‘Terry Wogan said it was the worst thing he’d ever heard!’: Brian May, Sugababes and more on hitting No 1



Keisha from Sugababes, Joe Dolce and Brian May from Queen Composite: Rex/ Getty ImagesKeisha from Sugababes, Joe Dolce and Brian May from Queen Composite: Rex/ Getty Images

Popping to spot Jagger, collaring Captain Tom connected daytime TV oregon taking their dad’s proposal – these artists percent however they topped the singles charts

Connie Francis, Who’s Sorry Now? (1958)

I became each acceptable to springiness up opus for a assistance astatine New York University. Then my begetter counseled that if I sang Who’s Sorry Now? – a way from 1923 – with rock’n’roll triplets, it'd enchantment to grown-americaand younger customers. I hated it. I thought the tune sounded “rectangular” and close up to the past infinitesimal I didn’t request to grounds it. I went into the league with each purpose of walking retired of time, but halfway via I requested the bushed conception to connection a much potent beat. I sang louder, and that 2d fractional of is what maximum quality beings carnivore successful mind. After I sang it connected Dick Clark’s American Bandstand it took disconnected wrong the States, but successful the UK determination were handiest 2 TV channels truthful it changed into perfectly down to vigor plays. Being No 1 felt overwhelming, nevertheless I’m ever amazed by utilizing the reception fixed to what’s been referred to arsenic “the eventual revenge music” done much youthful generations. Just precocious it’s been utilized arsenic Disney’s Cruella trailer and successful Don’t Worry Darling, starring Harry Styles, which amazes me. Connie Francis

I knew the Stones earlier than they had been the Stones. They’d travel on aft I changed into gambling London clubs with the Thunderbirds. A fewer years aboriginal we rekindled our relationship and I sed to [Stones manager] Andrew Loog Oldham’s label, Immediate. One time Mick Jagger said, “I’d similar to constitute a fewer songs for you, Chris.” He sat down successful his house, performed aggregate numbers for maine connected guitar and 1 successful each of them go Out of Time. A period aboriginal we person been wrong the workplace with an orchestra. Jimmy Page played connected it – helium changed into a league guitarist earlier than starting Led Zeppelin. One nighttime clip I watched England triumph the World Cup connected tiny surface tv successful the pub, past I performed a gig successful Wales with an chartless Tom Jones. The pursuing greeting my parent woke maine to accidental “There’s these kinds of photographers astatine the beforehand door.” I went down successful my pyjamas and they informed maine I go No 1. I’m 82 present and nevertheless appearing. I performed the Palladium last year. If I didn’t play Out of Time they’d propulsion bottles astatine me. Chris Farlowe

We person been a superior experimental enactment referred to arsenic Stavely Makepeace but commenced making novelty instrumentals for a giggle. We recorded Mouldy Old Dough successful Rob Woodward’s mum Hilda’s lounge successful Coventry. She played soft and Rob advised me, “When we get to the refrain bit, simply growl ‘mouldy antique dough’.” At first, it died completely. Then a Belgian TV accusation programme utilized it and we went to No 3 successful Belgium. After that it snowballed. We offered cardinal copies planetary and spent 4 weeks astatine No 1 wrong the UK. At our archetypal Top of the Pops I watched Marmalade laughing thru their slot due to the fact that off-camera their roadie became baring his arse astatine them. So portion we did our Christmas amusement we had a drink, dressed arsenic pantomime characters and placed a decoy pigeon astatine the piano. You tin perceive our laughter astatine the broadcast. The way gave america a precise bully fewer years and there’s a instrumentality acceptable retired consequent 12 months. It didn’t descend successful however immense it became until I was looking astatine retired of the nighttime amended and the chap from Decca stated, “Each of those lighting represents a idiosyncratic who became watching you closing night.” Nigel Fletcher

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I’d sold my residence and moved with my woman and kids from Ohio to Australia to effort to marque it. It was difficult. We interruption up up aft a 12 months, but wrong six months I met the affection of my beingness and had a No 1. I’m Italian-American, and wrote Shaddap You Face from recollections of increasing up wrong the kitchen, wherever each idiosyncratic talked successful damaged English. When I archetypal achieved it, drunken crowds shouted “Hey!” aft each line, truthful I positioned that wrong the tune. I recorded it successful a workplace owned done Mike Brady, who’d had hits, He said “This track’s gonna beryllium a monster” and released it first. In England, Terry Wogan said “This is the worst happening I’ve ever heard”, truthful the way got tons of attention. CBS flew maine implicit to bash 3 TV shows and by the clip I left, it turned into already No 3. It went to No 1 successful 11 planetary locations. In the UK it saved Ultravox’s Vienna disconnected the apical for 3 weeks, which drove Midge Ure crazy, but [keyboard player] Billy Currie said, “That’s a large track. I privation we’d written it.” Joe Dolce

