"Relax" is the debut single by Englishnew wave bandFrankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the United Kingdom byZTT Records in 1983. Produced byTrevor Horn and featuring the band along with other musicians, entered theUK Top 75 singles chart in November 1983 but did not crack the Top 40 until early January 1984. Three weeks later it reached number one, on the chart dated 28 January 1984, replacingPaul McCartney's "Pipes of Peace".[11] One of the decade's most controversial and most commercially successful records, "Relax" eventually sold a reported two million copies in the UK alone, easily ranking among the tenbiggest-selling singles in the UK.[12] It remained in the UK Top 40 for 37 consecutive weeks, 35 of which overlapped with a radio airplay ban by the BBC (owing to lyrics perceived as overtly sexual).
In June 1984, bolstered by the instant massive success of the band's follow-up single "Two Tribes", the single re-entered the Top Ten for a further nine weeks, including two spent at no. 2 (behind "Two Tribes"). At that time, Frankie Goes to Hollywood were the only act apart fromthe Beatles andJohn Lennon to concurrently occupy the top two positions on the chart. Several12-inch single versions (and the"Frankie Say Relax" T-shirt craze) further fed the "Relax" phenomenon. The single re-entered the UK Top 75 in February 1985 and, more successfully, in October 1993, when it spent three weeks in the Top Ten. "Relax" remains the UK's biggest-selling debut single of all time.[13]
In the United States "Relax" was also comparatively slow in reaching its chart peak. Released in March 1984, albeit with a different mix and nearly a minute shorter in length, the single stalled at no. 67 onBillboard'sHot 100 in May during a seven-week run,[14] but it rankednumber one for the year on theLos Angeles "alternative rock" stationKROQ, as voted for by listeners. In January 1985, a release of "Relax" that was far more similar to the UK hit version entered the Hot 100 at no. 70, and in March it reached no. 10 during its 16-week run.[15] In January 1989, the single was certifiedgold by theRIAA.
In February 1985, the record was awardedBest British Single of 1984 at theBrit Awards, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood won Best British Newcomer. A version of the song features on Frankie Goes to Hollywood's debut albumWelcome to the Pleasuredome, released in October 1984.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood formed in Liverpool in 1980.[16] The singer,Holly Johnson, said he wrote "Relax" in his head, and that the lyrics came to him as he was walking down Princes Avenue in Liverpool.[17] In February 1983, the band performed an early version of "Relax" on theChannel 4 showThe Tube, dressed infetish wear.[18] This version included abridge that incorporated lyrics from the songIn Heaven fromDavid Lynch's filmEraserhead.[19]
That May, Frankie Goes to Hollywood became the first act signed byZTT Records, a new record label co-founded by the producerTrevor Horn, who saw theirTube performance.[18][20] "Relax" was selected as their first single.[17] Horn described the original version as "more a jingle than a song", but he preferred to work with songs that were not professionally finished because he could rework them in his own style.[21]
Horn dominated the recording of "Relax" in his effort for perfectionism. Initial sessions were held atthe Manor Studio.[17] The band were overawed and intimidated by Horn's reputation, and were too nervous to make suggestions. Johnson said in his autobiography, "Whatever he said we went along with".[22]
According to Horn, the "Relax" demo featured the guitarist Jed O'Toole, the brother of the bassist,Mark O'Toole. By the time Frankie Goes to Hollywood signed to ZZT, Jed had been replaced byBrian Nash. Though he acknowledged that Nash later became a good guitarist, he felt he was not skilled enough, and wanted to try the song with other musicians.[17] Horn recorded a version with the formerIan Dury backing bandthe Blockheads, withNorman Watt-Roy on bass. The sessions were deemed to be not modern-sounding enough.[1] Instead, Horn replaced Watt-Roy's with a sampledE note on a bass guitar, which was layered over aLinn 2 bass drum.[23]
Horn constructed a more electronic version with keyboards by the session musicianAndy Richards and rhythm programming assistance fromJ. J. Jeczalik ofArt of Noise. Horn developed this version in his west London studio while the band remained in Liverpool. Horn had made three versions of "Relax" prior to Richards and the guitaristStephen Lipson joining hisZTT Production 'Theam' in late 1983. Horn left the studio late one night asking for Lipson to erase themultitrack (of version 3) due to lack of progress, but came back into the studio some time later to hear Richards playing a variety of modal chords based around the key of E minor with Lipson playing guitar along to the unerased multitrack.[1][24]
