10cc - The Original Soundtrack ( D3 )

 

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10 cc - Donna ( S2.1 )

 Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1972)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	53
Ireland (IRMA)	2
France (SNEP)	7
UK Singles (OCC)	2

Chart (1973)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1973)	Rank
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	26
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	20

Single by 10cc
from the album 10cc
B-side	"Hot Sun Rock"
Released	23 September 1972
Genre	Art rock doo-wop (parody) glam rock
Length	2:53
Label	UK Records
Songwriter(s)	Lol Creme Kevin Godley
10cc singles chronology
"Donna" (1972) "Johnny Don't Do It" (1972)

10 cc - Donna ( S2 )

 

"Donna" is the first single by British art pop band 10cc. Released in 1972, it peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley.

Overview

"Donna", a parody of doo-wop songs (see also "Donna" by Ritchie Valens), was originally written as a potential B-side to the song "Waterfall". The song features sharp contrasts between falsetto in the chorus (Creme) and deep monotone vocals (Godley) in the verse. The melody line is similar to the Beatles song "Oh! Darling".

Band member Eric Stewart has said: "We knew it had something. We only knew of one person who was mad enough to release it, and that was Jonathan King." The song was subsequently released on King's UK Records label. The band had considered releasing it under the name of "Doctor Father Part Two", resurrecting a band name they had used for their 1970 song "Umbopo". Band manager Harvey Lisberg said there was "a vague sort of plan at that time to keep on bringing out records under different names until they got a hit".

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10cc - Donna ( L3 )

Oh Donna

You made me stand up
You made me sit down, Donna
Sit down, Donna
Sit down
You made stand up

Donna waiting by the telephone
Donna waiting for the phone to ring

Oh Donna
You make me break up
You make me break down, Donna
Break down, Donna
Break down
You make me break up

Meanwhile waiting by the telephone
Donna is waiting for the phone to ring

"Hello, darling
Yes I love you darling
Yes I love you"

Oh Donna
You made me stand up
You made me sit down, Donna
Sit down, Donna
Sit down
You make stand up

Donna I'd stand on my head for you
Oh my love, my own one
Oh my love, my own one

Donna waiting by the telephone
Donna waiting for the phone to ring

Oh Donna
Oh Donna
Oh Donna
Oh Donna
Donna I love you

10cc ( I2 )

 

10 cc - 10cc ( D2 )

 

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Diverse ( 164 )

 

10cc - Sand In My Face ( L2 )

I looked in the mirror
(What did you see looking at you?)
I saw a nine stone weakling
(What will you do?)

Dynamic Tension waiting for you?
Dynamic Tension make a man out of you

I opened my magazine
(What did you see?)
I saw Mr. France
(What did he have?)
A girl on each shoulder
(What else?)
And one in his pants

Dynamic Tension can do this for you
Dynamic Tension make a man out of
You you you you you

So our hero goes down to the beach
He's in real terrible shape
His chick's been seen with big Alex
That mother kicked sand in his face
Now let me tell you about Alex
He's got:
Hands like hams
Knees like trees
200 lbs
Of surfboard Hercules

Mr. Atlas won't you bring her on back to me
I lost my girl down by the beach
She's with Alex and she's out of reach
So please Mr. Atlas won't you bring her on back to me
I saw your body in an advert on T.V.
But what convinced me was your money back guarantee

Now I'm stronger than Alex
(Where is he now?)
He's left in disgrace
(Oh yeah?)
'Cos I took back my girlfriend
(Ha, ha, ha, ha)
And kicked sand in his face
(In his eyes, in his ears, in his nose)

Dynamic Tension waiting for you
Dynamic Tension make a man out of you
Dynamic Tension, Dynamic Tension
Dynamic Tension, Dynamic Tension

10cc ( B20 )

In December 2015, the band was featured in the hour-long BBC Four documentary I'm Not in Love: The Story of 10cc. The programme was repeated in January 2017 and October 2018.

In July 2017, a box set titled Before, During and After: The Story of 10cc was released. The four disc set contains 10cc material as well as material from the late 60s and early 70s that the band recorded under various names and material from various projects that band members were involved in after leaving the band.

