Frankie Goes To Hollywood

About Frankie Goes To Hollywood

English group, formed in Liverpool, UK in 1980; comprised William Holly Johnson (vocals – b.February 19, 1960), Paul Rutherford (vocals, keyboards – b.December 8, 1959), Brian Nash (guitar – b.May 20, 1963), Peter Gill (drums – b.March 8, 1964) and Mark O’Toole (bass – b.January 6, 1964).

Following an appearance on Channel 4 TV show “The Tube” performing “Relax”, the group were signed up by Trevor Horn and Paul Morley’s new ZTT record label. With the benefit of Horn’s production skills and Morley’s off-the-wall marketing ideas, “Relax” came out in October 1983 and slowly but surely took off. It was already a top ten hit when, in January 1984, BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read suddenly realised what the song was actually about, leading to a total BBC ban on the disc. From this moment on, Frankie Goes To Hollywood became not just a pop group but a phenomenon. The record went to number one in the UK, and was a smash hit across Europe and even in the USA. “Frankie Says” T-shirts (some dreamt up by Morley, but far more the creations of small-time bootleggers) became the fashion statement of the year, and anticipation was at such a fever pitch that every subsequent FGTH release that year – two singles and a double-LP – went straight in at number one in their home country, an unprecedented achievement and a triumph for ZTT.

Now established as huge stars in the UK and Europe (though like so many other “British invasion” acts they were doomed to One-hit Wonder status in the US), Frankie spent much of 1985 on tour before starting work on their second album, the Stephen Lipson-produced “Liverpool”. Trailed by the popular single “Rage Hard”, the album came out in October 1986 but failed to reach the sale levels of “Welcome To The Pleasuredome”.

It was the beginning of the end for Frankie Goes To Hollywood – six months later, Johnson announced he was leaving the band for a solo contract with MCA. In the subsequent high-profile legal battle, ZTT lost their claim of contract-breaking against Johnson, a ruling which effectively brought the curtain down on the label’s golden age. Rutherford quit too, leaving a diminished group who subsequently disbanded without releasing anything.

The original line-up reunited to play one song, “Welcome To The Pleasure Dome”, during the National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome concert on 7th May 2023.