1st Time He PLAYED His BIG HIT Live was in a Karaoke Bar…30 Yrs AFTER it was a HIT-Professor of Rock
Summary
TLDRIn this intriguing interview, Derek Hlth of Climax Blues Band recounts the story behind their 1981 hit 'I Love You,' which became a massive success despite the band's resentment towards it. The song, written in just an hour, led to Hlth's departure from the band and was never performed live by them in America. Decades later, he finally sang it in a karaoke bar, marking a poignant redemption for the song's legacy.
Takeaways
- 🎶 Derek and the Dominos' 'I Love You' became a massive hit in 1981, despite the band members' resentment towards the song.
- 😔 The band members' dislike for the song led to Derek being pushed out of the band, marking a significant turning point in his career.
- 🏆 'I Love You' was written for Derek's wife and composed in about an hour, showcasing Derek's natural talent for songwriting.
- 🎥 The song was produced with the help of John Ryan and featured a 30-piece string orchestra, adding to its grandeur and appeal.
- 💔 The band never performed 'I Love You' live in America, which is unusual for a hit song of that magnitude.
- 🎹 Derek played multiple instruments and sang all the harmonies for 'I Love You', highlighting his multi-instrumentalist abilities.
- 🤔 Tensions within the band were exacerbated by disagreements over songwriting credits and publishing rights.
- 🎤 Derek finally got to perform 'I Love You' live decades later at a karaoke bar in Clear Water, Florida, to an appreciative audience.
- 👨👧 Derek's daughter joined him on stage during the karaoke performance, adding a personal and emotional touch to the event.
- 📈 The song's success was overshadowed by internal band conflicts, which affected its potential to reach higher chart positions.
- 📚 The song has been covered by various artists and featured in films and TV, indicating its enduring popularity and cultural impact.
Q & A
Who is the singer and songwriter featured in the interview?
-The singer and songwriter featured in the interview is Derek Holt, who was a member of the Climax Blues Band.
What was the name of the song that became a massive hit in 1981?
-The song that became a massive hit in 1981 is titled 'I Love You'.
Why did the band members resent the song 'I Love You'?
-The band members resented the song 'I Love You' because they did not like the ballad style of the song and it led to internal conflicts within the band.
How did the song 'I Love You' come to be created?
-Derek Holt wrote 'I Love You' for his wife in about an hour, creating a fully worked-out demo of the song.
What was the role of John Ryan in the production of 'I Love You'?
-John Ryan was the producer who pre-produced the songs for the album 'Flying the Flag' and was adamant that 'I Love You' could be a hit, leading to its inclusion in the album.
Why did the band never perform 'I Love You' live in America?
-The band never performed 'I Love You' live in America due to internal conflicts and resentment towards the song, which eventually led to Derek Holt being pushed out of the band.
How did Derek Holt finally get to perform 'I Love You' live?
-Derek Holt finally got to perform 'I Love You' live at a karaoke bar in Clear Water, Florida, where he was recognized and asked to sing his hit song.
What was the impact of the song 'I Love You' on Derek Holt's career with Climax Blues Band?
-The song 'I Love You' became a hit but also led to Derek Holt being pushed out of Climax Blues Band due to the band members' resentment towards the song.
How long did it take Derek Holt to write 'I Love You'?
-It took Derek Holt about two hours to write 'I Love You', including the chord structure, tune, and recording a demo.
What was the significance of 'I Love You' in Derek Holt's personal life?
-The song 'I Love You' was a personal expression of gratitude for Derek Holt's wife and represented a culmination of his passion for music and life experiences.
Why was 'I Love You' not included on Climax Blues Band's greatest hits album?
-The song 'I Love You' was not included on Climax Blues Band's greatest hits album due to the band's resentment towards the song and the conflicts it caused within the band.
Outlines
🎤 Unwanted Hit Leads to Band Departure
The script introduces an interview with a singer-songwriter who experienced a significant success with a hit song in 1981 that his bandmates despised, leading to his departure from the band. Despite the song's massive success, the band never performed it live. The story takes a positive turn when the singer eventually performs the song decades later in a karaoke bar, with an interesting twist. The channel 'Professor of Rock' promises to delve into the story and the legacy of the song, 'I Love You', and its impact on the Climax Blues Band, formed in 1968.