Personnel

Members

Current members Graham Gouldman – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar (1972–1983, 1991–1995, 1999–present) Paul Burgess – drums, percussion (1976–1983, 1999–present; touring 1973–1976) Rick Fenn – lead and rhythm guitar, backing and lead vocals (1976–1983, 1993–1995, 1999–present) Mike Stevens – keyboards, backing vocals (1999–present) Iain Hornal – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion (2018–present; substitute 2014–2018) Former members Eric Stewart – guitar, keyboards, vocals (1972–1983, 1991–1995) Lol Creme – guitar, keyboards, vocals (1972–1976, 1991–1992) Kevin Godley – drums, vocals (1972–1976, 1991–1992) Stuart Tosh – drums, vocals (1977–1983, 1992–1995) Tony O'Malley – keyboards, vocals (1977–1978) Duncan Mackay – keyboards, vocals (1978–1981) Vic Emerson – keyboards (1981–1983) Jamie Lane – drums (1983) Steve Piggot – keyboards (1992–1995) Gary Wallis – drums (1992–1995) Geoff Dunn – drums (1995) Alan Park – keyboards (1995) Mick Wilson – vocals, guitar, percussion (1999–2017) Discography 10cc (1973) Sheet Music (1974) The Original Soundtrack (1975) How Dare You! (1976) Deceptive Bends (1977) Bloody Tourists (1978) Look Hear? (1980) Ten Out of 10 (1981) Windows in the Jungle (1983) ...Meanwhile (1992) Mirror Mirror (1995)

10cc ( B19 )

In early 2009, Gouldman's 10cc launched its official website, 10ccworld.com (now 10cc.World). 10cc celebrated their 40th Anniversary on 10 May 2012 with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Kevin Godley performed several songs with the band.

The present line up consists of Graham Gouldman, Rick Fenn, Paul Burgess, Keith Hayman, and Iain Hornal.

Recent reissues

10cc has issued no new recordings since 1995, although members past and present have issued material since then. Gouldman is most active in that regard, having issued several solo albums in addition to his downloadable work done in conjunction with Godley. Eric Stewart has also established a post-10cc recording career, issuing several albums, and Lol Creme has been an official member of Art of Noise and The Producers, both of which have issued recordings while he is a member.

An official box set of 10cc recordings and rarities entitled 30 Years of 10cc was due to be issued in 2002, but was cancelled before its release. In 2006, a 10cc compilation from Universal, Greatest Hits ... And More, attracted criticism from fans who complained about one track, "Feel the Benefit", running at a slow speed. It also gained criticism from Stewart, who was upset at not even being told of its release. In addition to featuring numerous 10cc tracks, the compilation also featured several previously released tracks from Godley & Creme, The Mindbenders and Graham Gouldman, as well as the CD debut of two tracks from Gouldman and Godley's gg06.

Another 10cc compilation from Universal Music Group/UMTV, Very Best of 10cc, was released in 2009 and reached No. 39 in the album chart.

Universal Music issued a limited edition box set on 19 November 2012 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band's formation. Tenology is a four-CD/one-DVD retrospective and was supported with further live dates in the UK. All four original members helped choose the track listing and gave interviews to Paul Lester as part of the project.

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10cc ( B18 )

1999–present: Recent work

10cc in 2010, on the Swedish TV show Bingolotto

In 1999 Gouldman convened a 10cc line-up comprising himself, Fenn, Paul Burgess, and new recruits Mick Wilson (vocals, guitar) and Mike Stevens (vocals, keyboards, sax, guitar). This version of the band played their first gig at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Birmingham and then began touring regularly in 2002. The same five members have been associated with the group ever since. A sixth member, Keith Hayman (keyboards), started touring with 10cc in 2006 and continued to do so until 2011; this has been the only line-up fluctuation since 1999. This iteration of the group also features occasional guest appearances by Godley, and tours both the UK and overseas, playing 10cc hits plus a section of Gouldman's hits written for others. Wilson handles the majority of the lead vocals, taking over from Eric Stewart on that front.

