Tony Mortimer, singer, songwriter
I didn’t see the band going a lot additional than two or three singles, however our early dance hits constructed up such a fanbase that we needed to maintain going. The dance period was coming to an finish and Britpop was exploding, however then this American rock band Excessive had an enormous hit with an influence ballad, Extra Than Phrases, so I believed it will be OK to interrupt the mould.
I received the tune for Keep One other Day first, however I couldn’t get the melody to go wherever so I left it because it was. The title was bouncing round my head as a result of a buddy’s father was dying in hospital however out of the blue rallied and survived one other 24 hours: he was clearly making an attempt to remain, which broke my coronary heart. The lyrics additionally drew on my brother’s suicide a few years earlier. There are some very poignant traces that imply secret issues to me, disguised inside an ambiguous love tune seemingly a few relationship that’s over.
It was so private that I didn’t wish to launch it as a single, however our supervisor Tom Watkins went: “That’s the Christmas No 1!” and I relented. We recorded it in August. I wished to sing the lead, however everybody mentioned Brian [Harvey] ought to, though he didn’t just like the tune and didn’t wish to. I used to be a bit insulted and was despatched house whereas he sang it splendidly.
There may be nothing Christmassy about Keep One other Day, however I keep in mind speaking to producers Ian Curnow and Phil Harding in regards to the manufacturing and telling them I envisaged an orchestra and a giant crescendo. Ian mentioned: “That’s my forte” and so they did an incredible job. We referred to as them our salvage squad, as a result of they made us sound a lot better.
We made an affordable video round a piano however the file firm didn’t prefer it, so that they gave us extra money to make the notorious one in white parkas. The tune was No 1 for 5 weeks and I gained an Ivor Novello award, which I’d by no means even heard of earlier than. Yearly I ponder if that is the 12 months the tune will cease being performed, however it has been 30 years and it’s fantastic and humbling that individuals nonetheless join with it. If it comes on in Tesco, a part of me desires to inform the cashier: “That’s my tune!” Individuals ask me: “How do you write a Christmas No 1?” I inform them I don’t know – I simply wrote a tune that was No 1 at Christmas.
Phil Harding, producer
Ian and I went from working with Inventory, Aitken and Waterman to working with Tom Watkins and East 17. Tom wished us to make their first single, Home of Love, sound like Frankie Goes to Hollywood. As soon as it was successful, we have been away.
Tony didn’t know the know-how effectively sufficient to make correct demos, so Dominic Hawken and Rob Kean [who Mortimer gave songwriting credits to] helped him with the demo for Keep One other Day. Ian instantly noticed its potential and began rearranging it, however Tony hated the brand new association so we went again to the unique. He instructed us: “Make it sound large. Like Beethoven” and recommended tubular bells, which made it extra Christmassy. Tee Inexperienced [vocal coach and backing vocalist] and the blokes within the band laid down harmonies, which I then constructed up.
When it got here to the lead vocal, Brian mentioned: “I’m not singing this shit!” and threw his headphones on the ground. I feel we have been there for almost two days getting that vocal efficiency out of him, however a particular voice like that makes successful.
Tony’s demo had these horrible Phil Collins-style drums which sounded unlistenable with the orchestra, so at 2am I laid down a mixture with out the bass and drums. Then I went on vacation, intending to complete it after I received again, however Tom went: “Everyone loves it. Don’t change a factor.”
In November, Tracy Bennett from London Information mentioned: “Have you ever received a wager on for Christmas No 1?” The tune was 40/1 or one thing and charted at No 7. The next week I used to be driving as much as Suffolk listening to the chart rundown and I believed: “It’s both dropped out of the chart altogether or we’ve received a No 1” and there it was. It was an unimaginable second – and since I’d put £100 or one thing on it, I gained a number of thousand kilos.
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