Simon May
Encyclopedia
Simon May is a British
musician and composer, best known for composing some of British television's best known theme tunes
, including EastEnders
and Howards' Way
, and for composing the music for the 1988 film The Dawning
.
, May won a choral scholarship to Cambridge University
, graduating with a degree in modern languages. While teaching languages and music at Kingston Grammar School
, he co-wrote a musical named Smike
with a colleague, history teacher Clive Barnett and songwriting partner, Roger Holman. Following the publicity Smike attracted, May was contacted by the BBC
, who televised the play in 1973, starring Beryl Reid
and Andrew Keir
. It also featured DJ Neil Fox, a pupil at Kingston Grammar, as one of the schoolboys. The show has subsequently been staged many times by youth drama groups.
While working at ATV
, he was asked to compose some music for Crossroads. Stephanie de Sykes
got to number 2 in the UK Singles Chart
in 1974 with the subsequent "Born With a Smile on My Face", which was used within a storyline on the show. Kate Robbins
performed another of May's songs for Crossroads: "More Than in Love," which was co-written by Barry Leng and got to number 2 in 1981.
May himself performed "The Summer of My Life", which charting at number seven in the UK chart
in October 1976. The song originally appeared in Crossroads, in a scene between Meg and Hugh. It was one of the best selling singles of the year, and was one of few songs to spend three weeks in a row at number seven in the UK Singles Chart. His follow-up single, "We'll Gather Lilacs - All My Loving (Medley)", flopped, reaching number 49 in May 1977. In 1986 he released an album called Simon's Way
, which included his themes to EastEnders and Howards' Way, which peaked at #59 in the UK Albums Chart
.
He worked on his first feature film in 1988 - The Dawning
. Music from the film, together with various other TV themes (including The Olympic Track and People like You) was released in 1989 on the Simon May Orchestra album Themes.
He co-produced Amii Stewart
's "Knock on Wood
", which reached number one in the US
.
and Julia Smith
commissioned May to write the theme to EastEnders
and being impressed by his work on spy-thriller Cold Warrior. Don Black
put lyrics to the popular theme, and Anita Dobson
(who portrayed Angie Watts
in the show) reached number 4 in August 1986 with "Anyone Can Fall in Love
". With Barry Rose, the theme was adapted into a hymn
, "Glory Be", which was performed on Songs of Praise
and released on single.
Another soap storyline gave May a hit in 1986. Nick Berry
("Wicksy"
) topped the charts with "Every Loser Wins
", which he co-wrote after plugging it in EastEnders (a storyline which Holland openly hated). It won the Ivor Novello Award for best selling single of 1986.
In 1993 the theme itself was given an unpopular 'jazzy' update, and an updated version of the original was introduced in 1994. With Johnny Griggs, he wrote another set of lyrics for the EastEnders theme. "I'll Always Believe in You" featured lead vocals by Sharon Benson. which was based around the extended version of the 1993 theme. In 2009 he was asked to revamp the EastEnders theme again, to update the one running from 1994, making it lighter in tone and bringing back elements of the original theme missing in the previous version. However it is worth noting that one major element of all the previous themes (bar the jazzy version) is missing - the bells, which are mainly replaced with the piano.
Simon wrote "Peggy's Theme" for Barbara Windsor
's exit episode from EastEnders screened on 10 September 2010. The single was released on iTunes
on 4 September.
reached number 13 with "Always There" in 1986, a year after the orchestral version of the theme (credited to May and Leslie Osborne) had reached number 21. This was the version played over the opening credits of all six series, and the closing credits of series 1. The Marti Webb version of the theme was only played over the closing credits of series 2, with a slightly updated version of the original orchestral version played over the credits from series 3 onwards.
He wrote lyrics for the final episode of Eldorado. Performed by Johnny Griggs, "When You Go Away" encapsulated how some felt about the axing of the show:
Mike Read
wrote lyrics to May's Trainer
theme. "More to Life" was performed by Cliff Richard
. The theme won May his third TRIC
award for Best TV Theme, after previous success with EastEnders and Howards' Way.