In January 2004, Godley and Gouldman reconvened to write more songs. Godley explained: "In a nutshell ... unfinished business. In all the years we've known each other we've only written three pure, Godley-Gouldman songs. That, and a desire to find out if the music muscle still worked with someone I enjoyed and didn't have to spend weeks getting to know." Godley and Gouldman's website offered six downloadable tracks credited to gg06: "The Same Road", "Johnny Hurts", "Beautifulloser.com", "Hooligan Crane", "Son of Man" and "Barry's Shoes", described as the first of a group of songs they had worked on for three years. A few of these songs were added to the rotation of songs that 10cc plays in their live set, including "Beautifulloser.com". This particular song, sung by Godley, appears on Clever Clogs, a 2008 DVD of a recent live performance by the band.

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10cc ( B17 )

Gouldman, in a 1995 interview, was philosophical about the album: "When we finally did come back to record again, it was based on market research that our record company had done, that said a new 10cc album would do really, really well. And, ah, history has proved that wrong." Yet according to Stewart, both he and Gouldman had approached the album positively. "We wrote in a three-month period, 22 songs. Every day we were coming up with new ideas, and they were getting better and better, as far as we were concerned. And they sounded like 10cc songs again."

The album was followed by a tour in 1993, with former members Rick Fenn and Stuart Tosh returning alongside new players Steve Piggot (keyboards, synthesisers) and Gary Wallis (drum, percussion). This tour was captured on the live album and DVD Alive.

In 1995 the band released Mirror Mirror, produced by Gouldman, Stewart and Adrian Lee of Mike + The Mechanics, and without participation from Godley or Creme. Despite initial objections by Gouldman, Mirror Mirror included an acoustic version of "I'm Not in Love" which became a No. 29 UK hit single, but overall the album did not fare very well. Gouldman has described Mirror Mirror as "almost like two-halves of an album", largely a result of the fact that he and Stewart recorded in separate countries. "I don't like to say we hoodwinked the people, but you could say it's not quite what it appears to be, and anyone with any sense, who reads the credits, could see that," he told Goldmine magazine. Their recording arrangement also provided further evidence of a fractured relationship between Stewart and Gouldman: aside from "I'm Not in Love", Stewart did not appear on any of the tracks Gouldman played or sang on, while Gouldman did not appear on any of Stewart's tracks.

In the spring of 1995, the band toured Europe and Japan with a line-up of Stewart, Gouldman, Fenn, Tosh, Alan Park (keyboards, synthesisers) and Geoff Dunn (drums, percussion)

Stewart left the band after this tour, and has since commented: "10cc is well and truly finished as far as I am concerned."Married to a pair of sisters, Stewart and Creme have kept in touch, though neither are on speaking terms with their erstwhile writing partners.

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10cc ( B16 )

A compilation album Changing Faces – The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme was released in 1987 and gave the band their biggest hit album since 1978.

A four CD box set, Greatest Songs and More was issued in Japan in 1991, which included many b-sides available on CD for the first time.

1991–95: 10cc reunited

In 1991, the original four members reunited to record ...Meanwhile (1992), an album produced by Gary Katz of Steely Dan fame. Katz was suggested by the record label Polydor who wanted 10cc to enjoy success in America, and because of his links to Steely Dan—a similar-sounding 1970s band. However, the album was not a "reunion" in the strict sense of the word. All the album's songs were written by Stewart and Gouldman (with the exception of one track which was co-written by Stewart and Paul McCartney in the late 1980s with additional writing from Gouldman). Creme and Godley agreed to guest on the album to fulfill their obligation to Polydor—both had owed Polydor one album when they split in the late 1980s. Godley and Creme sang background vocals on several tracks on the album. Godley also sang the lead on one song, "The Stars Didn't Show". The record label did everything it could to make it appear that it was a genuine reunion album to generate publicity ... to little effect.

