Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a terrific British dance/funk/pop/rock quintet. The band first got together in 1980 in Liverpool, England. The members were: Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (vocals/keyboards), Peter Gill (drums), Mark O'Toole (bass) and Brian Nash (guitar). The group initially called themselves "Hollycaust", but soon changed the name to Frankie Goes to Hollywood (this peculiar moniker was inspired by an old newspaper headline about Frankie Vaughan's acting career). The group's music was distinguished by racy lyrics, pulsating beats, slick arrangements, and homo-erotic music videos. Their immense mid 80s success in Britain was greatly aided by a series of catchy slogans and t-shirts. The band played their first public gig in the summer of 1982 at a Liverpool pub called "Pickwicks". Frankie Goes to Hollywood initially gained attention for their wild S&M-themed stage act which included a whip-brandishing dominatrix duo known as the Leatherpets. The group recorded a few promotional demos and videos without making a dent before finally getting a break recording a handful of songs for BBC Radio One in October, 1982. In February, 1983, Frankie Goes to Hollywood recorded a video for their breakthrough smash song "Relax" for the Channel Four TV program "The Tube." The sensationally saucy and stirring tune became a #1 UK radio hit in January, 1984 and reigned supreme at the top of the charts for five weeks straight. The song's sexually suggestive lyrics caused a great deal of controversy which resulted in it being banned by the BBC. The original openly gay music video for "Relax" was likewise banned by both the BBC and MTV. The band scored their second #1 hit in May, 1984 with the exciting anti-war number "Two Tribes"; this song stayed at the #1 spot on the UK pop charts for nine weeks and sold over a million copies. Frankie Goes to Hollywood had a third #1 hit with the thoughtful ballad "The Power of Love" in December, 1984. The group's debut album "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" likewise did well; the titular song was a #2 UK radio hit in March, 1985. The song "Rage Hard" peaked at #4 on the UK pop radio hit in the summer of 1986. Alas, the band's popularity began to wane towards the end of 1986: "Warriors of the Wasteland" only reached #19 and "Watching the Wildlife" barely cracked the Top 30 at #28. Frankie Goes to Hollywood subsequently broke up in April, 1987. In 2004 three original members of the group reformed the band. This new incarnation of Frankie Goes to Hollywood played a few concert gigs at musical festivals in Europe prior to splitting up again in 2007.