Art for Art's Sake (song)

Last updated
"Art for Art's Sake"
Single by 10cc
from the album How Dare You!
B-side "Get It While You Can"
Released21 November 1975 [1]
Recorded1975
Genre Progressive rock
Length4:11 (single edit)
6:01 (album version)
Label Mercury
Songwriter(s) Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman
Producer(s) 10cc
10cc singles chronology
"I'm Not in Love"
(1975)
"Art for Art's Sake"
(1975)
"I'm Mandy Fly Me"
(1976)

"Art for Art's Sake" is a single by 10cc released in 1975. It was taken from the How Dare You! album, [2] and, in an edited version, reached No. 5 on the UK singles chart.

Contents

The title of the song derives from the fact that Graham Gouldman's father, Hymie Gouldman, often used to say "Art for art's sake, money for God's sake, okay". [3]

The wordless tape-loop vocals used by the band in their ground-breaking hit "I'm Not in Love" are also clearly audible in the slow sections of the song.

Record World called it "a spirited tour-de-force of vocal and production technique with an irresistible hook" and "a great sound." [4]

Personnel

Chart performance

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10cc</span> British art rock band

10cc are a British rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians — Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme — who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group featured two songwriting teams. Many regard Stewart and Gouldman as the predominant pop songwriters, and Godley and Creme as the more experimental half of 10cc. Some have described Godley and Creme’s songwriting as being inspired by art and cinema.

<i>The Original Soundtrack</i> 1975 studio album by 10cc

The Original Soundtrack is the third studio album by the English rock band 10cc. It was released in 1975 and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. The Original Soundtrack includes the singles "Life Is a Minestrone", and "I'm Not in Love", the band's most popular song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Not in Love</span> 1975 song by British band 10cc

"I'm Not in Love" is a song by British group 10cc, written by band members Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. It is known for its innovative and distinctive backing track, composed mostly of the band's multitracked vocals. Released in the UK in May 1975 as the second single from the band's third album, The Original Soundtrack, it became the second of the group's three number-one singles in the UK between 1973 and 1978, topping the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. "I'm Not in Love" became the band's breakthrough hit outside the United Kingdom, topping the charts in Canada and Ireland as well as peaking within the top 10 of the charts in several other countries, including Australia, West Germany, New Zealand, Norway and the United States.

<i>How Dare You!</i> (album) 1976 studio album by 10cc

How Dare You! is the fourth album by British band 10cc. Released in 1976, it included UK hit singles "I'm Mandy Fly Me" and "Art for Art's Sake". The album was the band's third to have cover artwork by the Hipgnosis creative team.

<i>Sheet Music</i> (10cc album) 1974 studio album by 10cc

Sheet Music is the second album by the English rock band 10cc. It was released in 1974 on UK records, and yielded the hit singles "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love". The album reached No. 9 in the UK and No. 81 in the United States.

<i>Deceptive Bends</i> 1977 studio album by 10cc

Deceptive Bends is the fifth studio album by rock band 10cc, released in 1977. It was the first album released by the band after the departure of founding members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme and produced the hit single "The Things We Do for Love".

<i>Bloody Tourists</i> 1978 studio album by 10cc

Bloody Tourists is the sixth studio album by the English rock band 10cc, released worldwide by Mercury Records and in North America by Polydor Records in September 1978. Recorded at Strawberry Studios South in Dorking, the album was produced by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman.

<i>Look Hear?</i> 1980 studio album by 10cc

Look Hear? is the seventh studio album by 10cc, released in 1980.

<i>...Meanwhile</i> 1992 studio album by 10cc

...Meanwhile is the tenth studio album by the British rock band 10cc, released in 1992. It was the band's first in nine years and marked the brief comeback of the original 10cc members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.

<i>Mirror Mirror</i> (10cc album) 1995 studio album by 10cc

Mirror Mirror is the eleventh and final album by British rock band 10cc released in 1995, re-titled I'm Not in Love for the 1996 re-release. The album was their first not to be released on a major UK label, this time working with Japanese label Avex following the poor performance of their previous album ...Meanwhile in UK and its relative success in Japan.

"I'm Mandy Fly Me" is a single by 10cc released in 1976. It was taken from the How Dare You! album, and reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wall Street Shuffle</span> 1974 single by 10cc

"The Wall Street Shuffle" is a single by the British pop/rock band 10cc, released in 1974 on the UK Records label, from the band's 1974 album Sheet Music. It was the most successful single to be released from the album, reaching No. 10 on the UK chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Morning Judge</span> 1977 single by 10cc

"Good Morning Judge" is a song by English art rock band 10cc, released as the second single from their 1977 album Deceptive Bends. The song became the group's sixth consecutive Top 10 single in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dean and I</span> 1973 single by 10cc

"The Dean and I" is a song by the art rock/pop band 10cc, from their 1973 eponymous debut album, written by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley. The song was released as the fourth single from the album in August 1973 and peaked at #10 on the UK Singles Chart. The single reached the top of the Irish Singles Chart on 20 September 1973.

<i>Live and Let Live</i> (10cc album) 1977 live album by 10cc

Live and Let Live is 10cc's first live album, released in the Autumn of 1977. It was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London between 18 and 20 June 1977 and the Manchester Apollo, Manchester between 16 and 17 July 1977.

"Life Is a Minestrone" is a 1975 song by 10cc released as a lead single from their third album, The Original Soundtrack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's When the Music Takes Me</span> 1972 single by Neil Sedaka

"That's When the Music Takes Me" is a song written and originally recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1972. It is a track from his Solitaire LP, as it was billed in the UK, entitled as Neil Sedaka in the U.S.

"Feel the Love (Oomachasaooma)" is a song by 10cc released as a second single from the album Windows in the Jungle in 1983. On several releases and editions the song is labeled as "Oomachasaooma (Feel the Love)".

"Silly Love" is a song recorded by an English rock band 10cc released as the third and final single from the album Sheet Music through UK Records in 1974.

<i>Clever Clogs</i> 2008 live album by 10cc

Clever Clogs is a live and video album by 10cc released in 2008.

References

  1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 60.
  2. "Art for Art's Sake". allmusic. Rovi. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  3. "Art for Arts Sake -10cc". Songfacts. Retrieved 2014-12-05.
  4. "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. November 22, 1975. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  5. "everyhit.com search results" . Retrieved 11 January 2009.
  6. "The Official Charts Company - 10cc - Art for Art's Sake". Official Charts . Retrieved 11 January 2009.
  7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  8. "RPM Top 100 Singles - January 10, 1976" (PDF).
  9. "irishcharts.ie search results". Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2009.
  10. "10cc – Art for Art's Sake". Top 40 Singles.
  11. "10cc Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  12. "END OF YEAR CHARTS 1976 - OFFICIAL TOP 40 SINGLES". nztop40.co.nz. Retrieved 12 May 2020.