BAND BREAKUPS
10cc Could Have Ruled the World
The dumbest band breakup of all time
Strangely, 10cc’s biggest U.S. hit came after the band had split in two. The Things We Do for Love, written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman — the 50% of the original 10cc that retained the name — was released in December 1976 and reached number five on the U.S. charts, though only number six in the U.K. Still, it was played a lot on U.K. radio. I know because I was there to hear it.
The (original) band’s biggest U.K. hit was I’m Not in Love, which did reach number one and stayed number one for quite a while. It was also voted the best single of the year in 1975 by more than one station.
Me, I have loved (and still do) 10cc ever since I stumbled upon their second album, Sheet Music, in the summer of 1974. Tracks like The Wall Street Shuffle, Hotel, and Silly Love pretty much blew me away. Everything about the band and their songs struck a chord. Catchy, intelligent, well-produced, original (to say the least), even artsy: they had everything I looked for in a band.
And what a name. Weird though. First, I figured it had something to do with a very, very small motorcycle; one with a 10cc engine. Then someone informed me — and this is still the “official” explanation — that 10 cc (cubic centimeters) is the…
