Colin M. Clarke

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Colin M. Clarke is a reclusive musician who is widely believed to have written the backing track to the 1984 hit "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". Clarke worked with several bands during the 1980s.

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[edit] Early life

Colin M. Clarke was born on April 9, 1951 in Bangor, North Wales. Clarke lived in Llandudno and attended the local Grammar school, Ysgol John Bright, where he specialized in Musical studies. Clarke learned the drums at the school and from private lessons.

[edit] Moving On

At the age of 19, Clarke moved from his small town roots to Liverpool. Studying music in his spare time, Clarke started work at a local music store where he gave private drum lessons to paying customers. Clarke became a fan of The Beatles and followed them on two British tours, attending as many concerts as his chequebook would allow.

[edit] Celebrity Status

Colin Clarke became a popular musician in Liverpool, appearing with many bands in underground clubs. Never married, Clarke led a 24 hour lifestyle which sometime including playing three different concerts with three different bands in a single night.

Sometime during the late 1970s, Clarke apparently met musician Pete Burns at his workplace in Probe Records, Liverpool. It is widely believed among music researchers that Colin Clarke was behind the bass backing track for the 1984 hit You Spin Me Round (Like a Record), though Clarke himself was never credited.

In an interview given in 1989 to a local music magazine, Clarke explained that he was never credited in order to avoid future legal and tax disputes. He claimed that he wrote the music as a favour to the artists and refused money for his efforts.

Clarke worked with other 1980s bands including The Human League and Soft Cell though his exact contributions to these bands are currently unknown.

[edit] Dark Horse

Colin Clarke currently lives in his hometown of Llandudno, where he teaches the drums in private lessons. In a speech made at a music convention in 2003, Clarke shrugged off requests to accept his potential celebrity status; "I see these blokes I knew back in the day [the 1980s]. They've lost all their fans and they scrape at every bit of fame they've ever experienced. I've avoided all that".