Johnson and the singer Paul Rutherford were the only band members to perform on the final version "Relax". The only contribution by the other members was a sample crafted from the sound of the rest of the band jumping into a swimming pool. Johnson later said that "Trevor didn't like the band's standard of playing as he couldn't sync it to his machinery".[25] Horn recalled of the song's intro, "Hit singles are not just good songs. They need to be moments. Holly had been blowing his saxophone on the studio roof inNotting Hill at 2am, and a bunch of guys appeared on the street, calling up to him. He came down to do the vocal, and I suggested he play it at the start of 'Relax'."[25] Horn completed the recording having spent £70,000 in studio time.[26]
ZTT co-founderPaul Morley mapped out the marketing campaign fashioned as a "strategic assault on pop". Morley opted to tackle the biggest possible themes in the band's singles ("sex, war, religion"), of which "Relax" would be the first, and emphasised the shock impact of Johnson and Rutherford's openhomosexuality in the packaging and music videos.[22]
Morley intentionally courted scandal with the promotion of "Relax". ZTT initiated the ad campaign for "Relax" with two quarter-page ads in the British music press. The first ad featured images of Rutherford in a sailor cap and a leather vest, and Johnson with a shaved head and rubber gloves. The images were accompanied by the phrase "ALL THE NICE BOYS LOVE SEA MEN", a pun on themusic hall song "Ship Ahoy! (All the Nice Girls Love a Sailor)". It declared "Frankie Goes to Hollywood are coming ... makingDuran Duran lick the shit off their shoes ... Nineteen inches that must be taken always." The second ad promised "theories of bliss, a history of Liverpool from 1963 to 1983, a guide to Amsterdam bars".[27]
When the single was released in November 1983, the initial progress of "Relax" on theUK Top 75 was sluggish. First charting at no. 67, it had progressed only to no. 35 by its seventh week on the chart, even having fallen back slightly during that time. But then on Thursday 5 January 1984, Frankie Goes to Hollywood were shown performing "Relax" on the BBC flagship television chart show,Top of the Pops. The following week it soared to no. 6. On 11 January 1984,Radio 1disc jockeyMike Read expressed on air his distaste for both the record's suggestive sleeve (designed byAnne Yvonne Gilbert) and its lyric, which centred on the oft-repeated "Relax, don't do it/ When you want to suck, chew it/ Relax, don't do it/ When you want to come."[28]
In support of their disc jockey, BBC Radio banned the single from its shows a reported two days later (although certain prominent night-time BBC shows – including those ofKid Jensen andJohn Peel – continued to play the record, as they saw fit, during 1984).[29] The now-banned "Relax" rose to no. 2 on the charts by 17 January, and hit the number-one spot on 24 January. By this time, the BBC Radio ban had extended toTop of the Pops as well, which simply displayed a still picture of the group during its climactic number one announcement, before airing a performance by a non-number one artist.
This went on for the five weeks that "Relax" was at number one. It then began a slow decline on the charts, falling back as far as no. 31 in May 1984 before returning to no. 2 in July whilst Frankie's follow-up single "Two Tribes" held the UK number-one spot. In the end, "Relax" remained in the Top 75 for 48 consecutive weeks and returned in February 1985 for four more, giving a total of 52.[30] The ban became an embarrassment for the BBC, especially given that UK commercial radio and television stations were still playing the song. Later in 1984 the ban was lifted and "Relax" featured on theChristmas Day edition ofTop of the Pops.[1]
Throughout the "Relax" controversy, the band continued to publicly deny that the song's lyrics were sexual. Nevertheless, by late 1984, it was clear that the public were aware of the sexual nature of the lyrics, but the scandal had fuelled sales anyway. In 1985, with the release of theWelcome to the Pleasuredome album (which included "Relax"), the band dropped any public pretence about the lyrics:
Everything I say is complete lies. Like, when people ask you what 'Relax' was about, when it first came out we used to pretend it was about motivation, and really it was about shagging.