In 1994, New Vintage: The Best of Simon May
, a compilation of some of May's work was released to coincide with his "A Night Away From The TV" UK tour. The tour was not a commercial success and some dates had to be cancelled. A Pebble Mill special documentary was produced by the BBC around this time discussing his career and the tour.
He has reached number one in Belgium with "Fragile Not Broken", sung by Natalia.
He is currently a part of "Music on Screen", along with Simon Lockyer and John Brant, and also works part time as tutor at a special needs
school in Surrey
.
May recorded his latest album The Simon May Collection
with his two co-writers/co-producers Simon Lockyer and John Brant. The album was released on 13 September 2010. "Peggy's Theme" was the lead track on the album.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musician and composer, best known for composing some of British television's best known theme tunes
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
, including EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and Howards' Way
Howards' Way
Howards' Way is a television drama series produced by BBC Birmingham and transmitted on BBC One between 1 September 1985 and 25 November 1990. The series deals with the personal and professional lives of the yachting and business communities in the fictional town of Tarrant on the South Coast of...
, and for composing the music for the 1988 film The Dawning
The Dawning
The Dawning is a 1988 British film, based on Jennifer Johnston's novel, The Old Jest which depicts the Irish War of Independence through the eyes of the Anglo-Irish landlord class...
.
Biography
Born in Devizes and a pupil of Dauntsey's SchoolDauntsey's School
Dauntsey's School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the village of West Lavington, Wiltshire, England. The School was founded in 1542, in accordance with the will of William Dauntesey, a master of the Worshipful Company of Mercers....
, May won a choral scholarship to Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, graduating with a degree in modern languages. While teaching languages and music at Kingston Grammar School
Kingston Grammar School
Kingston Grammar School is an independent co-educational school in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London. The school was founded by Royal Charter in 1561 but can trace its roots back to at least the 13th century. It is a registered charity under English law....
, he co-wrote a musical named Smike
Smike
Smike is a pop musical adaptation of a small part of Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby, that was televised for the BBC in 1973. The musical is based on the character Smike from that novel. The TV production starred Beryl Reid as Mrs Squeers, Andrew Keir as Mr Squeers, Leonard Whiting as Nicholas,...
with a colleague, history teacher Clive Barnett and songwriting partner, Roger Holman. Following the publicity Smike attracted, May was contacted by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, who televised the play in 1973, starring Beryl Reid
Beryl Reid
Beryl Elizabeth Reid, OBE was a British actress of stage and screen.-Early life:Born in Hereford, England in 1919, Reid was the daughter of Scottish parents and grew up in Manchester where she attended Withington and Levenshulme High Schools.-Career:Reid applied for and was accepted in a revue in...
and Andrew Keir
Andrew Keir
Andrew Keir was a Scottish actor, who rose to prominence featuring in a number of films from Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and particularly in the theatre, in a professional career that lasted from the 1940s to the 1990s...
. It also featured DJ Neil Fox, a pupil at Kingston Grammar, as one of the schoolboys. The show has subsequently been staged many times by youth drama groups.
While working at ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
, he was asked to compose some music for Crossroads. Stephanie de Sykes
Stephanie de Sykes
Stephanie de Sykes is a British singer, and was once a girlfriend of Angus Deayton.-Biography:She attended Brays Grove School in Harlow, Essex; she returned to the school for a final reunion in June 2008 as guest of honour. She had a hit in 1974 with the Simon May penned "Born With a Smile on My...
got to number 2 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1974 with the subsequent "Born With a Smile on My Face", which was used within a storyline on the show. Kate Robbins
Kate Robbins
Katherine Robbins is an English actress, comedienne and singer.-Biography:Robbins is a first cousin once removed of Paul McCartney and older sister of Amy Robbins . She attended Wirral Grammar School for Girls and won the Drama Prizes each year, notably with her monologue "All this glitters is not...
performed another of May's songs for Crossroads: "More Than in Love," which was co-written by Barry Leng and got to number 2 in 1981.
