Figaro (song): Difference between revisions

"Figaro"
"Figaro"
Single by Brotherhood of Man
from the album "B for Brotherhood"
B-side	"You Can Say That Again"
Released	6 January 1978
Genre	Pop
Length	2.57
Label	Pye Records
Songwriter(s)	Tony Hiller / Lee Sheriden / Martin Lee
Producer(s)	Tony Hiller
Brotherhood of Man singles chronology

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"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.

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 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]

"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

"Figaro" (Tony Hiller / Lee Sheriden / Martin Lee) – 2:57
"You Can Say That Again" (Hiller / Sheriden / Lee) – 3:22

12" (Canada only)

"Figaro (Special Disco Mix)" – 4:24
"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

References

^ ^a ^b Official Charts. ""Figaro"Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
^ BPI. "Certifications - Statistics - Brotherhood of Man". Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
^ "Brotherhood Of Man - Figaro". Discogs. 1977. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
^ "Clem Cattini: My Life, Through the Eye of a Tornado". www.clemcattinibook.com. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
^ Gary Hart. ""Figaro" song lyrics". Retrieved 2008-12-12.
^ "Tony Hiller and Brotherhood of Man : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b Irish charts.ie. "Irish chart details". Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
^ "Top of the Pops:Best of '78". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
^ Tsort. "Norwegian Chart position". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
^ Rock.co.za. "South African chart position". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
^ Dutch Brotherhood of Man site. "Charts - Belgian chart position". Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
^ Radio 538, Netherlands. "Dutch Chart details". Retrieved 2008-10-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[UK-1] Official Charts. ""Figaro"Official Charts Company". Official Charts. 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. 1977. 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.

