“Is There Something I Should Know” hits #1 on the UK charts, March 26, 1983

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Nick and I were doing an interview yesterday with V magazine. At one point I said, ‘It’s aways a mistake to start writing a song with the intention, ‘let’s write an anthem, or let’s write a hit.. its like saying, let’s make this album a masterpiece’. Nick concurred, saying its something that can happen if you are lucky, and write a lot of songs, maybe something will click And yet..

"Is There Something I Should Know" was most definitely conceived as a hit song. The hits we had previously to this had almost been accidents- we had thought ourselves as an art- club band, with arena aspirations for sure, but not No 1 on the ‘Hit Parade’. And we were responding directly to parallels that were being drawn, particularly in the USA, which excitedly were referring to ’The Second British Invasion,'‘ to the Beatles. We never saw that coming.

It was our first break-away from Colin Thurston, perhaps a flier at a more mature sound. "Avalon" was in our ears at the time. Entering the UK chart at No 1 was historic, ticking a box none of us ever expected to tick. It was proof that band had fans, and a lot of them! Thankfully many of them are still with us today.

Maybe it will be time to bring this song back to the stage, its been a while…

John, Los Angeles, March, 2023