— Mark O'Toole,Welcome to the Pleasuredome album liner notes[31]
In September 1993, "Relax" was the first of a string of Frankie Goes to Hollywood singles to be reissued that year. It debuted at no. 6 on the UK singles chart and peaked at no. 5 the following week. It spent seven weeks in the top 75, extending its combined total to 59, making it at the time thethird longest runner of all time; it has since been surpassed by 44 other songs and sits in joint 47th place.[32]
The first official music video for "Relax", directed byBernard Rose and set in anS&M themedgay nightclub atWilton's Music Hall in London is featuring the band members accosted by buffleathermen, a glamorousdrag queen, and anobese admirer dressed up as aRoman emperor, played by actorJohn Dair, was allegedly banned byMTV and theBBC, prompting the recording of a second video, directed byGodley and Creme[33] in early 1984, featuring the group performing with the help of laser beams. However, after the second video was made the song was banned completely by the BBC, meaning that neither video was ever broadcast on any BBC music programmes.
A live performance video of the song was directed byDavid Mallet, making the rounds at MTV. The live version was released as the B-side of the US 12" version of "Welcome to the Pleasuredome", titled "Relax (International)".
Another MTV video of the studio version includes footage from theBrian De Palma filmBody Double.Body Double, a popular 1984 erotic thriller film, contains afilm within a film sequence in which Frankie Goes to Hollywood performs "Relax" on the set of a porn film.[34]
American magazineCash Box said that the song is "a very danceable cut", in which "heavy bass and bass drum provide the backdrop for Frankie's pleading lyric andFrank Sinatraesque soaring vocal."[35] Alan Jones fromMusic Week gave the 1993 remix a score of four out of five, writing, "ZTT recently got its catalogue back fromIsland, and is about to embark on a high profile re-issue/remix campaign, of which this is the first fruit. "Relax" is updated by Ollie J in a stompinghouse mix, whileJam & Spoon's pumped-upHi-NRG version is hardcore tempo. With the original mixes added to the package, this is going to be big all over again. But willOne FM play it?"[36]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".[37] Richard Harris fromNME wrote: "'Relax' sounds as divine as ever; a perfect soundtrack for pubescents to discover the delightful realities of having hormones."[38] In 2022,Rolling Stone named it the 123rd greatest dance song.[39] In 2025,Billboard ranked it the 35th-greatest "LGBTQ+ anthem".[40]
Although the7-inch version of the single remained unchanged throughout its initial release (a mix generally known as "Relax (Move)"), promotional 7-inch records featuring a substantially different mix of "Relax" (entitled either "The Last Seven Inches" or "Warp Mix" because it is a compilation of other versions) were the subject of a limited 1984 release.
One of the reasons we did all the remixes was that the initial 12-inch version of 'Relax' contained something called 'The Sex Mix', which was 16 minutes long and didn't even contain a song. It was reallyHolly Johnson just jamming, as well as a bunch ofsamples of the group jumping in the swimming pool and me sort of making disgusting noises by dropping stuff into buckets of water! We got so many complaints about it — particularly from gay clubs, who found it offensive — that we cut it in half and reduced it down to eight minutes, by taking out some of the slightly more offensive parts [this became "Sex Mix (Edition 2)"]. Then we got another load of complaints, because the single version wasn't on the 12-inch — I didn't see the point in this at the time, but I was eventually put straight about it.[23]
Horn attested that visits to New York'sParadise Garage club led to the creation of the final "Relax (New York Mix)", which ultimately replaced the original "Sex Mix" releases:
It was only when I went to this club and heard the sort of things they were playing that I really understood about 12-inch remixes. Although I myself had already had a couple of big 12-inch hits, I'd never heard them being played on a big sound system, and so I then went back and mixed 'Relax' again and that was the version which sold a couple of million over here [in the UK].[23]
The 7-inch featured "One September Monday", an interview between ZTT'sPaul Morley, Holly Johnson andPaul Rutherford. During the interview, Holly revealed that the group's name derived from a page of theNew Yorker magazine, headlined "Frankie Goes Hollywood" and featuringFrank Sinatra "getting mobbed byteenyboppers".[41] On all of the original 12-inch releases, the B-side featured a cover of "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey".[42]
"Relax" is a major plot point in the filmZoolander (2001), where the titular character isconditioned to assassinate a target when he hears the song.[43]Limp Bizkit also recorded their own version for the film,[44] thoughPowerman 5000's cover was used instead, in both the film and on thesoundtrack. "Relax" was also used for the trailer ofZoolander 2 (2016).[45]
Later reissued in 1984 in a generic sleeve, with the text "Original Mix" on the label.