May himself performed "The Summer of My Life", which charting at number seven in the UK chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in October 1976. The song originally appeared in Crossroads, in a scene between Meg and Hugh. It was one of the best selling singles of the year, and was one of few songs to spend three weeks in a row at number seven in the UK Singles Chart. His follow-up single, "We'll Gather Lilacs - All My Loving (Medley)", flopped, reaching number 49 in May 1977. In 1986 he released an album called Simon's Way
Simon's Way
Simon's Way is an album by The Simon May Orchestra and released in 1986. Anita Dobson, who also starred in the television show EastEnders sings the theme to the show...
, which included his themes to EastEnders and Howards' Way, which peaked at #59 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
He worked on his first feature film in 1988 - The Dawning
The Dawning
The Dawning is a 1988 British film, based on Jennifer Johnston's novel, The Old Jest which depicts the Irish War of Independence through the eyes of the Anglo-Irish landlord class...
. Music from the film, together with various other TV themes (including The Olympic Track and People like You) was released in 1989 on the Simon May Orchestra album Themes.
He co-produced Amii Stewart
Amii Stewart
Amy 'Amii' Paulette Stewart is an American contemporary R&B/disco/dance-pop singer, dancer and actress most famous for her hit disco record "Knock on Wood". Stewart is the stepsister of actress-singer Miquel Brown and aunt to Brown's actress-singer daughter Sinitta.-Career:Amy Stewart was the...
's "Knock on Wood
Knock on Wood (song)
"Knock on Wood" is a hit 1966 song written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper and originally performed by Eddie Floyd. The Eddie Floyd version peaked at number twenty-eight on the Hot 100, and spent one week at number one on the soul singles....
", which reached number one in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
EastEnders
Tony HollandTony Holland
Anthony John "Tony" Holland was an English television screenwriter best known as a writer and co-creator of the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early career:...
and Julia Smith
Julia Smith
Julia Smith was an English television director and producer.- Early career :London-born Smith became involved in television production when she directed the series Suspense in 1962...
commissioned May to write the theme to EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and being impressed by his work on spy-thriller Cold Warrior. Don Black
Don Black (musician)
Don Black, OBE is an English lyricist. His works have included numerous musicals, movie themes and hit songs. He has provided lyrics for John Barry, Charles Strouse, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Quincy Jones, Jule Styne, Henry Mancini, Michael Jackson, Elmer Bernstein, Michel Legrand, Hayley Westenra,...
put lyrics to the popular theme, and Anita Dobson
Anita Dobson
Anita Dobson is an English television actress and singer. She gained her highest profile while playing Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...
(who portrayed Angie Watts
Angie Watts
Angela "Angie" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anita Dobson from the first episode of the show until 1988 when the actress decided to quit and the character was written out....
in the show) reached number 4 in August 1986 with "Anyone Can Fall in Love
Anyone Can Fall in Love
"Anyone Can Fall in Love" is a song, released in 1986, by EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, who played the character of Angie Watts. The song was released as a single, reaching #4 in the UK Singles Chart....
". With Barry Rose, the theme was adapted into a hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
, "Glory Be", which was performed on Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. It is a widely watched and long-running religious television programme, one of the few peak-time free-to-air religious programmes in Europe Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional...
and released on single.
Another soap storyline gave May a hit in 1986. Nick Berry
Nick Berry
Nicholas "Nick" Berry is a British television actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in the British soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 1990 and as PC Nick Rowan in the British drama television series Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998.-Career:Berry started acting at the age of...
("Wicksy"
Simon Wicks
Simon "Wicksy" Wicks is a fictional character from the British BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nick Berry between 1985 and 1990. Wicksy was introduced to take on some of the more adult storylines that had been scripted for another character, Mark Fowler; Mark's actor David Scarboro had left...
