The Nolans

Track	Album
Spirit, Body And Soul	Nolan Sisters
I’m In The Mood For Dancing	Nolan Sisters
Gotta Pull Myself Together	Making Waves
Sexy Music	Making Waves
Crashing Down	Portrait
Don’t Let It Go By	Portrait
Every Little Thing	Portrait
If It Takes Me All Night	Portrait
A Simple Case Of Loving You	Portrait
Take It Through The Night	Portrait

The Nolans (l-r): Linda, Anne, Bernie, Coleen, Maureen
Photo credit: Press Association 1983

 

Nolans playlist

 

Contributor: Dave Ross

A video popped up on Twitter recently of the Nolans on stage with Stevie Wonder in Japan. It was posted by Linda Nolan. I responded and Linda answered explaining the story behind it. That was it, I was hooked. I needed to investigate further. What I found was some fantastic pop music and an incredible, occasionally unbelievable, story.

What follows is a pocket history of the Nolans. I’ve read “Survivors” which is Maureen’s, Linda’s, Bernie’s and Coleen’s collected stories and “Anne’s Song” in which Anne reveals some incredibly dark and troubling times which caused a huge family rift. I’ve also listened to all the Singing Nolans, the Nolan Sisters and Nolans music I could find on Spotify and watched loads of video performances on YouTube of which there are hundreds, such was their seemingly ever presence on TV during the 70s and early 80s. I’m now officially a fan. Of course, it wasn’t all great but there’s enough there to allow them a reappraisal and appreciation for some really sparkling, pre-girl power, inspirational pop, disco and those heavenly harmonic voices.

 

IN THE BEGINNING

Tommy Nolan was a singer and entertainer in Dublin when he met Maureen at the Clery’s Ballroom in 1948. She was a singer too. They’d both turned down opportunities before they met. Tommy was seen as Ireland’s Sinatra but family pressures stopped him pursuing offers to go to England. Maureen had a chance to attend Dublin College of Music to study to be a soprano but for unknown reasons she turned that down too.

With their first child, also Tommy, born in 1949, it would appear to be something of a rushed relationship and marriage that caused some frustrations in Tommy at his now passed up opportunities and possible future. That said, in true Irish catholic tradition, the children came thick and fast. After young Tommy, Anne followed in 1950, Denise in 1952, Maureen in 1954, Brian in 1955, Linda in 1959 and Bernie in 1960.

A family of nine crammed into one house in Maryville Road in Dublin with a frustrated, strict but loving father (more stories emerged which I’ll cover later) and a workaholic, determined, exceptional mother, life was never dull. Music was everywhere whether mum singing show tunes or dad playing Sinatra. Mum and dad performed together at clubs in Ireland as Tommy and Maureen – The Sweethearts Of Song. In a strange not fully explained event after Bernie was born, Anne and young Maureen were moved to a hospital where they remained for over eighteen months for suspected heart problems. Differing opinions exist around this time; were they put into temporary care? However, events for the family were about to take another turn.

Maureen came out of hospital while Anne remained. With the club work in Dublin drying up, Tommy was approached to come and perform in the clubs in the North of England. Almost without hesitation he accepted, packed up his family minus Anne, and moved to Blackpool. Amazingly, it worked out and soon The Sweethearts Of Song were working night after night. They were able to move into their own house. Anne came over from Ireland to join them, as did Auntie Theresa. Coleen was born in 1965 and the family was now complete.

Blue plaque in Blackpool

 

THE SINGING NOLANS

When Maureen was pregnant with Coleen she wasn’t always able to perform, so Tommy took his three eldest daughters – Anne, Maureen, Denise – to perform with him. Very quickly he realised he was on to something and started to take the younger children too. Before long the whole family was travelling from Manchester to Liverpool to Leeds performing as the Singing Nolans. 4am finishes meant school was not exactly a priority and sleep was lacking but they all loved performing so much that none of that mattered.

Summer seasons in Blackpool, holidays in Benidorm and performing on a cruise ship, people had begun to notice and they were invited to perform in London at the Grosvenor House Hotel with Sydney Lipton and his Orchestra. On the outside everything looked rosy but Tommy’s drinking, temper, violence towards their mum and possessive nature meant the girls weren’t living the lives of normal teenage girls; still wearing knee high socks and definitely no boys. Tommy would just not allow it and his quick temper ensured they never asked. Their love of performing kept them going.