Mastered at 33⅓ RPM, despite claiming to run at 45 RPM on the label. The 1984 reissue runs at 45 RPM.
12": ZTT / 12 ZTAS 1 (United Kingdom)
"Relax" (Sex Mix, Edition 2) – 8:20
"Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" – 4:03
"Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:31
"Edition 2" is an edit of "Sex Mix". Commonly nicknamed the "New York Mix".
12": ZTT / 12 ZTAS 1 (United Kingdom)
"Relax" (New York Mix) – 7:23
"Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" – 4:03
"Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:31
"Relax" (New York Mix) is also known as "Relax" (U.S. Mix)
Also released as a 12" picture disc (12 PZTAS 1).
12": Island / 0-96975 (United States)
"Relax" (New York Mix) – 7:23
"Relax" (Come Fighting) – 3:53
"Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:31
"New York Mix" labelled as "Long version".
The mixes on the B-side are not stated on the label.
Also released on MC in Canada (Island / ISC-69750).
12": ZTT / 062-2000686 (Greece)
"Relax" (Greek Disco Mix) – 6:15
"Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" – 4:03
"Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:31
"Disco Mix" (a.k.a. "The Greek Disco Mix") is a combination of "Relax (7" Mix)" and "Sex Mix (Edition 2)".
"Disco Mix" (a.k.a. "The Greek Disco Mix") is labelled as "Relax" (Sex Mix) on the original 12", which is incorrect.
MC: ZTT / CTIS 102
"From Soft to Hard – From Dry to Moist"
"Relax" (Greatest Bits) – 16:49
"The Party Trick" (acting dumb) – 0:36
"The Special Act" (adapted from the sex mix) – 7:46
"The US Mix" (come dancing) – 4:38
"The Single" (the act) – 3:55
"Later On" (from One September Monday) – 1:36
"Ferry Across the Mersey (...and Here I'll Stay)" – 4:06
The mixes on this cassette single reissued on vinyl for Record Store Day 2022 as side A of 'Altered Reels' – the cassette single of "Two Tribes" was reissued on side B.
"Sex Mix Edit" was mixed by Luis Jardim with Bob Painter as engineer on 13 December 1984, having taken the multitracks with him (according to the booklet of The Art of The 12" Volume 2). It was first released on the 2009 Japanese "Return to the Pleasuredome" box set by accident, due to confusion with "Sex Mix Edition 2".
"Bonus, Again" mislabelled "The Instrumental", as if it was an unreleased mix.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^Jon, Kutner; Leigh, Spencer (2013).1000 UK Numbers Ones: The Stories Behind Every Number One Single Since 1952 (2nd ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 531.ISBN978-085712-360-2 – via Google Books.
^Kent, David (1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 118.ISBN0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed byARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
^"Relax in French Chart" (in French). Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc. 20 June 2013. Archived fromthe original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved20 June 2013. You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "Frankie Goes to Hollywood"
^Pennanen, Timo (2006).Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi.ISBN978-951-1-21053-5.
^"Top 100 Singles"(PDF).Music Week. London, England: Morgan-Grampian plc. 26 January 1985. p. 37.Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved1 May 2022.