🎹 The Making of a Controversial Hit
This paragraph delves into the creation of 'I Love You', a song that became a hit despite the band's lack of enthusiasm for it. The song was recorded in Studio City, California, with a notable musician, Nikki Hopkins, and a 30-piece string orchestra. The band's internal conflict over the song and its production costs created tension, ultimately leading to the songwriter's exit from the band. The song's success and the band's refusal to perform it live in America is highlighted, along with the emotional connection the songwriter had with the song, which he wrote as an expression of gratitude for his wife.
💔 Band Tensions and the Song's Legacy
The narrative continues with the songwriter reflecting on the band's reluctance to embrace the ballad 'I Love You' and the subsequent fallout, which included the cancellation of an American tour. The songwriter's disappointment in not being able to perform his hit song live in the US is emphasized. The paragraph also touches on the song's enduring popularity, especially for weddings and special events, and mentions various cover versions by other artists, demonstrating the song's cultural impact despite the original band's rejection.
🎵 Rediscovering Fame at a Karaoke Bar
The script recounts the story of how the songwriter finally got to perform his hit song 'I Love You' live decades later at a karaoke bar in Clearwater, Florida. The unexpected recognition and admiration he received from the bar patrons when he sang his song highlight the enduring love for the song among the public. This experience stands out as one of the most memorable moments for the artist, showcasing the disconnect between the band's reception of the song and its popularity among fans.
👨👧👦 Family Connection and Public Reaction
The final paragraph concludes the interview with a heartwarming story of the songwriter's daughter joining him to sing 'I Love You' at the karaoke bar, adding a personal and familial dimension to the song's legacy. The script also invites viewers to share their thoughts and memories of the song, emphasizing the song's recognition and the desire to keep the music alive. The channel encourages viewers to subscribe for more content that celebrates music and the stories behind the songs.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡AED
💡Hit song
💡Band members
💡Redemption story
💡Karaoke bar
💡Musical nostalgia
💡Publishing rights
💡Greatest hits
💡Ego
💡Karaoke performance
Highlights
The singer-songwriter was forced out of his band due to the massive success of a song he wrote in 1981.
The band members resented the hit song so much they never performed it live.
Decades later, the singer finally performed the song live at a karaoke bar.
The Climax Blues Band was formed in 1968 with various members joining over the years.
The band's 1976 single 'Couldn't Get It Right' reached the top three in America.
The song 'I Love You' was written for the singer's wife and completed in about an hour.
Despite being a hit, 'I Love You' caused tension within the band leading to the singer's departure.
The band never performed 'I Love You' live in America due to internal conflicts.
The song 'I Love You' was written on a cassette and later recorded with a 30-piece string orchestra.
The band's internal disagreements over songwriting and publishing rights contributed to the singer's exit.
The singer's wife and mother were deeply moved by the song 'I Love You'.
The song has been covered by various artists and featured in films and TV shows.
The song's popularity has endured, being used in weddings and special events.
The singer expressed his gratitude and passion for music through the song 'I Love You'.
The song was not included on the band's greatest hits album, despite its success.
The singer's unexpected performance of 'I Love You' at a karaoke bar in Florida was a memorable event.
The story of 'I Love You' serves as an example of the complex dynamics within bands and the impact of a hit song.
