Why on earth did ‘EastEnders’ dominate the music charts in 1986?
EastEnders: the great British TV cultural asset, famed for its “doof-doofs” and shouts of “You ain’t my mother!”.
When the soap’s creators, Julia Smith and Tony Holland, set out to create a real depiction of the grittiness of life in the estates of east London, they could have probably never imagined it becoming a country-wide phenomenon of epic proportions. Whether hard-hitting or dizzying, the storylines have engraved their way into history, with the stones of Albert Square alongside them.
Yet between the many escapades of the Beales and the Fowlers, as well as the myriad of other colourful characters to have graced the screen, EastEnders also created something that extended far beyond the televisions of millions of suburban homes: its own musical dynasty. Yes, you read that right: the residents of Albert Square were simultaneously storming the charts.
While it obviously has the air of a novelty number one or well-intended charity single, let it be known that every song that has come from the soap’s universe has been created as a serious sonic effort. However, it was also fair to say that the EastEnders musical legacy somewhat lived and died still in its infancy, thankfully never to be seen again.
It was 1986, only a year after the show had originally launched, and in a clear attempt to diversify themselves from their soap opera competitors, the bosses had a grand idea: ‘Let’s get the actors to sing a signature song for their character!’. You can only imagine that that pitch meeting went down like a lead balloon.
What were the EastEnders chart hits?
But the strange thing was, audiences actually lapped it up. Anita Dobson started the trend, releasing the song ‘Anyone Can Fall in Love’ that reached number four in the charts in August 1986. You could say that she leaned on the expertise of her future husband, Brian May, who produced the track – but given that its lyrics are set to the EastEnders theme tune, that might be a blight on his legacy.
Yet clearly spurred on by the success of Dobson’s song, the Albert Square musical canon was soon shored up again. The classic combination of Letitia Dean and Paul Medford released ‘Something Outa Nothing’ that October, which featured in their storyline and peaked at number 12. Not a bad effort, but it was about to be blown out of the water.
Because then Nick Berry arrived, in character as Paul ‘Wicksy’ Wicks, to perform his song ‘Every Loser Wins’, and rather appropriately, given the title, put all his castmates to shame. With momentum having built by the song having featured in EastEnders throughout the summer, when it was finally released as a single in October, it reigned atop the charts for no less than three weeks.
As with many parts of EastEnders history – the murders, the baby swaps, and the return of Dirty Den – some things land better than others with its audience. Perhaps its shots at chart glory were better left in the 1980s, as a nostalgic early memory rather than its regularity. That’s because one thing is certain – no one wants a song from Kat Slater.
