]
In 2014, the music journalistPaul Lester wrote that although Frankie Goes to Hollywood were "arguably the last great British pop sensation", other acts rarely cited them as an influence. He wrote that this was because "it would be impossible to recreate what they did".[7] Morley observed that despite having released two of the most successful records of the 1980s, they had become "slightly lost ... The fact that something was so successful yet is part of a shadowy history is ultimate proof that it was special. They were like some contorted, profound novelty band."[7] However, he argued that they had changed how commercial pop music was marketed, with more artistic and "beautiful" packaging and music videos.[7]
| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Ivor Novello Awards | "Two Tribes" | Best Song Musically And Lyrically | Won |
| NME Awards | Promo Video | Won | ||
| Welcome to the Pleasuredome | Best Dressed Sleeve | Won | ||
| "Relax" | Best Single | Won | ||
| 1985 | Ivor Novello Awards | Best Contemporary Song | Nominated | |
| Brit Awards | Best British Single | Won | ||
| Themselves | Best British Newcomer | Won | ||
| Best British Group | Nominated | |||
| Welcome to the Pleasuredome | Best British Album | Nominated | ||
| "Two Tribes" | Best British Single | Nominated | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards | Best New Artist | Nominated | ||
| Best Concept Video | Nominated | |||
| Pollstar Concert Industry Awards | Themselves | Which Artist is Most Likely to Successfully Headline Arenas for the First time in 1985? | Nominated | |
| 1986 | Tour | Small Hall/Club Tour of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Q Awards | "Relax" | Classic Song | Won |
Indirectly, the band have Morley (a director and minor shareholder of ZTT) to thank for an income beyond the usual record company minimum. Noticing that Katherine Hamnett's outsized polemical t-shirts of '83 were being knocked off in the high street by the spring of '84, he concocted a series of bold slogans for Frankie's second release: 'Frankie Say Relax', 'Frankie Say Arm The Unemployed', 'Frankie Say War, Hide Yourself'. 250,000 t-shirts bearing these words have been sold to date, plus twice as many pirate versions.
It was a stupid decision—stupid because it was enormously costly and took two years to resolve, and stupid because history shows that, in nine out of ten cases, the artist wins, something that MCA, Holly's new label, must have appreciated because they funded his court case to the tune of £150,000.
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