Transcripts
coming up an interview with a singer
songwriter who got AED from his ban for
writing a massive
hit it's pretty hard to believe but
today's guest wrote a song that became
one of the biggest hits in 1981 and his
band members hated it so much they
resented it so much they basically
forced him out of the band and in one of
the strangest stories I've ever heard in
an interview the band never performed
the song Live ever but in one of the
neatest Redemption stor I've heard
decades later this singer finally got to
sing the song in concert live happened
at a karaoke bar but there's a cool
twist to it let's send this cool
interview coming up and find
out hey music junkies professor of rock
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and albums stories you won't find
anywhere else we have a really
interesting story today I really enjoy
this Climax Blues bam formed in 1968 and
originally consisted of vocalist and a
harmonica player Colin Cooper guitarist
and vocalist beat ha coock John coffee
and drums who took over in 1971 there
basist and keyboardist Richard Jones and
today's guest singer and guitarist jerck
hle this is after years of trying to
make it iconic manager miles copelan who
also managed the police amongst many
others he helped the band Focus on their
hit making potential when their 1976
single couldn't get it right went to the
top three here in
America get
it four years later Derek brought in a
song that their producers were were
looking for hits you know for their new
album and he just written the song for
his wife he did it in about an hour he
had a fully worked out demo the powers
of be listened to it and it was in no
doubt about it massive hit they knew it
they were exactly
[Music]
right I love you made it way up the
charts and became a million seller and
yet the band resented its success Derek
was B basically pushed out of the band
because of it and even though they had
one of the biggest hits of that year the
band never performed it live in America
not
once that was until decades later Derek
finally got to do it find out what
happened and find out the legacy of the
song sinan in our interview here's Derek
[Music]
Cole you have this big International hit
in 76 we couldn't get it right and you
know
band they kept playing the game a bit
putting out singles but the next three
releases over three years they didn't
chart they didn't go anywhere especially
in the US but then you get into the 80s
and you're working on material for
flying the flag B's 11 fum I
believe was there renewed pressure to
come up with another radio hit did you
guys feel that pressure out could that's
exactly what happened to us because we
uh we signed a deal with Warner Brothers
it was a Four album
deal and the first two the first two
albums one we did in air
monserat which was George Martin studio
and we were the first band in there um
and we did an album called um real to
real yeah we did Shine On real to
real and then we were going to go and do
flying the flag but we had a producer
come over from La his name is John Ryan
he came to
pre-produce the songs for flying the
flag and we were in a rehearsal room and
he came over for a week to run through
all the songs we were going to do
basically because Warner Brothers wanted
us to have a producer previous two
albums we did ourselves we produced
couldn't get it right ourselves and we
thought oh we're all right we can just
produce
ourselves anyway Warner Brothers sent
John Ryan over and um he went through
all the stuff he said I can't really
hear anything bit like miles you know
has anybody got any more songs and I
said well I've got
one on a
cassette I said but nobody else likes
it what song was
that I love
you I
was it's interesting and sad at the same
time really because um as I said to you
that you know the the the guys in the
band didn't wer really keen on it you
know just like all to ballad you know
and um anyway John Ryan was adamant that
he thought it sounded like it could be a
hit so we all fly to LA and uh we go
into Studio City which is in vanise in
California and a few bands have been in
there Fleet with ma have been in there
and comp pety and people like that and
um we set
about you know recording the songs
anyway when I when it's time to do I
love
you I played the fender roads
piano and John Ryan bought in a keyboard
player called Nikki
Hopkins who's just a famous I mean he's
no longer with us but he was a very
famous guy played with the stones and
John lenon all sorts of people you know
quite quite a pedigree the
guy since then
never so it's me and him Sat he's at the
Grand Piano I'm on the fender roads
piano and the drummer John cuffley and
we basically put down the track I I sing
a guide vocal we we record the ba basic
backing
track and then I put the bass on it and
uh Pete put a bit of rhythm guitar on
it then John Ryan decided he said I
think this needs a 30 piece String
orchestra
[Music]
right hires these
musicians musical director David
Campbell who Sid's got on to phenomenal
stuff but they all arrive and of course
everybody's everybody in the band's
going God how much is this going to cost
you know right and uh so the vibe was
wasn't really that great anyway um
anyway yeah I I did all the singing did
all the all the harmonies myself got
Peete to play the guitar solo that was
on my
demo and then we had the whole album
finished and in K Warner Brothers to
have a listen and everybody just freaked
out about I love
you so they got right behind it and
suddenly I became like
you know the you know the the guy that
wrote the song and uh right but sadly it
