Figaro (song)

"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.

"Figaro"
Single by Brotherhood of Man
from the album "B for Brotherhood"
B-side"You Can Say That Again"
Released6 January 1978
GenrePop
Length2.57
LabelPye Records
Songwriter(s)Tony Hiller / Lee Sheriden / Martin Lee
Producer(s)Tony Hiller
Brotherhood of Man singles chronology
"Highwayman"
(1977)		 "Figaro"
(1978)		 "Beautiful Lover"
(1978)

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 Me" 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.[1] It was awarded a gold disc by the BPI in February 1978.[2] The single featured a track, "You Can Say That Again", from their previous album on the B-side, while in Canada, a Special Disco Mix of the A-side was released on 12" single.[3]

"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.[4]

The song tells of a (presumably) Spanish cabaret singer who is intent on gaining the interest of young ladies.[5] As co-writer Hiller stated; My daughter had just come back from vacation in Spain and was full of stories about the young waiters trying to romance the young girls".[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

Track listing
  • 7" single
  1. "Figaro" (Tony Hiller / Lee Sheriden / Martin Lee) – 2:57
  2. "You Can Say That Again" (Hiller / Sheriden / Lee) – 3:22
  • 12" (Canada only)
  1. "Figaro (Special Disco Mix)" – 4:24
  2. "You Can Say That Again" – 3:20

Chart performance
Country Peak
position
UK[1] 1
Ireland[7] 1
Norway [9] 12
South Africa [10] 12
Belgium [11] 16
The Netherlands [12] 28
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References
  1. Official Charts. ""Figaro"Official Charts Company". Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  2. BPI. "Certifications - Statistics - Brotherhood of Man". Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  3. "Brotherhood Of Man - Figaro". Discogs. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  4. "Clem Cattini: My Life, Through the Eye of a Tornado". www.clemcattinibook.com. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  5. Gary Hart. ""Figaro" song lyrics". Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  6. "Tony Hiller and Brotherhood of Man : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  7. Irish charts.ie. "Irish chart details". Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  8. "Top of the Pops:Best of '78". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  9. Tsort. "Norwegian Chart position". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  10. Rock.co.za. "South African chart position". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  11. Dutch Brotherhood of Man site. "Charts - Belgian chart position". Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  12. Radio 538, Netherlands. "Dutch Chart details". Retrieved 2008-10-04.
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