ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Do Eric B & Rakim next…

Juan Garcia

GOOD VIDEO AND GOOD SONG!

Carlton Ellis Dean

For a song without any profanities this is pretty graphic and explicit. You might not catch it the first time but when you hear it more than once (particularly when you hear the backing vocals at the end). I am surprised this got into the top 10 in the USA at all.

Mercy

Same thing happened to me lol

Racoko

Scott McIntyre

I was fortunate to spend a number of years growing up in the UK in the 80s. I can remember dancing to Relax at discos when I was about 13 and knowing that it was about sex...in some way...but not really having a clue. And yes, Two Tribes absolutely rules.

Kelley Runyon

I'm surprised you mentioned Duran Duran in the video and didn't bring up how The Wild Boys was probably one of the most blatant Frankie ripoffs, like it's almost too on the nose.

MikeVG

I think you found a spin off to Trainwreckers, the One Album Wonder. I can think of a few artists that would qualify

Ed Thee Goose

yeah anyone who says that Rock Me Tonite killed Billy Squier's career is lying their ass off as the existence of this video proves that the public is quite willing to overlook at sort of thing.

RedBedroomRecords

yes they were really a OHW in the states.

RedBedroomRecords

yeah Blur deserve to be covered on here at some point.

RedBedroomRecords

I know who Erasure are thanks to Jim Sterling using Chains of Love in some Jimquisition videos.

RedBedroomRecords

Were Frankie really a one-hit wonder here in the States? Because I genuinely remember "Two Tribes". I guess I assumed it did better on the charts than it actually did.

Citizen Calmar

I was anticipating a Zoolander clip and was not disappointed.

ClaMaRo

By coincidence, I saw the leather bar video for "Relax" for the first time this week. It's one of the gayest things I've ever seen, and I say that with the utmost respect and approval. I can't believe they got it on TV at all.

Nigel G

I utterly forgot about 2 Tribes till now! Thanks for that. Also, one of the title cards is missing? The 'The Hit' card just has black screen.

GregD

I was a British teen when this was released, and I only understood what you were being advised to relax about ten minutes into this video. Also, I was surprised that they were an OHW in the US since so many people on the internet know the "War, what is it good for (Absolutely nothing)" bit from Two Tribes. It was five minutes after watching this video that I found out that wasn't from Two Tribes. It's possible I didn't pay very much attention to pop music in my youth.

Steve Harper

Todd, I really want you to notice this, and I mean this very seriously. I think it's a HUGE missed opportunity that the Imagine Dragons song you use in the video is Believer, and NOT DEMONS. And also a missed opportunity to not make a joke about Demons. Like, right next to Relax, Demons is the OTHER FAMOUS C*M SONG. "No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed. This is my kingdom C*M, this is my kingdom C*M". I mean... yes, it's UNINTENTIONALLY a c*m song, but that's why Demons has recently become a meme that's made it a famous c*m song. Dan Reynolds accidentally made that part of the song so funny.

JasSpy

I would NOT think of them as a one-hit wonder. I guess I'm just too poisoned by reading UK critics. Frankie walked so Lil Nas X could run.

Judgesaturn507

As a Brit it Absolutely made me angry when I saw the title. Well done you got me

Peter Kirk

Todd I love your work, but as a Brit it has spun my head to see Frankie listed as a one hit wonder!

Jack Dover

I like the themed title cards! Also I think the ship has _sailed_ on covering acts who were titans in their own country that got only a small taste of American success. You’ve covered Midnight Oil on this show, for pity’s sake.

Matt Cramp

In Canada, Two Tribes was actually a slightly bigger hit than Relax. Generally it seems like Canadian taste in popular music is roughly in line with the U.S., but British acts tend to do a bit better here (though not as well as they do in Australia and New Zealand, usually)

Don McHoull

I was 13-14 when this song came (ha!) out. Most of us (again, 13-14) were very clueless about what this song was about. I mean, surely... they're not saying... no, it's just fun to groove to, don't think about it too much. Also, I don't think I've ever seen the original video. Also, also, Two Tribes was absolutely big, at least in NY radio. Not Relax big, but pretty damn big. I don't remember hearing anything else by Frankie..., so I always considered them a 2 hit wonder.

Dave Ruff

I highly recommend Kill II This’ cover of “Two Tribes” from the late ‘90’s.

Laura Quin

As a small child in the U.K. I had no idea why the song was controversial, just that it was.

Laura Quin

omg new title cards! the end of an era!

Sadie S

At 5:00 I feel like it should show "The Big Hit" title card, but there's just black space.

SPBurke

I lived in Utah and Idaho at various points in the '80s and '90s and there were a ton of clean-cut Mormon kids who were totally into blatantly homoerotic artists like Erasure, Morrissey, and Pet Shop Boys. I fully believe that "Relax" went over more than a few heads.

Kristopher Bluth

As other have said, missing “the big hit” title card.

Joe Moyer

I think you missed "THE SONG" card. Double check.

John Wick

Very nice to surprise to see the return to 80s British New Wave, with one of the gayest entries in that genre too, at least outside Tainted Love by Soft Cell. Tainted Love vs Relax would make a great song vs song episode too.

Brandon Hay

Nik Kershaw also has the added bonus of the weird Cascada semi cover in the 2000s

Graham Smith

YESSSSSS one of my all time favorite OHWs finally gets the treatment, we eating good tonight

Madison Dalrymple

I’m gonna assume Soft Cell isn’t entirely off the table (but maybe they are)

Connor Rankin

Looking at Frankie's career, they're pretty similar to another mid-'80s new waver, Nik Kershaw: 1. Enormous in the UK in 1984 and ONLY 1984, save for some residual success in '85. 2. The second single was a satire of the Cold War nuclear standoff (in Kershaw's case, "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"). 3. One-hit wonder in the US for the first single, despite having at least a couple more tracks overseas audiences may recognize (for Kershaw, "The Riddle" and the aforementioned "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me").

Jacqueline Sailer

The Power of Love has definitely had a long tail - it’s used as the emotional climax of All Of Us Strangers

Cordelia Of The Seas

FUCK yea the queers are EATIN today you left out the "big hit" title card. another banger as always

bail harp

It is! I find it too jarring, though, I hope Todd goes back to the old style.

Alina

I'm not even English and I'm shocked they made the cut for this series!

Kylie McInnes

I remember being very confused by "Body Double" suddenly turning into a music video when I watched it.

Sean C.

Woohoo for a new todd video !!!

bootaro kujo

I think you're missing the "The Big Hit" title card at the 5:00 mark.

Hiatt Werling

I feel duty-bound to point out that the Frankie performance with Ryan Molloy replacing Holly Johnson at the Trevor Horn tribute concert was fantastic, and Relax was the weakest of the three songs they did.

Beau Dure

Jumping in on this early - haven't finished, but there's a blank black screen just after the 5-minute mark that I'm pretty sure is supposed to be the "The Big Hit" title card.

Alina

Black-on-white title cards? Wow, that is a huge change.

David Claiborne