...Meanwhile did not spawn any major hits, but was relatively well received in Japan and in Europe. It prominently featured session musicians Jeff Porcaro of Toto on drums, Freddie Washington on bass, Michael Landau on lead and rhythm guitar, and Bashiri Johnson on percussion. Also appearing on the album were Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) on piano, David Paich (also of Toto fame) on keyboards, longtime 10cc collaborator Andrew Gold on guitar and many other renowned session musicians and singers. ...Meanwhile is believed to be Porcaro's last session work before he died of a heart attack. Dr. John was recommended by producer Gary Katz and invited along to the sessions.

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10cc ( B15 )

10cc began a UK tour in March 1983, coinciding with the release of the single "24 Hours". The song was made available both as a 7" and 10" single, with live versions of "Dreadlock Holiday" and "I'm Not in Love" on the b-sides. It failed to chart, as did a further single, "Feel The Love (Oomachasaooma)"/"She Gives Me Pain" issued in July 1983. "Feel The Love (Oomachasaooma)" was promoted by a tennis-themed video clip, directed by none other than former 10cc members Godley and Creme, by now well into their joint careers as noted music video pioneers.

The next 10cc LP, Windows in the Jungle, (October 1983) used session heavyweights including drummer Steve Gadd, but the album was dominated by Stewart; Gouldman only performed partial lead vocals on one song. It reached No.70 on the UK charts. The band toured the UK in October, with drummer Jamie Lane in place of Paul Burgess (who was working with Jethro Tull). This turned out to be their last tour until they reformed eight years later.

1984–92: Separate projects

After 1983, the band went into recess as Stewart produced recordings for Sad Café and Gouldman produced tracks for the Ramones. Stewart continued his association with Paul McCartney; He had already appeared on Tug of War in 1982 and Pipes of Peace in 1983. During 1984 he appeared in the video for the US single "So Bad" which also featured Ringo Starr and the feature film/soundtrack for Give My Regards to Broad Street. He then co-wrote much of the Press to Play album (1986). He also produced the album Eyes of a Woman (1985) by Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA.

Gouldman, meanwhile, teamed with Andrew Gold to form the duo Common Knowledge, which, after two unsuccessful singles changed their name to Wax. The duo's albums included Magnetic Heaven (1986), American English (1987) and A Hundred Thousand in Fresh Notes. (1989). The duo scored some success including a Spanish No.1 single and their only British hit, "Bridge to Your Heart" (1987) which reached No. 12. Gouldman also assembled and produced the charity single "You'll Never Walk Alone" by The Crowd in aid of the Bradford City stadium fire. Released in 1985, the single reached No.1 in the UK charts. Reflecting that he and Gold might have been too old by the eighties, Gouldman invariably called his relationship with Gold one of the happiest of his life.

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10cc ( B14)

In a bid to inject an American flavour to the album and bolster its commercial appeal, Warner Bros. invited singer-songwriter Andrew Gold to contribute to a revised North American version of the LP.Gold wound up co-writing and playing on three new tracks which appeared on the North American release of Ten Out of 10. This ultimately led to an offer from Gouldman and Stewart to officially join 10cc; an offer Gold declined because of other commitments. Gouldman later admitted greater involvement by Gold might have lifted the band's early 1980s output from its mediocrity. "We should either have tried to change direction, which we didn't, or got someone else in the band, which we almost did. The albums weren't really bad, there was always the integrity, and the production values, but in retrospect, I find them rather dour, rather lacklustre."

Despite the revisions to the album made for the North American market, Ten Out of 10 did not chart in US, nor did any singles pulled from the LP. However, the single "Don't Turn Me Away" was a surprise minor hit in Canada, reaching No. 38. Ironically, this track was one that appeared on the original "less commercial" UK version of the LP, and was not one of the tracks that had been specially added to the North American release.

The band embarked on their 10th anniversary tour in early 1982, with Fenn, Burgess and Tosh joining Stewart and Gouldman, along with new keyboardist Vic Emerson. They released "The Power of Love", co-written with Andrew Gold, as a single, which did not chart. "Run Away", released as a single in June 1982, reached No.50 in the UK; "We've Heard it all Before" (October 1982) did not chart. All three of these singles were tracks from the revised North American version of Ten Out of 10, and had not previously been issued in the UK.

