Graham Gouldman is one of Britain’s greatest songwriters. Even before he co-founded the legendary 10cc, he had written songs for The Hollies, Herman‘s Hermits and The Yardbirds. He digs deep into his illustrious back catalogue with those bands – and his post-10cc solo career – on his current UK tour, appropriately titled Heart Full Of Songs.
Is Heart Full Of Songs purely an acoustic undertaking?
No. We use a plugged-in keyboard and bass, but otherwise it’s completely acoustic.
You’ve been doing this tour on and off for more than a decade. How do you keep the format fresh?
I do change things up. There are some numbers I’d like to do, like [10cc’s] Rubber Bullets, but they wouldn’t work in that format. I’ve released two solo albums over the last few years and I add some of those, but they must be ones that people will get immediately. There’s no room for slow burners in this show.
Do you think quite a few people in the audience are surprised that a song they hear was written by you?
I often hear the phrase:“I had no idea you wrote that.” I accept that people know the artists that perform the songs, but not necessarily the writers. That’s okay.
If you really had to pick an all-time favourite of your songs, which would it be?
I’ve a great fondness for Bus Stop, which I wrote for The Hollies [in 1966]. That’s the one I chose to perform when I was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2014.
Which of your songs that didn’t become a hit do you think should have been?
I wrote a song called Right Between The Eyes with Andrew Gold [late singer-songwriter] in our band from the 1980s called Wax. It was successful in Spain but nowhere else, and I always believed it should have done much better internationally.
Is there a song of yours that surprised you with its popularity?
Strangely enough, when we [10cc] recorded I’m Not In Love its commercial potential wasn’t even discussed by the band. It was everyone else that told us it would be a complete smash.
Can you cherry-pick three of the best moments from your career?
One was hearing that The Yardbirds were going to record For Your Love [in 1965]. Another was Donna [10cc’s first single] going into the charts [in ’72]. And going on Top Of The Pops with Andrew Gold [in Wax] and Bridge To Your Heart [’87], after the break-up of the original 10cc, was a major, major moment for me.
It seems almost surreal that you produced an album for the Ramones.
[Chuckles] Strange bedfellows, weren’t we? But it all worked out really well. Subsequently Johnny Ramone said he hated it, but I got no impression of that at the time. I’m very proud to have that album [1981’s Pleasant Dreams] on my CV.
What do you make of modern trends in songwriting? For example, with brevity now so crucial, some of the most popular songs go straight to the hook.
[Nodding] They start with the chorus. I’d rather take you on a journey before hitting you with that. There are some good examples of [that method] working, but it’s not my way of doing things.
A song like Hotel California would probably never be written now.
And that would be a shame. I love the guitar solo in that song.
With all of the four members of the classic 10cc line-up still alive, could there be a reunion?
I spoke to Lol [Creme] around a decade ago, and we had a very nice chat. Kevin Godley and I have worked together and are going to do something further, but I haven’t seen Eric [Stewart] for decades. So it’s a hard no to that, I’m afraid. DL
Graham Gouldman’s UK tour begins on March 5 at Lowther Pavilion, Lytham St Annes. Tickets are on sale now