went it all went sour with the band
which is so strange because the Beatles
the greatest band of all time in my
opinion they wrote ballads so did Pink
Floyd you know like Paul McCarney wrote
yesterday and he wrote Helter Skelter so
it's totally F you know why what's wrong
with The Ballad
I yest
[Music]
[Applause]
yeah yeah but you know I mean my song
was called I love
you I mean um Colin wrote a song you
know um making
[Music]
love you know and um Pete wrote
something like nothing but staright I
see nothing but
staright all these you know things mine
just happened to be called I love you
and uh I I happened to write it and be
the lead singer of it so that was just
[Music]
me it's such an interesting story but
such an inspiring song how did you write
it like you wrote it as I understand
just kind of kicking around home yeah I
got a little little demo Studio I got a
drum kit Fender roads piano bass a b
basically sat down at the piano and I
got the chord structure in about I don't
know an hour maybe and I had the tune in
my head so i' I put the piano down you
know the days when it was like eight
track eight real to real and um played
the drums put the bass on did the
harmonies played the guitar solo had the
whole thing
put it on a cassette and uh I probably
had the song in about two hours probably
gosh um do you know what I'm saying
about the planets aligning and uh for
some reason that just appeared one night
when I was I just went in about midnight
you know and uh laid the thing down and
in the morning when I played it back to
myself I thought that's that sounds
pretty good you
know I mean it's a great great song
where you express your gratitude for
what your wife meant to you and and I
mean it really hits the
[Music]
heart I just thought well it's very
difficult to describe isn't it I think
you know I've I I won't say I've been
lucky all my life but I've been grateful
for my life and to have become a
musician which I had no idea because as
far as I was concerned I was I was going
into
industry analyzing grinding wheels right
but I'd but I'd always got this talent
for playing a guitar and I had a passion
for music so I think I love you is a
culmination of a lot of things that
things had been good yeah and I think
from good things like being able to play
tour meet nice people meet nice my wife
and um
it it just poured out into a
song it's a harmless song you know it's
it's it's a positive song it is and um
you know it's same again I wish I could
have written a few more like that you
[Music]
know you really kind of put your heart
out there with this song yeah yeah I
think I think it it says everything
really and and I had no idea at the time
how how good it was going to be you know
you just write you you you continue to
write I still write songs not that
anybody will ever hear them but um
you're still you're still right with
passion you know and uh passion and
Truth
[Music]
Gaz so what did your wife think when you
showed it to her yeah just beautiful
beautiful I mean I remember playing it
to my my parents were alive then I
remember playing it to my mother and she
she was almost in
tears just said just sounds so beautiful
and no greater compliment them from your
mother you know oh yeah so yeah yeah
happy with that happy with that but then
then as I say the band sort of uh you
think it was because it was the song
that was chosen and it came from you
Eagles kind of got in the way I think
ego's got in the way but
also well I mean it's it's very
complicated story really but prior to
this album we we had a
meeting I don't know what I should tell
this story ear but it's the truth we had
a meeting about
publishing because up until that the
point of the album um everybody was
writing individually anyway but we
always used to share share the
publishing cuz that's that's the way it
worked it was a four-way four there were
four people in the band and I saw
everything as a four-way split I saw it
that way so but Pete wanted you know I I
you said I write more songs I want I
want the publishing on my songs col with
I want the publisher of my songs and I
said well I think we should still split
it four ways you know that's I how I
thought this is even before I love you
as even a single yeah so I lost the
argument so I write I love you and I get
100% of the
publisher right um well plus 50% goes to
the publisher that's another story so
really it started a basically
backfired and there was nothing I could
do about it because that's that's what
they
wanted and then we had an American tour
boook and they pulled the American tour
I love who as number 12 in the
charts they pulled the American tour we
went to Europe crazy wow and they said
we're not going to go on the road to
promote your career right that's me so I
couldn't live I couldn't I I just
couldn't live with it it was terrible
and
um had it been somebody else written I
love you I'd have gone have you got any
more songs like that yeah as you would
you
know straighten out
probably the worst thing I did was
leave I should have stuck it out really
and then I think but I just couldn't
stand the um the pressure and um just
not being just wasn't a nice environment
you
know uh so I consequently paid for that
and
um you know just went different ways
well it went to number 12 but it was so
much bigger than this CH position I mean
uh all-time favorite for millions of
people it could have gone all the way
had we have told I think so and and it's
it's deep meaning for placement in
weddings and anniversaries and special
events is it's definitely kept it alive
