Mr. Soft
| "Mr. Soft" | ||||
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German cover of "Mr. Soft"
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| Single by Cockney Rebel | ||||
| from the album The Psychomodo | ||||
| B-side | "Such a Dream" | |||
| Released | 26 July 1974 March 1988 (re-issue) |
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| Format | 7" | |||
| Genre | Glam rock | |||
| Length | 3:17 | |||
| Label | EMI Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Steve Harley | |||
| Producer(s) | Steve Harley, Alan Parsons | |||
| Cockney Rebel singles chronology | ||||
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| Alternative Cover | ||||
1988 UK re-issue
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"Mr. Soft" is a song by British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. The song was released in 1974 as the second single from the band's second studio album The Psychomodo. In the UK, the song became the band's second hit, following the Top 5 success of "Judy Teen". "Mr. Soft" was written by Harley and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons.
By the time "Judy Teen" successfully broke Cockney Rebel in the UK charts in May 1974, the band had already finished recording their second album The Psychomodo. During the same month, EMI released the title track, "Psychomodo", as the album's lead single. However, it was quickly withdrawn from sale in the UK and therefore did not chart. The Psychomodo was released in June, and once "Judy Teen" dropped out of the UK Top 50, EMI released "Mr. Soft" shortly after in July. The song proved to be another success, peaking at #8 and remaining in the UK Top 50 for nine weeks. It also reached #16 in Ireland.
From May to July 1974, Cockney Rebel embarked on a major British tour. As the tour progressed, the band began facing growing tensions, which ultimately led to the band's split in late July. On 18 July, the band received a 'Gold Award' for outstanding new act of 1974, and a week later they had split up over their disagreements. By the time "Mr. Soft" was released, Cockney Rebel had already disbanded. Harley would find a new line-up of the band by the end of the year.
On "Mr. Soft", the backing vocals were performed by the Mike Sammes Singers, who also contributed vocals on other tracks on The Psychomodo album. In 2012, Harley recalled: "The Mike Sammes Singers, practically resident on the BBC Light Programme, came in to sing backing vocals, all those "boom-boom-boom, boom"s and bassy "mmmmms"s on Mr Soft."
The English alternative rock band Elbow called themselves "Mr Soft" during the early 1990s. In a 2013 interview for the Birmingham Post, Harley mentioned the band and their original name:
"I kind of secretly hear and imagine the possibility that I might be an influence, and my wife will see it, but, I don't want to go there and find out that they've never heard of me! I don't need that kudos. I'm a great fatalist. Elbow's first group name was Mr Soft, and I've spoken quite a lot to Guy Garvey about it. It's nice. But mostly you don't want to think about it."
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Wikipedia