Piece of the Action

"Piece of the Action"
Single by Bucks Fizz
from the album Bucks Fizz
B-side "Took it to the Limit"
Released 17 May 1981
Genre Pop
Length 3.38
Label RCA Records
Writer(s) Andy Hill
Producer(s) Andy Hill
Certification Silver [1]
Bucks Fizz singles chronology
"Making Your Mind Up"
(1981)		 "Piece of the Action"
(1981)		 "One of Those Nights"
(1981)

Piece of the Action is the second single by pop group Bucks Fizz, the follow-up to the Eurovision-winning song "Making Your Mind Up". It was released in May 1981 and became a UK top 20 hit.


Overview

Following the group's success at the Eurovision Song Contest, their record company, who had signed them for an album deal, were keen to release a follow-up single. "Piece of the Action" had already been recorded by the group prior to the contest and was seen as the perfect pop vehicle to move them away from the rock and roll style of "Making Your Mind Up". Executive with RCA Records, Bill Kimber was keen to see Bucks Fizz continue successfully, as he later recalled;

"One thing that happens with Eurovision groups is that they have one single as a result of the contest and then they quickly throw out another single which isn't good enough and everybody forgets them. With Bucks Fizz we worked very hard to get a song that was strong and had good value radio-wise, commercially and was well-produced."

He and Andy Hill, the producer went through a number of songs, eventually deciding on "Piece of the Action".[2] The recording was completed by 24 April at Mayfair Studios in London and were struck onto master tape along with the B-side "Took It to the Limit" and album track "Getting Kinda Lonely".[2] The single was released on 17 May 1981 and reached number 12 during a nine week run in the UK charts and was certified silver.[3] As a Eurovision-winning follow-up, this was the highest chart placing ever achieved by an artist in the UK, the contest being notorious for producing one-hit wonders. The single also became a hit around Europe as well as in Australia and New Zealand.

The song's lyrics concern a man who is desperate to gain the attention of a woman to be a part of her exciting life. The promotional video of the song features the group in a variety of outfits and performing the routine in a night club-like setting. Much thought was put into the image for the group at this time, with the group's creator Nichola Martin deciding on khaki, rather than jeans or leather as it was not so obvious and was currently in fashion. They wore this for the night club scenes in the video and also for their soon-to-be-released-album cover.[4][2]

The song was written and produced by Andy Hill and was the opening track on their first album, Bucks Fizz. [5] A demo version of the song was later uncovered and included on the group's 2008 compilation, The Lost Masters 2 - The Final Cut.

"Piece of the Action" was covered by the Bay City Rollers in 1983 as a Japanese-only single release. [6]

Track listing

  1. "Piece of the Action" (Andy Hill) (3.38)
  2. "Took it to the Limit" (Andy Hill / Nichola Martin) (3.46)

Chart positions

Country Peak
position
UK 12
Ireland 10
The Netherlands [7] 26
Belgium [8] 19
Austria 11
Germany 35
Australia [9] 26
New Zealand [10] 31

References

  1. ↑ BPI. "Certification and release date - search "Bucks Fizz"". Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Bucks Fizz Story, GlassbeachTV documentary
  3. ↑ Chartstats. ""Piece of the Action" UK Chart details". Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  4. ↑ The Early Years. ""Piece of the Action" video shots". Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  5. ↑ Raffem. "Bucks Fizz Discography". Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  6. ↑ Bay City Rollers. "Discography". Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  7. ↑ Dutch Charts. ""Piece of the Action"". Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  8. ↑ Belgian Charts. ""Piece of the Action"". Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  9. ↑ Australian Chart Book, 1970-1992
  10. ↑ Charts.orh. "Piece of the Action NZ Charts". Retrieved 17 September 2011.