like I said my kids singing it the other
day it's just sad that this song could
have been even more because that was
back when touring really did make a
difference in pushing up the charts yeah
yeah the sad thing thing for me about
that having had the song My Song in the
charts to number 12 I never got to sing
it in America I know that's insane you
never got to sing it live no excuse me
that that's unheard of like I i' I've
heard of a band maybe playing their song
one time or you know uh like there's a
story about acdc's biggest hit they only
played it like on one tour and then they
stopped playing it for 30 years but they
played it at least you know a hundred
times on that tour you know so yeah so
it is is so crazy and I want to ask you
the karaoke story here in just a second
because I want to kind of end on that on
this song but I do want to point out a
couple of the covers really quick that
American band lzo Bane covered it
I want
you and nine days did it and it was on
the soundtrack for The New
Guy Tesla did it acoustically yeah they
they did a nice version
yeah two members of the h factor Pete
hok and you you know remember Steve
Hunter Steve Hunter was had been with
Lou Reed and Alice Cooper yeah Steve
Hunter exactly lovely guitarist as well
lovely and that became uh an album
for um it was a film soundtrack for it
was called The Wedding Band yeah which
was a miles Copeland production film so
he used all the songs on his publishing
and uh we just did covers of like
tempted squeez tempted and that that was
wonderful thank you thank you
quit and then it was featured in uh the
Kevin Smith movie Zach and mu the very
end of that so it's been used in pop
culture I remember it was difficult to
find for streaming for a while I
remember even right before streaming hit
people in you know MP3s remember buying
a greatest hits Climax Blues Band and it
wasn't on the greatest hits album I was
like what why is it this is you know the
was it arguably I thought was their
biggest hit I mean not in Char position
but it was just uh just crazy never rele
never it was only ever released in the
USA yeah never anywhere else because
Warner Brothers just the band packed in
and uh well the band carried on but
without me and um so that you know we we
missed the whole world really almost
like you got punished for writing a hit
song you got cut out of the band you got
you got basically cut out of the band
for writing a hit song it's crazy yeah
when when every band strives for a
second hit and we got one I know
[Music]
exactly I got you tell the P Community
Professor Rock Community about the when
you did get to perform this is such a
great story karaoke in in Clear Water
Florida the bar Florida tell us that
story yeah we went we had a holiday we
lived in the UK but we we we decided
we'd go to clear water in Florida and
have a have two weeks down in Florida
beautiful you know and uh we were
speaking with somebody by the pool there
and we said is there anywhere anywhere
to go you know because there wasn't a
lot going on around there to be honest
um and and he recommended we go to to an
English pub I think it was called the
Golden Lion in Clear Water yeah it was
either the Golden Lion or
um the the britania or something like
that so so we turn up at the uh the
golden line and they got a they had
English Beer on top and liver and onions
which I
love English type food and uh and on the
table on the tables were were karaoke
books and there's this guy setting up
setting up his
PA so we have a I have a couple of pints
of beer and livering onions and uh he
starts you know anybody want to come and
have a sing and uh I I looked in the
book and there's I love
you right with the lyrics and everything
and uh so my wife my wife goes up to him
and said um Can my husband Come and
sing right he said yeah what would you
like to sing he said you like to you
like to come and sing I love you because
he wrote
it right and saying it original sing and
the guy said no you know no way no way
so anyway he comes up to me he said you
know you Derek hson yeah come and sing
it so anyway he said ladies and
gentlemen Derek hord the Climax Blues
Band I love you and the place just stood
up soon as soon as I started singing it
it was obvious I I was that man you know
with the with the voice and it you know
I never bought to drink again all night
you know I was surrounded by you know
people wanting autographs and everything
and um yeah it was it's funny story but
it's true that's probably uh I've only
ever sung it you know one or two times
and that that's the one I remember the
most karaoke bar in Clear Water didn't
you have your 10-year-old daughter come
up and sing with you a little bit at the
end yeah yeah yeah she um we used to
have we used to run a pub in England as
it was like a live music venue and um
yeah talk about the thrill of having
your daughter Come and sing your song
with
you I
love they wouldn't even put it on their
greatest hits album what the hell make
sure to leave us a comment about this
amazing song what is your take what is
your memories of this song this is one
of those songs that you hear and you're
like oh I know this song and you don't
really maybe remember who sings it but
you know it let's have a great disc what
a story I love talking to these artists
about the the stories behind their songs
if you like our content we invite you to
subscribe below we would love to have
you we celebrate music all the time
keeping it alive until next time three
courts and the truth my friends
[Music]
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