Download Free Frankie Goes To Hollywood * Songs

Frankie Goes To Hollywood music biography continued...

formed in 1980. The band consisted of vocalist Holly Johnson, vocalist Paul Rutherford, guitarist Nasher Nash, bassist Mark O'Toole, and drummer Peter Gill. Originally, the group was called Hollycaust, but they changed their name to Frankie Goes to Hollywood -- taken from an old headline about Frank Sinatra's acting career -- by the end of the year. After an appearance on a British television program garnered them some exposure Frankie were signed to Trevor Horn's ZTT label. In 1983, they released their first single, "Relax"/"Ferry Cross the Mersey," an infectious dance number with sexually suggestive lyrics that would soon lead to great controversy. At the time of its release, the band's savvy marketing director had Frankie buttons, t-shirts and other promotional merchandise printed up and distributed throughout England. The group started playing up the campy, homosexual imagery and subsequently the video for "Relax" and the track itself were banned by BBC radio and television. As a result, the single shot up to number one on the British charts. Frankie's second single, the political "Two Tribes," was released in June of 1984. It entered the charts at number one and went gold in seven days. "Two Tribes" stayed at number one for nine weeks and eventually sold over a million copies, clearly indicating that Frankie Mania had swept through Great Britain. A year later, in 1985, "Relax" would also break into the Top Ten in the United Sates, making Frankie and unqualified success on both sides of the pond.



"Rage Hard," the first single from Frankie's second album, Liverpool, peaked at number four in the U.K. during the summer of 1986. It was followed by the release of the album, which reached number five on the British charts. Frankie Goes to Hollywood began their final tour in early 1987; by April, the band had broken up to pursue other interests, but not before they had left an indelible mark on British pop culture.