If you’ve listened to rock radio in the last 50 years, you’ve heard a song written by Graham Gouldman. From 1964 to 1966, the teenager from Manchester, England, wrote a batch of hits at the core of the British invasion. The Yardbirds, The Hollies, and Herman’s Hermits recorded his songs.
Videos by American Songwriter
Gouldman was working in a menswear shop by day and playing in a beat group by night when The Beatles inspired him to try his hand at songwriting. His group, The Mockingbirds, signed a record deal with Columbia Records, and Gouldman started cranking out songs. His group recorded some of them, while some were passed around to other bands. In 1964, Herman’s Hermits manager Harvey Lisberg signed Gouldman to write songs for his publishing company. These 10 classic songs and many more came from Gouldman’s pen.
1. “For Your Love” by The Yardbirds
Columbia Records turned this one down when it was pitched as a single by The Mockingbirds. The Yardbirds heard it and decided to record it themselves. The Mockingbirds, meanwhile, secured a spot on Top of the Pops.
As Gouldman explained in I’m Not in Love: The Story of 10cc, “There was one strange moment when The Yardbirds appeared on the show doing ‘For Your Love,’ which was a song that I’d written. Everyone clamored around them—and there I was, just part of an anonymous group. I felt strange that night, hearing them play my song.”
2. “Heart Full of Soul” by The Yardbirds
Jeff Beck stepped in to replace Eric Clapton after “For Your Love.” “Heart Full of Soul” features Beck’s guitar prominently. Initially, the song was recorded with a sitar, but it wasn’t cutting through like the band wanted. Beck mimicked the Indian instrument on his guitar through a fuzz pedal, and the flashy, iconic riff was born. The song became a smash hit.
3. “Look Through Any Window” by The Hollies
Co-written with Charles Silverman, this was The Hollies’ first American Top 40 hit. Silverman was part of the Herman’s Hermits management team. As Gouldman did with several of his songs, he received help on this one from his playwright father, Hyme Gouldman. “Hyme the rhyme,” as he was known, never received writing credit on the songs.
4. “Evil Hearted You” by The Yardbirds
After the success of “For Your Love” and “Heart Full of Soul,” The Yardbirds turned to Gouldman again. They released “Evil Hearted You” in the U.K., and it went all the way to No. 3. However, in the U.S. it was not released as a single. Again, the song benefits from the amazing guitar work of Jeff Beck. The Human Beinz recorded the song as well in 1966, with Pixies to follow with a Spanish-language version (for some reason) in 1991.
5. “Listen People” by Herman’s Hermits
As Gouldman was part of the Herman’s Hermits business operation, it only made sense that his name would often appear on their record credits. “For Your Love” appeared on an album by the Hermits, and then they released “Listen People” as a single. The beautiful sentiment of the song is conveyed in the ever-hopeful lyrics encouraging love, even at the cost of heartbreak.
6. “Bus Stop” by The Hollies
While still working at the menswear shop, Gouldman was inspired while riding home on the bus to write this one. His father threw in the opening lyrics, and Graham finished the song over the next 24 hours. The 12-string guitar opening sets the tone of this pop masterpiece. It reached the Top 5 in both the U.S. and the U.K. Herman’s Hermits also recorded a version of the song.
7. “No Milk Today” by Herman’s Hermits
Again, Graham’s father, Hyme, inspired a Gouldman gem. Graham Gouldman shared the story with Mojo magazine in 2011: “He’d been to visit a friend of his and noticed the milk bottle on the doorstep with the note ‘No milk today.’ He came back and said to me, ‘You should write a song called ‘No Milk Today,’ and I said, ‘What’s so interesting about milk?’ And he said, ‘It’s nothing to do with milk! There’s nobody in the house, the house is empty, the love has left the house.’ He helped me see it from a whole different point of view.”
8. “Pamela, Pamela” by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders
Wayne Fontana had started his career fronting a band called The Mindbenders. In 1968, Gouldman became the bass player for The Mindbenders. And from 1969 to 1972, Gouldman worked for Super K Productions in New York City, penning songs for The Ohio Express, Garden Odyssey Enterprise, and Gene Pitney. In 1972, Gouldman teamed up with his old bandmate from The Mindbenders, Eric Stewart, and two other childhood friends, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, to form 10cc.
9. “I’m Not in Love” by 10cc
Eric Stewart came up with the main idea for this pop morsel as a response to his wife’s complaints of a lack of communication. “I’m Not in Love” is about a man who’s more in love than he wants to admit. The original structure was a bossa nova, but Godley was not impressed. He suggested a new arrangement, and a complex system of tape loops was constructed. Overdubbed vocals were mixed down to each mixing console channel, allowing it to be “played” as an instrument. The song became a smash, reaching No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 2 in the U.S.
10. “The Things We Do for Love” by 10cc
Another one that was co-written with Eric Stewart, but the song signaled the beginning of the end for 10cc. Godley and Creme were not enthusiastic about the song and went their own way soon after it was released. It was a huge hit, though, in England and America. Gouldman continued writing songs and playing music, and remains the only original member in 10cc as of this writing.
Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