) topped the charts with "Every Loser Wins
Every Loser Wins
"Every Loser Wins" is a song written by Simon May for the BBC television soap opera EastEnders. It was performed by Nick Berry.Written and produced by Simon May, Stewart James and Bradley James the song was heavily featured in the BBC soap opera EastEnders throughout the summer of 1986, sung by...
", which he co-wrote after plugging it in EastEnders (a storyline which Holland openly hated). It won the Ivor Novello Award for best selling single of 1986.
In 1993 the theme itself was given an unpopular 'jazzy' update, and an updated version of the original was introduced in 1994. With Johnny Griggs, he wrote another set of lyrics for the EastEnders theme. "I'll Always Believe in You" featured lead vocals by Sharon Benson. which was based around the extended version of the 1993 theme. In 2009 he was asked to revamp the EastEnders theme again, to update the one running from 1994, making it lighter in tone and bringing back elements of the original theme missing in the previous version. However it is worth noting that one major element of all the previous themes (bar the jazzy version) is missing - the bells, which are mainly replaced with the piano.
Simon wrote "Peggy's Theme" for Barbara Windsor
Barbara Windsor
Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
's exit episode from EastEnders screened on 10 September 2010. The single was released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on 4 September.
Post-EastEnders
Lyrics were also added to May's theme to Howards' Way; Marti WebbMarti Webb
Marti Webb is a musical actress from England, who appeared on stage in Evita, before starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's one woman show Tell Me on a Sunday in 1980...
reached number 13 with "Always There" in 1986, a year after the orchestral version of the theme (credited to May and Leslie Osborne) had reached number 21. This was the version played over the opening credits of all six series, and the closing credits of series 1. The Marti Webb version of the theme was only played over the closing credits of series 2, with a slightly updated version of the original orchestral version played over the credits from series 3 onwards.
He wrote lyrics for the final episode of Eldorado. Performed by Johnny Griggs, "When You Go Away" encapsulated how some felt about the axing of the show:
- "It was over before it had begun
- And often love can go that way"
Mike Read
Mike Read
Michael David Kenneth Read is an English radio disc jockey, writer, journalist and television presenter.-Early life:...
wrote lyrics to May's Trainer
Trainer (TV series)
Trainer is a British television series transmitted by the BBC between 1991 and 1992.Filmed in and around the village of Compton near Newbury, the series is set in the world of horse racing. It starred Mark Greenstreet as Mike Hardy, an aspiring horse trainer keen to set up his own stables...
theme. "More to Life" was performed by Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
. The theme won May his third TRIC
Television and Radio Industries Club
The Television and Radio Industries Club is a British institution chartered in 1931 to "promote goodwill in the television and radio industries"...
award for Best TV Theme, after previous success with EastEnders and Howards' Way.
In 1994, New Vintage: The Best of Simon May
New Vintage: The Best of Simon May
New Vintage: The Best of Simon May is a 1994 compilation album featuring some of the key works from British film and television music composer Simon May.The album was accompanied by a UK tour, named "A Night Away From the TV"...
, a compilation of some of May's work was released to coincide with his "A Night Away From The TV" UK tour. The tour was not a commercial success and some dates had to be cancelled. A Pebble Mill special documentary was produced by the BBC around this time discussing his career and the tour.
He has reached number one in Belgium with "Fragile Not Broken", sung by Natalia.
He is currently a part of "Music on Screen", along with Simon Lockyer and John Brant, and also works part time as tutor at a special needs
Special needs
In the USA, special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. For instance, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International...
school in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
May recorded his latest album The Simon May Collection
The Simon May Collection
The Simon May Collection is a 2010 compilation album of television and film music written by Simon May.The album was released to coincide with the departure of the character Peggy Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor, from the BBC soap opera EastEnders...
with his two co-writers/co-producers Simon Lockyer and John Brant. The album was released on 13 September 2010. "Peggy's Theme" was the lead track on the album.
External links
- Peggy's Theme
- Music On Screen Official website, with many music clips
- Smike The Musical Official website, with many music clips and information about the show
- BBC video article about Simon may