Figaro (song)
Encyclopedia
"Figaro" is a song by British pop group Brotherhood of Man
. It was released as a single in January 1978
and became the group's third and final number one hit in the UK.
" and "Angelo
". Following this, came the surprise failure of their next single "Highwayman" (released in late 1977
). In January 1978, they released this song, which borrowed the title-idea from their previous No.1 "Angelo". The song became a No.1 hit in February, spending one week on top of the charts in the UK and becoming one of the twenty best selling singles of the year. This was to be Brotherhood of Man's final No.1 single. It was awarded a gold disc by the BPI
in February 1978.
"Figaro" was written by band members Lee Sheriden
and Martin Lee
along with their manager Tony Hiller
, who also produced the track. The lead vocals are sung jointly by members Sandra Stevens
and Nicky Stevens
. The distinctive opening drum roll on the song was performed by Clem Cattini
of the 1960s band The Tornados
.
The song tells of a (presumably) Spanish cabaret singer who is intent on gaining the interest of young ladies. As co-writer Hiller stated; "That came about because my daughter went on holiday and came back talking about all the dishy Spanish waiters trying to pick up the girls." Musically, the song has been reported on many occasions of its similarity to ABBA
's "Fernando
", and while this may be partly true of their previous No.1 ("Angelo"), stylistically, these particular songs are very different apart from similar titles. Member Sheriden denies these allegations. Ironically however, it was ABBA themselves who knocked Brotherhood Of Man off the top of the charts in the UK, with their single "Take a Chance on Me
".
"Figaro" became a hit in many European countries, including Ireland, where it was also a No.1 hit. The song featured on the group's album B for Brotherhood
, and was followed up by top 20 hit "Beautiful Lover". "Figaro" went on to be voted best song of the first half of 1978 by readers of Look-in
magazine and best song of the year by viewers of TV's Magpie
. A cover version was recorded for the Top of the Pops
album series, appearing on Volume 63 and The Best of 1978
.
Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
. It was released as a single in January 1978
1978 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....
and became the group's third and final number one hit in the UK.
Background
By 1978, Brotherhood Of Man had experienced a certain amount of chart success in both the UK and Europe, notably so with "Save Your Kisses For MeSave Your Kisses For Me
"Save Your Kisses for Me" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, performed for the United Kingdom by Brotherhood of Man in The Hague, Netherlands. The lyrics and music were written by Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden, and Martin Lee, the latter two being members of the band...
" and "Angelo
Angelo (song)
"Angelo" is a song by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. Released as a single in June 1977, it became the group's second UK number one hit.- Background :...
". Following this, came the surprise failure of their next single "Highwayman" (released in late 1977
1977 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1977.-January–February:*January 1 – The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, The Roxy....
). In January 1978, they released this song, which borrowed the title-idea from their previous No.1 "Angelo". The song became a No.1 hit in February, spending one week on top of the charts in the UK and becoming one of the twenty best selling singles of the year. This was to be Brotherhood of Man's final No.1 single. It was awarded a gold disc by the BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
in February 1978.
"Figaro" was written by band members Lee Sheriden
Lee Sheriden
Lee Sheriden is a British singer/songwriter and musical director, best known as a member of pop group Brotherhood of Man.-Early career:...
and Martin Lee
Martin Lee (singer)
Martin Lee is a singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the British pop group Brotherhood of Man.- Early career :...
along with their manager Tony Hiller
Tony Hiller
Tony Hiller is a British songwriter. He began his musical career as a member of the song and dance duo The Hiller Brothers, sharing the stage with his brother Irving...
, who also produced the track. The lead vocals are sung jointly by members Sandra Stevens
Sandra Stevens
Sandra Stevens is a British singer and member of pop group Brotherhood of Man.- Early career :Sandra Stevens first entered into a singing career at the age of sixteen when she joined the club band, The Track...
and Nicky Stevens
Nicky Stevens
Nicky Stevens is a singer, famous as a member of pop group Brotherhood of Man.- Early career :Nicky Stevens began singing at an early age was classically trained. At 15 she toured the Continent as a singer performing in night clubs. Following this she went on to tour South Africa as well as clubs...
. The distinctive opening drum roll on the song was performed by Clem Cattini
Clem Cattini
Clem Cattini , is an English rock and roll drummer who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician...
of the 1960s band The Tornados
The Tornados
The Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. Number One "Telstar" , the first U.S...
.
The song tells of a (presumably) Spanish cabaret singer who is intent on gaining the interest of young ladies. As co-writer Hiller stated; "That came about because my daughter went on holiday and came back talking about all the dishy Spanish waiters trying to pick up the girls." Musically, the song has been reported on many occasions of its similarity to ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
's "Fernando
Fernando (song)
"Fernando" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the group's first non-album single and was released in November 1975 through Polar Music. Lead vocals were sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad...
", and while this may be partly true of their previous No.1 ("Angelo"), stylistically, these particular songs are very different apart from similar titles. Member Sheriden denies these allegations. Ironically however, it was ABBA themselves who knocked Brotherhood Of Man off the top of the charts in the UK, with their single "Take a Chance on Me
Take a Chance on Me
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, simply called The Album. The song has been featured on a number of ABBA compilations such as ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits.-History:The working title of "Take a...
".
"Figaro" became a hit in many European countries, including Ireland, where it was also a No.1 hit. The song featured on the group's album B for Brotherhood
B for Brotherhood
B for Brotherhood is the fifth album by pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in 1978 and featured the UK No.1 single "Figaro"-Background:...
, and was followed up by top 20 hit "Beautiful Lover". "Figaro" went on to be voted best song of the first half of 1978 by readers of Look-in
Look-in
Look-in was a long running children's magazine centred around ITV's television programmes in the United Kingdom, and subtitled "The Junior TVTimes". It ran from 9 January 1971 to 12 March 1994...
magazine and best song of the year by viewers of TV's Magpie
Magpie (TV series)
Magpie was a children's television programme shown on ITV from the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. It was a magazine format show intended to compete with the BBC's Blue Peter, but attempted to be more "hip", focusing more on popular culture...
. A cover version was recorded for the Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops (record series)
Top of the Pops is the name of a series of records issued by Pickwick Records on their Hallmark label, which contain anonymous cover versions of recent and current hit singles. The recordings were intended to replicate the sound of the original hits as closely as possible...
album series, appearing on Volume 63 and The Best of 1978
The Best of Top of the Pops '78
The Best Of Top Of The Pops '78 is a 1978 compilation album released by the Top of the Poppers, who were well-known for their cover-versions of popular songs during the 1970s...
.
Track listing
- "Figaro" (Tony Hiller / Lee Sheriden / Martin Lee) 2.57
- "You Can Say That Again" (Hiller / Sheriden / Lee) 3.22
Chart performance
| Country | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK | 1 |
| Ireland | 1 |
| Norway | 12 |
| South Africa | 12 |
| Belgium | 16 |
| The Netherlands | 28 |