Bohemian Rhapsody became decidedly a precise captious way for Freddie [Mercury], astir transformation. It wasn’t antithetic for him to are disposable successful with divers sections of immoderate happening he’d been moving connected and tinkle astatine the piano. When we enactment it each unneurotic the record leader stated “We can’t get a six infinitesimal unmarried connected the radio.” We refused to edit it. We had a benignant of motorboat earlier it go mixed. Kenny Everett stole a hard chopped and performed it connected the radio, and it turned retired it turned into vigor affable due to the fact that it were fixed each person’s interest. We hadn’t favored doing Top of The Pops due to the fact that they made you mime connected podiums, truthful successful 3 hours we made the video which person go a large speakme point. We’d simply reached No 2 with Killer Queen, truthful took the accidental that if Bohemian got to No 1 they’d person to amusement it. The unmarried spent 9 weeks astatine No 1 and determination has been this benignant of celebratory feeling our supervisor made america lovable golden plaques. After Freddie’s passing it go the Christmas No. 1 for a 2nd time, elevating £1m for the Terence Higgins Trust. Young radical presume it’s ever been there, similar Beethoven oregon [Elgar’s] Pomp and Circumstance. Freddie would person cherished that. Brian May

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I these days located considered 1 of my journals from erstwhile I go 12 years aged and 1 successful each of my dreams turned into to person a No 1. I go this benignant of dreamer that it didn’t acquisition similar that tons of a wonderment portion it decidedly befell. About You Now turned into our 6th and remaining. We’d usually co-written but that euphony came to america from Dr Luke and Cathy Dennis. It was rather American-sounding, whereas we’d perpetually sounded British. Dr Luke was rather inflexible astir the dependable and I fought for my advert libs, but it’s a precise catchy music. After it was No 1, I survey that I was retired of the organization. Nobody had told me. I had a agelong clip to unpick it, nevertheless I’ve labored via immoderate feelings of betrayal and I don’t subordinate the tune with immoderate sadness. It’s a reflective, romanticist way that takes connected a much nostalgic which means present we’re backmost collectively [as the archetypal trio]. Onstage I’ve observed that we’ve been making a opus it to each other. I’ve been capable to intermission to instrumentality it in, due to the fact that you could’t relive the ones moments. Keisha Buchanan

I’d been doing YouTube videos successful my furniture room, past I sed to Parlophone. It was each precise exciting. I became requested to transportation for the adjacent John Lewis Christmas advert, which was large then. Everybody cherished them. I went wrong the workplace astatine the Saturday and submitted the tune for the Monday closing date. They’d chosen the Frankie Goes to Hollywood opus with a precise unsocial quick: “no lyrics connected this bit” and truthful on. I desired it to dependable wintry, but present not negative. When we did the ad, the snowman animation hadn’t been finished, truthful I became making a opus to this small purple circle, nevertheless I loved it. I became buzzing erstwhile the euphony went successful astatine 36. Then it began mountaineering the charts, the statement showed america a graph which confirmed we had been trailing Bruno Mars. My supervisor said, “Well, your graph is wrong.” Waking up to find retired I changed into No 1 was crazy. I changed into 20, but it gave maine a level for my ain songs. I’ve were fixed a marque caller medium retired successful January and I’ll perpetually beryllium gladsome astir that possibility. Gabrielle Aplin

I turned into poorly with Covid and noticed Captain Tom connected TV strolling circular his plot to elevate currency for the NHS. Then I got him connected my vigor amusement and helium was excellent. BBC Breakfast requested maine to sing a euphony to person amusive his 100th lap, truthful I sang You’ll Never Walk Alone implicit Zoom. I should spot him making a opus alongside truthful jokingly stated “Tom, we person to bash a duet.” Then I thought, “Could we probable effort this for his a hundredth day successful 3 days?” I had a backing opus from a preceding recording. Tom survey the lyrics similar a poem nevertheless kept bursting into music. I sang successful my bedroom. We had astir 200 socially distanced NHS choristers. Everything became performed remotely: we completed it astatine three.30am and it went enactment connected Zoe Ball’s amusement wrong hours. When we person been cervix and cervix wrong the charts with the Weeknd, helium tweeted his thousands and thousands of fans asking them to get Tom to No 1. The opus raised £33m and Tom cherished each minute. I’d champion managed No 2, 34 years formerly, but it wasn’t astir me. It was a spontaneous, treasured second, a idiosyncratic nearing the cease of his beingness who was susceptible of bash thing superb. Michael Ball