How “Neanderthal Man” Helped Hotlegs Evolve Into 10cc

The members of 10cc have built a reputation for their cutting-edge innovations in music and video production. So how is it that one of the most commercially successful singles associated with the band is a silly novelty song that one of its co-writers calls a “mad piece of s–t”? Shortly before Kevin Godley, Lol Creme, and Eric Stewart formed 10cc with frequent collaborator Graham Gouldman in 1972, they recorded the international hit single “Neanderthal Man” under the name Hotlegs. The track bore little resemblance to the sophisticated pop that 10cc would soon be known for. It was every bit as primitive-sounding as its title implies.

When Hotlegs took the initial steps to write and record “Neanderthal Man,” they were not intending to write a song at all, much less a hit single. What began as a day of experimenting with new equipment eventually led to one of the bigger hit singles for a trio of musicians who would not lack for success in the coming years. It was also an important step towards the creation of 10cc, who recorded the highly influential 1975 hit “I’m Not in Love” and the 1976 Top-10 smash “The Things We Do for Love.”

An Accidental Hit Single

By the time Godley, Creme, and Stewart convened at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, to record what would become “Neanderthal Man” in 1970, the former two members of the trio had already been collaborating with each other for several years. In 1969, Godley, Creme, and their future 10cc bandmate Gouldman teamed up with Stewart, formerly of the Mindbenders and co-owner of Strawberry Studios, to crank out a series of pop singles for the American music production firm Super K Productions. The records would be marketed under a variety of different band names.

When the quartet’s recording contract with Super K expired, Gouldman left Stockport for New York, and Stewart continued his work at Strawberry Studios. He had recently purchased a new 16-track recorder with proceeds from the Super K singles, and he brought Godley and Creme in to test it out. In a 2023 interview for the YouTube channel The Vibe Chamber, Godley noted a drum set was one of the few musical instruments that was in the studio at that time, so Stewart tested the machine by recording Godley playing the kit. Those initial tests eventually grew into an entire song, which was “Neanderthal Man.” From these humble beginnings, Hotlegs had their first single and only chart entry.

A “Petri Dish” for Future Success

In his Vibe Chamber interview, Godley was dismissive of “Neanderthal Man” as a musical composition. In addition to referring to the song as a “mad piece of s–t,” Godley said it lacked the creativity to be a proper song. However, he acknowledged the time he, Stewart, Creme, and eventually Gouldman, would spend at Strawberry Studios was instrumental to the foursome’s work as 10cc. Under the Hotlegs banner, Godley, Creme, and Stewart made a full album, Thinks: School Stinks, and along with Gouldman, they played and produced sessions for clients of the increasingly busy studio. Godley referred to this period of time at Strawberry Studios as the “petri dish of 10cc.”

Godley, Creme, Stewart, and Gouldman would record each of the first four 10cc albums at Strawberry Studios, and it would be the site where “I’m Not in Love” and its innovative looped vocals were created. After Godley and Creme left 10cc in 1976, Stewart and Gouldman opened a second Strawberry Studios in Dorking, England, where they would record the next four 10cc albums.

The Impact of “Neanderthal Man”

“Neanderthal Man” was Hotlegs’ only entry on the Billboard charts, reaching No. 22 on the Hot 100. It also went to No. 2 on the UK Official Singles Chart and was a Top-10 entry in South Africa, Switzerland, West Germany, Austria, and Belgium. Compared to 10cc’s bigger hits, the song has not gotten much attention in the streaming era, as it has received fewer than a million plays on both Spotify and YouTube. Godley and Gouldman did repurpose the track for their 2006 GG/06 collaboration, sampling it for their song “Son of Man.” The tune also pokes fun at “Neanderthal Man,” particularly with the lines Yeah, he wasn’t music and he wasn’t art / But he got to No. 2 in the chart.

Though Godley acknowledges “Neanderthal Man” was lightweight fare, its popularity was key to he and his bandmates leaving a much more lasting impact with the music they would make in the years ahead. It may not sound much like 10cc, but it was part of that band’s evolution nonetheless. 

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