Stewart also released a 1982 solo album Frooty Rooties with participation from Gouldman on one track.

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10cc ( B13 )

Gouldman, too, considered the aftermath of Stewart's accident to be a turning point. In a 1995 BBC interview he said:

Really, after '78 things went downhill for us. I don't know what it was. We'd been doing it for so long, maybe we should have had a break then, rather than in '83 when we did have a break, or brought new blood in or done something. And even as the things were getting bad, we thought, 'Ah, it's gonna be all right, don't worry about it, it'll be great'.

While Stewart recovered, Gouldman recorded the title track to the film Sunburn, which became a minor UK hit in 1979. The band also issued a greatest hits compilation in late 1979 Greatest Hits 1972–1978, and released a single, coupling "I'm Not in Love" with "For You and I", which failed to chart.

Both produced soundtrack albums in 1980 with the help of some of the 10cc band members: Gouldman recorded the soundtrack to the animated film Animalympics, while Stewart produced the soundtrack to the film Girls. The band signed with Warner Bros. Records, producing a new 10cc offering entitled Look Hear?, featuring the single "One Two Five". All three albums featured musicians from 10cc's Bloody Tourists line-up, and all were released between February and April 1980. Only Look Hear? appeared on charts in the UK or US.

Gouldman and Stewart subsequently jettisoned most of the band before returning to the Mercury label to record Ten Out of 10 (1981). The band was, at least according to the album credits, now officially a duo augmented by session musicians, including Fenn and Tosh on a couple of tracks. The UK release of the album (and its associated singles "Les Nouveaux Riches" and "Don't Turn Me Away") failed to chart.

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10cc ( B12 )

1977–83: Second era

After the departure of Godley and Creme, Stewart and Gouldman opted to continue as 10cc, working with drummer Paul Burgess, who had up to that point been their tour backup drummer. Their first album as a three piece band was Deceptive Bends (1977), named after a sign on the Mickleham bends on the A24 between Leatherhead and Dorking in Surrey. The album, recorded at the newly completed Strawberry South Studio in Dorking, Surrey, reached No. 3 in Britain and No. 31 in the US and also yielded three hit singles, "The Things We Do for Love" (UK No. 6, US No. 5), "Good Morning Judge" (UK No. 5, US No. 69) and "People in Love" (US No. 40). Stewart later said he and Gouldman felt vindicated by its success: "I was out to prove also that we could write a hit album without Kevin and Lol ... we did!" [18]

In 1977, 10cc embarked on an international tour with guitarist Rick Fenn, keyboardist Tony O'Malley and an additional drummer Stuart Tosh (ex-Pilot) and recorded a live album, "Live and Let Live" (1977), which mixed the hits with material from the previous three LPs.

Fenn, Tosh, Burgess and keyboardist Duncan Mackay (who in 1977 made a solo album entitled "Score") were now full members of the band and performed on 1978's Bloody Tourists, which provided the band with their third UK No. 1 single, the reggae-styled "Dreadlock Holiday". It was their last hit, with the second single "Reds in My Bed", featuring lead vocals by Stuart Tosh, failing to chart.

The band suffered a major setback in January 1979 when Stewart was seriously injured in a car crash. He told the BBC:

It flattened me completely. I damaged my left ear, I damaged my eye very badly. I couldn't go near music. I couldn't go near anything loud and I love music and motor-racing. I had to stay away from both things for a long time, for about six months. And the momentum of this big machine that we'd had rolling slowed and slowed and slowed. And on the music scene, the punk thing had come in a big way. The Sex Pistols, The Clash, lots of things like that. So by the time I was fit again to play, I think we'd just missed the bus. It'd gone. And whatever we did after that, we got a few tickles here and there and we could continue touring forever on the strength of the past hits, but it didn't feel right again, we just didn't have that public with us.

