Group
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- From
- Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Active
- 1982–2023
- Rating
- ★ 4.35
- Releases
- 39
- pop
- dance-pop
- hi-nrg
- new wave
- dance
- dance-rock
- pop rock
- synth-pop
About
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English pop band that formed in Liverpool in 1980. They comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Mark O'Toole (bass), Brian Nash (guitar) and Peter Gill (drums). Johnson and Rutherford were among the first openly gay pop singers, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood made gay rights and sexuality a theme of their music and performances.
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Frankie Goes to Hollywood signed to ZTT Records in 1983. Their debut album, Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984), produced by Trevor Horn, achieved advance sales of more than a million, and their first three singles, "Relax", "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love", reached number one on the UK singles chart. The BBC briefly banned them from broadcast for their provocative themes, drawing further publicity. In 2014, the music journalist Paul Lester wrote that "no band has dominated a 12-month period like Frankie ruled 1984".
Johnson, Gill and O'Toole received the 1984 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Two Tribes". In 1985, Frankie Goes to Hollywood won the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act and were nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood's second album, Liverpool (1986), sold fewer copies, and they disbanded acrimoniously in 1987. Johnson successfully sued ZTT to leave his contract and began a solo career. He declined invitations to reunite and tried to block the band from using the name. In 2004, Frankie Goes to Hollywood reunited without Johnson and Nash to perform at a Prince's Trust charity concert, with Ryan Molloy on vocals, and held a tour in 2005. They reunited with Johnson and Nash for the first time since 1987 to perform for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.
Members
-
Ryan Molloy lead vocals
Discography
EPs
Singles
Compilations
-
Essential
-
The First 48 Inches
-
Simply
-
The Best of Frankie Goes to Hollywood
-
Frankie Said: The Very Best of Frankie Goes to Hollywood
-
Sexmix: Archive Tapes and Studio Adventures, Volume One
-
Return to the Pleasuredome
-
Frankie Say Greatest
-
Rage Hard: The Sonic Collection
-
Twelve Inches Apple Music
-
The Club Mixes 2000
-
Hard On
-
Maximum Joy Apple Music
-
Reload! Frankie: The Whole 12 Inches Apple Music
-
Bang!… The Greatest Hits of Frankie Goes to Hollywood Apple Music
-
Bang! Apple Music
-
Ultra Rare Trax
Links
Listen
Official
Social
Concerts
Buy
Reference
- AllMusic
- BBC Music
- ztt.com
- zttaat.com
- Discogs
- IMDb
- muzines.co.uk
- Last.fm
- muzikum.eu
- Genius
- muzikum.eu
- musixmatch.com
- jaxsta.com
- id.loc.gov
- musicmoz.org
- mvdbase.com
- catalogue.bnf.fr
- d-nb.info
- imvdb.com
- nla.gov.au
- rateyourmusic.com
- 45cat.com
- idref.fr
- musik-sammler.de
- muziekweb.nl
- whosampled.com
- rolldabeats.com
- worldcat.org
- SecondHandSongs
- VIAF
- Wikidata
Collaboration
Also known as
FGTH · Fankie Goes To Hollywood · Frankie Geos To Hollywood · Frankie Goes To Holiday · Frankie Goes To Hollwood · Frankie Goes To Hollywood · Frankie Goes To Holywood · Frankie Goes to Hollywod · Franky goes to Hollywood · フランキー・ゴーズ・トゥ・ハリウッド
Tags
- british
- glamrock
- male vocalists
- new pop
- rock and indie
- synthpop
- uk
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- c09c8263-40ef-4352-8031-e438b1ce68fc
- ISNI
- 0000000121610885
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 6 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.