"Will You?" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Hazel O'Connor | ||||
from the album Breaking Glass | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | 8 May 1981 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1980 | |||
Studio | Good Earth Studios, London | |||
Length | 4:49 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Tony Visconti | |||
Hazel O'Connor singles chronology | ||||
|
"Will You?" is a song by British singer-songwriter Hazel O'Connor, released as the fourth single from her debut album, the soundtrack to the film Breaking Glass . It was a top ten hit in both the UK and Ireland, and was certified silver in the UK for shipments of 250,000 copies. [2]
"Will You?" was the only track in Breaking Glass that was not written specifically for the film: in her 1981 autobiography Uncovered Plus, O'Connor stated that the song had been written some time before that. [3] In 2014, she told The Guardian that she had been upset after reading a story about a man who had died when the shop he had entered to buy a sandwich had been blown up by an IRA bomb. [4]
The song is noted for its lengthy alto saxophone solo, played by Wesley Magoogan. While touring the UK in November and December 1980 in support of her album, O'Connor was supported by the then-unknown Duran Duran, and in his autobiography the band's John Taylor stated that "Will You?" was "the highlight" of O'Connor's set, and called Magoogan's solo "the emotional peak of the show". [5] Although the original release of "Will You?" was credited solely to O'Connor, Magoogan later won a court case to have his contribution to the song recognised, and is now credited as co-writer. [6]
7" AMS 8131 (UK & Ireland)
7" AMS 9011 (France & Netherlands)
7" 2267-S (US)
7" AMS 7698 (Italy)
12" Promo 12 PRM 018 (Italy)
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
---|---|
Ireland (IRMA) [7] | 7 |
Israel (IBA) [8] | 1 |
UK Singles (OCC) [9] | 8 |
Duran Duran are an English new wave band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by keyboardist Nick Rhodes and bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band went through numerous personnel changes before May 1980, when they settled on their most famous line-up by adding guitarist Andy Taylor and lead singer Simon Le Bon.
Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, In the Garden, in 1981 to little success, but went on to achieve global acclaim when their second album Sweet Dreams , was released in 1983. The title track became a worldwide hit, reaching #2 in the UK Singles Chart and #6 in Australia, before hitting #1 in Canada and the US Billboard Hot 100. The duo went on to release a string of hit singles and albums, including "Love Is a Stranger", "There Must Be an Angel " and "Here Comes the Rain Again", before they split up in 1990.
Simon John Charles Le Bon is a British singer. He is best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the new wave band Duran Duran and its offshoot Arcadia. Le Bon has received three Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
Andrew Arthur Taylor is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as a former member of both Duran Duran and the Power Station.
Hazel Thereasa O'Connor is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles "Eighth Day", "D-Days" and "Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film Breaking Glass.
"Is There Something I Should Know?" is the eighth single by British pop band Duran Duran, released on 14 March 1983.
Breaking Glass is a 1980 British film starring Hazel O'Connor, Phil Daniels and Jonathan Pryce. It was co-produced by Dodi Fayed and written and directed by Brian Gibson.
"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a song written and composed by Prince for his side project, The Family; the song featured on their eponymous 1985 debut album. The song's lyrics explore feelings of longing from the point of view of an abandoned lover. In 1989, Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor recorded a version of the song for her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990). It was released as the album's second single in early 1990 and became a worldwide hit. O'Connor co-produced the record with Nellee Hooper, and its music video, directed by John Maybury, received heavy rotation on MTV. In December 1990, Billboard named "Nothing Compares 2 U" as the "#1 World Single" of 1990 at its first Billboard Music Awards. This version is composed in the key of F major.
"Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by the British new wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album Rio. The song was released in May 1982 as the band's fifth single in the United Kingdom. It reached no. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and received a gold certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"A View to a Kill" is the thirteenth single by the English new wave and synth-pop band Duran Duran, released on 6 May 1985. Written and recorded as the theme for the James Bond film of the same name, it became one of the band's biggest hits. It remains the only James Bond theme song to have reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; it also made it to number two for three weeks on the UK Singles Chart while stuck behind Paul Hardcastle's "19". The song was the last track recorded by the most famous five-member lineup of Duran Duran until their reunion in 2001 and was also performed by the band at Live Aid in Philadelphia, their final performance together before their first split.
"Ordinary World" is the first single from Duran Duran's self-titled 1993 album, commonly known as The Wedding Album. The ballad reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40, the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart and the Italian Singles Chart. It also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 in Iceland and Sweden and No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart.
Cormac de Barra is a harpist, singer and television presenter and is part of the Moya Brennan Band.
Linx were a British soul/Brit funk band consisting of David Grant, Bob Carter (keyboards), Andy Duncan (drums), Canute Edwards (guitar), Peter Martin (bass) and Junior Giscombe. Carter and Duncan were session musicians who were known for their contribution to Hazel O'Connor's Breaking Glass album and movie.
"Hanging Around" is a song by English rock band the Stranglers, released on their debut album Rattus Norvegicus.
3 Words is the debut studio album by English singer Cheryl Cole released on 23 October 2009 by Fascination Records. Cole's first solo performance was on American rapper will.i.am's "Heartbreaker" (2008), on which she sang additional vocals. Following this, it was announced that Cole's band Girls Aloud would take a break from releasing material, having enjoyed five successful albums and twenty consecutive top-ten singles. In April 2009, Cole started working on solo material in Los Angeles and London, mainly collaborating with will.i.am, who served as executive producer of the album.
Breaking Glass is the debut album by the English singer Hazel O'Connor. It is the soundtrack album to the film Breaking Glass, featuring songs written and performed by O'Connor who also stars in the film. It was released in 1980 by A&M Records. The album reached number 5 in the UK Album Charts, remaining on the chart for 38 weeks and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry. Two of the musicians in her band, Bob Carter and Andy Duncan, were members of Linx.
"Eighth Day" is a song by British singer-songwriter Hazel O'Connor, released in August 1980 as the second single from her debut and soundtrack album, Breaking Glass. It reached no. 5 on the UK Singles Charts, making it her first top-ten hit and her highest chart placing to date. The song was also certified silver in the UK by the BPI.
Cover Plus is the third album by English singer Hazel O'Connor, released in August 1981 by Albion Records. The album charted at number 32 on the UK Albums Chart. It was reissued on CD with bonus tracks on 17 November 2017 by Cherry Red Records.
"D-Days" is a song by British singer-songwriter Hazel O'Connor, released in March 1981 as a single from her second album, Sons and Lovers. The single was produced by Nigel Gray and remixed for single release by Tony Visconti, who had produced her previous album Breaking Glass. The song stands for 'Decadent Days' and was inspired by a trip to a night in London where there were lots of poseurs and "people looking very bizarre". It peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
Sons and Lovers is the second album by English singer Hazel O'Connor, released in November 1980 by Albion Records. It was reissued on CD with bonus tracks on 30 March 2018 by Cherry Red Records.