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10cc - Sheet Music ( D1 )

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10cc ( B11 )

In a BBC Radio Wales interview Stewart gave his side of the split:

I was sorry to see them go. But we certainly did fall out at the time. I thought they were crazy. They were just walking away from something so big and successful. We'd had great success around the world and I thought we were just breaking in a very, very big way. The collective dynamite of those four people, four people who could all write, who could all sing a hit song. In one band.

(Yet) I think it becomes claustrophobic, in the fact that you're trying to perfect things and you're looking at each other and eventually you maybe say this relationship is a little too tight for me now, and I need to break away. And that's what in retrospect, I found out long after because I still speak to Godley and Creme who – Lol is my brother-in-law, so I've got to see him – but for quite a while we didn't talk. I just said you're out of your minds for leaving this band. We were on such a winning curve, Graham Gouldman and I had to decide, are we going to be 5cc? Are we gonna scrap the name completely? Well, we thought we, no, we'd better carry on because we, this is 10cc, we are 10cc, this band. Two of our members are leaving us and that's not our problem, but we've got to carry it on.

Stewart said there were immediate benefits in the absence of Godley and Creme. "It became clear things went much smoother and the atmosphere was much more pleasant than with Lol and Kevin," he said.

Godley & Creme went on to achieve cult success as a songwriting and recording duo, scoring several hits and releasing a string of innovative LPs and singles. Having honed their skills on the equally innovative clips that they made to promote their own singles (e.g. their 1985 single "Cry") they returned to their visual arts roots and became better-known as directors of music videos in the 1980s, creating acclaimed videos for chart-topping acts including George Harrison ("When We Was Fab"), Asia ("Heat of the Moment", "Only Time Will Tell") The Police ("Every Breath You Take"), Duran Duran ("Girls on Film"), Frankie Goes to Hollywood ("Two Tribes"), Peter Gabriel's duet with Kate Bush ("Don't Give Up"), and Herbie Hancock ("Rockit"). They also directed a video for Stewart and Gouldman's "Feel the Love".

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10cc ( B10 )

1976: Split

Frictions mounted between the group's two creative teams during the recording of How Dare You, with each pair realising how far apart their ideas had become. When the sessions finished, Godley and Creme left 10cc to work on a project that eventually evolved into the triple LP set Consequences (1976), a sprawling concept album that featured contributions from satirist Peter Cook and jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan.

The first of a series of albums by Godley & Creme, Consequences began as a demonstration record for the "Gizmotron", an electric guitar effect they had invented. The device, which fitted over the bridge of an electric guitar, contained six small motor-driven wheels attached to small keys (four wheels for electric basses); when the key was depressed, the Gizmotron wheels bowed the guitar strings, producing notes and chords with endless sustain. First used during the recording of the Sheet Music track "Old Wild Men", the device was designed to further cut their recording costs: by using it on an electric guitar with studio effects, they could effectively simulate strings and other sounds, enabling them to dispense with expensive orchestral overdubs.

In a 2007 interview with the ProGGnosis—Progressive Rock & Fusion website, Godley explained: "We left because we no longer liked what Gouldman and Stewart were writing. We left because 10cc was becoming safe and predictable and we felt trapped."

But speaking to Uncut magazine 10 years earlier, he expressed regret about the band breaking up as they embarked on the Consequences project:

We'd reached a certain crossroads with 10cc and already spent three weeks on the genesis of what turned out to be Consequences ... The stuff that we were coming up with didn't have any home, we couldn't import it into 10cc. And we were kind of constrained by 10cc live ... We felt like creative people who should give ourselves the opportunity to be as creative as possible and leaving seemed to be the right thing to do at that moment.

Unfortunately, the band wasn't democratic or smart enough at that time to allow us the freedom to go ahead and do this project and we were placed in the unfortunate position of having to leave to do it. Looking back, it was a very northern work ethic being applied to the group, all for one and one for all. If we'd been a little more free in our thinking with regard to our work practices, the band as a corporate and creative entity could have realised that it could have been useful rather than detrimental for two members to spend some time developing and then bring whatever they'd learned back to the corporate party. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be.

Our contemporaries were people like Roxy Music who allowed that to happen and they gained from that ... Had we been allowed to get it out of our system and come back home, who knows what would have happened.

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