[IRL-7] Irish charts.ie. "Irish chart details". Archived from the original on June 2, 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{distinguish|text= [[Largo al factotum]], Figaro's aria from [[The Barber of Seville]]}}
-{{Infobox single
+{{Infobox song
-| Name        = Figaro
-| Artist      = [[Brotherhood of Man]]
+| name       = Figaro
-| Album       = "[[B for Brotherhood]]"
+| cover      = FigaroBrotherhood of Man.jpg
-| B-side      = "You Can Say That Again"
+| alt        =
-| Cover       = FigaroBrotherhood of Man.jpg
+| type       = single
-| Released    = 6 January 1978
+| artist     = [[Brotherhood of Man]]
-| Genre       = [[Pop music|Pop]]
+| album      = "[[B for Brotherhood]]"
-| Length      = 2.57
+| B-side     = You Can Say That Again
+| released   = 6 January 1978
-| Label       = [[Pye Records]]
+| format     =
-| Writer      = [[Tony Hiller]] / [[Lee Sheriden]] / [[Martin Lee (singer)|Martin Lee]]
-| Producer    = Tony Hiller
+| recorded   =
+| studio     =
-| Last single = "Highwayman"<br />(1977)
+| venue      =
-| This single = "'''Figaro'''"<br/>(1978)
+| genre      = [[Pop music|Pop]]
-| Next single = "Beautiful Lover"<br/>(1978)
+| length     = 2.57
+| label      = [[Pye Records]]
+| writer     = [[Tony Hiller]] / [[Lee Sheriden]] / [[Martin Lee (singer)|Martin Lee]]
+| producer   = Tony Hiller
+| prev_title = Highwayman
+| prev_year  = 1977
+| next_title = Beautiful Lover
+| next_year  = 1978
 }}
 "'''Figaro'''" is a song by British pop group [[Brotherhood of Man]]. It was released as a single in January [[1978 in music|1978]] and became the group's third and final number one hit in the UK.
 == 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 (song)|Angelo]]". Following this, came the surprise failure of their next single "Highwayman" (released in late [[1977 in music|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.<ref name=UK>
+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 (Brotherhood of Man song)|Angelo]]". Following this, came the failure of their next single "Highwayman" (released in late [[1977 in music|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.<ref name=UK>
-{{cite web |url=http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=7625 |title= "Figaro"UK Chart details |author=Chartstats|accessdate=2008-10-04 }}
+{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Used%20Ta%20Be%20My%20Girl |title= "Figaro"Official Charts Company |author=Official Charts|website= [[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |accessdate=2008-10-04 }}
 </ref> It was awarded a [[gold disc]] by the [[British Phonographic Industry|BPI]] in February 1978.<ref>
 {{cite web
@@ Line 26: / Line 34: @@
  |author=BPI
  |accessdate=2009-02-05
- |deadurl=yes
+ |url-status=dead
  |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924015932/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx
  |archivedate=September 24, 2009
 }}
-</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.discogs.com/Brotherhood-Of-Man-Figaro/release/5061375 Discogs - Canadian 12" single]</ref>
+</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Brotherhood-Of-Man-Figaro/release/5061375|title=Brotherhood Of Man - Figaro|website=Discogs|year=1977 |accessdate=28 August 2018}}</ref>
-"Figaro" was written by band members [[Lee Sheriden]] and [[Martin Lee (singer)|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]].
+"Figaro" was written by band members [[Lee Sheriden]] and [[Martin Lee (singer)|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]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.clemcattinibook.com/hits.html|title=Clem Cattini: My Life, Through the Eye of a Tornado|website=www.clemcattinibook.com|access-date=2019-10-20}}</ref>
 The song tells of a (presumably) Spanish cabaret singer who is intent on gaining the interest of young ladies.<ref>
 {{cite web |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gary.hart/lyricsb/brotherhood.html |title= "Figaro" song lyrics |author=Gary Hart|accessdate=2008-12-12 }}
-</ref> 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".<ref>[http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/tony_hiller_and_brotherhood_of_man/ Songfacts - Tony Hiller interview]</ref> Musically, the song has been reported on many occasions of its similarity to [[ABBA]]'s "[[Fernando (song)|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]]".
+</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/tony_hiller_and_brotherhood_of_man/|title=Tony Hiller and Brotherhood of Man : Songwriter Interviews|website=Songfacts.com|accessdate=28 August 2018}}</ref>
 "Figaro" became a hit in many European countries, including Ireland, where it was also a No.1 hit.<ref name=IRL>
@@ Line 44: / Line 52: @@
  |author=Irish charts.ie
  |accessdate=2008-11-01
+ |url-status=dead
- |deadurl=yes
- |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5hFf8iFDu?url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement
+ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602061251/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement
- |archivedate=June 3, 2009
+ |archivedate=June 2, 2009
- |df=
 }}
 </ref> 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 (TV series)|Magpie]]''. A cover version was recorded for the [[Top of the Pops (record series)|Top of the Pops]] album series, appearing on Volume 63 and [[The Best of Top of the Pops '78|The Best of 1978]].<ref>
-{{cite web |url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r606248|pure_url=yes}} |title= Top of the Pops:Best of '78 |author=Allmusic|accessdate=2009-09-11 }}
+{{cite web |url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r606248|pure_url=yes}} |title= Top of the Pops:Best of '78 |publisher=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=2009-09-11 }}
 </ref>
 == Track listing ==
+*'''7" single'''
-# "Figaro" (Tony Hiller / Lee Sheriden / Martin Lee) 2.57
-# "You Can Say That Again" (Hiller / Sheriden / Lee) 3.22
+# "Figaro" (Tony Hiller / Lee Sheriden / Martin Lee) – 2:57
+# "You Can Say That Again" (Hiller / Sheriden / Lee) – 3:22
+*'''12" (Canada only)'''
+# "Figaro (Special Disco Mix)" – 4:24
+# "You Can Say That Again" – 3:20
 == Chart performance ==
@@ Line 74: / Line 85: @@
 |align="center"|12
 |-
-|Belgium <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/sunra/953/indexen.html |title=Charts - Belgian chart position |author=Dutch Brotherhood of Man site |accessdate=2008-10-04 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006094604/http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/sunra/953/indexen.html |archivedate=October 6, 2008 }}</ref>
+|Belgium <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/sunra/953/indexen.html |title=Charts - Belgian chart position |author=Dutch Brotherhood of Man site |accessdate=2008-10-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006094604/http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/sunra/953/indexen.html |archivedate=October 6, 2008 }}</ref>
 |align="center"|16
 |-
@@ Line 85: / Line 96: @@
 {{Reflist}}
-{{start box}}
+{{Brotherhood of Man}}
-{{succession box
-  | before = "[[Uptown Top Ranking]]" by [[Althea & Donna]]
-  | title  = [[List of number-one singles (UK)|UK number one single]]
-  | years  = 11 February 1978
-  | after  = "[[Take a Chance on Me]]" by [[ABBA]]
-}}
-{{end box}}
-{{Brotherhood of Man}}
+{{authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Figaro (Song)}}
-[[Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles]]
+[[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]]
 [[Category:1978 singles]]
 [[Category:Brotherhood of Man songs]]

v t e Brotherhood of Man
Martin Lee Lee Sheriden Nicky Stevens Sandra Stevens Tony Burrows Sue Glover * Sunny Leslie John Goodison Roger Greenaway Hal Atkinson Russell Stone Barry Upton
Singles	"Love One Another" "United We Stand" "Where are You Going To My Love" "This Boy" "Reach Out Your Hand" "You and I" "California Sunday Morning" "Say a Prayer" "Happy Ever After" "Our World of Love" "When Love Catches Up on You" "Lady" "Lady Lady Lady Lay" "Spring of 1912" "Kiss Me Kiss Your Baby" "Save Your Kisses for Me" "My Sweet Rosalie" "Oh Boy (The Mood I'm In)" "Angelo" "Highwayman" "Figaro" "Beautiful Lover" "Middle of the Night" "Goodbye Goodbye" "Papa Louis" "Taxi" "Honey Don't Throw Our Love Away" "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" "Lightning Flash" "Cry Baby Cry" "When the Kissing Stops"
Albums	United We Stand We're the Brotherhood of Man The World of the Brotherhood of Man Good Things Happening Love and Kisses from Brotherhood of Man Oh Boy! Images B for Brotherhood Twenty Greatest Higher Than High Singing a Song Good Fortune Sing 20 Number One Hits 20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs Lightning Flash The Butterfly Children Greenhouse The Seventies Story
Related pages	Brotherhood of Man discography Songs Tony Hiller Barry Upton Congratulations (Eurovision) Eurovision Song Contest 1976 United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest