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Flashback

Putting the moral outrage that greeted ‘Relax and ‘Two Tribes behind them, a more festive Frankie Goes to Hollywood hit No. 1 again, as singer Holly Johnson recalls

The Power of Love wasnt a Christmas song from my point of view, although it was written around Christmas time the previous year. Theres a version from our final Peel session from then, before it all went a bit crazy for us. I had been plugging away at music for years — I was on the point of giving up and going to art college. I had to make the choice: art school on a grant of £23.50 a week or go with the band.

I was in San Francisco when the video was delivered. After the groundbreaking ones for ‘Relax and ‘Two Tribes, to be confronted with this obviously commercial, Christmas-card of a video was a surprise. We had no idea, and no input. The Americans were saying, ‘Oh, isnt it pretty? We were looking at each other going, ‘What the fuck is this?

I love the song, though — somehow it will protect me from here to eternity. I still get people stopping me in the street, thanking me for writing it. If that song is the only piece of divine inspiration in my life, then thats OK by me. Id sing it at my own funeral.

Band Aid knocked us off the top for the Christmas No 1. Bob Geldof called me many times, trying to get me involved. I wanted to do it, the band didnt. But I did do a voiceover that appeared on the B-side: ‘Feed the world! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!.

Holly Johnsons new version of ‘The Power of Love is available on The Xmas Pop Album (Crimson Productions).