Christmas was the one time they didn’t work, until one year they were given an offer Tommy couldn’t refuse to perform at the Cliffs Hotel in Blackpool on Christmas Day. Spotted by the Simon Cowell of the day, Joe Lewis, they were invited to London to live and perform but only the five girls (Coleen was too young at this stage). Also, Tommy would have to give up control.

The decision was made so, in 1973, Maureen Snr, Anne, Maureen, Denise, Linda and Bernie travelled to London by train for the next big adventure.

Joe Lewis lived in a mansion near Wentworth Golf Course. When the girls visited, they realised life was going to be very different. Their dad was slowly being replaced by a full-time manager, Nigel Lythgoe was brought in to help with choreography and they were showcasing to various record company A&R men. Talent will only get you so far and, in another piece of luck one night, they were told Cliff Richard was coming to see them. It’s worth remembering at this point just how big a star Cliff was in those days. 15 million people watched his Saturday night TV show every week, so when they were informed that he wanted them for all six episodes of his upcoming series it was like winning the lottery.

 

Coleen joined them and added another dimension:

 

Things were now moving so fast that by the end of 1974 they’d been chosen to support Frank Sinatra on tour across Europe. Their dad even got to meet his hero back stage at the Albert Hall. More TV appearances followed: Les Dawson, the Two Ronnies, Morecambe and Wise; they were everywhere. They’d also gained a new-found freedom as Tommy realised he couldn’t control everything about them anymore. Boyfriends, nights out clubbing, it all went on. Despite them being household names none of their singles released between 1974 and 1977 charted.

Denise left the group to pursue a solo career. In 1979, they entered a song, Harry My Honolulu Lover, to be the British entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Due to a BBC strike the show was never broadcast and Black Lace won while the Nolan Sisters finished fourth. This clip was never shown at the time but the assumption was they would win. I think it may have done them a favour …

 

Some self-reflection and demands on the record label led to a change of image and some new songwriters Ben Findon and Mike Myers being employed. It changed everything. An album, Nolan Sisters, was being made and the first single, Spirit, Body And Soul, was released with a new image. It’s fantastic and actually becomes my first choice for the top ten. In case you’d forgotten about that! There’s something about sibling harmonies and when the Nolans sing it’s a lovely thing. Entering the top 40 they were invited on to Top Of The Pops for the first time. Another momentous moment for them.

It flirted with the top thirty but disappeared. What came next though is their ubiquitous hit I’m In The Mood For Dancing which is my second choice. I was thinking of not including it because everyone knows it. Equally, I’ve read that Bernie isn’t a great fan of the song. But here it is in all its glory with added grown up Coleen. Let me be clear here, Coleen was very much a schoolboy crush for me. She seemed perfect. I absolutely would meet and marry her one day.

It’s such a tune. One that because of their perceived goody two shoes image didn’t quite fit Radio 1’s requirements at the time. Bernie recollects that they only played it during the top 40. Maybe she’s right but I feel like it was everywhere for a while. I’m sure there’s some people still making good money from I’m In The Mood For Dancing. Not any of the family though.

 

THE NOLANS – BIG IN JAPAN

I’m In The Mood was their biggest commercial success in the UK which they never came close to matching. In other parts of the world, however, it was a different story. In 1980, the next album Making Waves was released showing a four piece on the cover with Coleen joining full-time to replace the now departed Anne who, now married, left the group. It’s the classic line up.

Maureen, Linda, Bernie and Coleen. This became particularly important nearly thirty years later but I’ll come to that.

Four UK top 20 hits came from the album including my next choice Gotta Pull Myself Together. It’s a brilliant pop song written again by Findon and Myers. The sisters look great in the video but this is now 1980. Debbie Harry and Chrissie Hynde were redefining women in popular music. Bananarama and the Belle Stars were just around the corner. The music world was a couple of steps ahead. The album sounded like a Three Degrees record. Nothing against the Three Degrees – my dad was a huge fan – but in 1980 the record buying public wanted more. Of course, these things really mattered in the early 80s. It remains a brilliant, brilliant pop song.

By now, news was filtering through about a surge in popularity in Japan. A tour was organised and the girls flew out to Tokyo unaware of what awaited them. I’ve uncovered many versions of this story but each one describes the scene when they landed in Tokyo to a huge crowd screaming and waving banners. The sisters were sure someone really famous must have been on their flight until they saw one banner stating “We Love The Nolans” and the penny dropped.

What followed is staggering. The Nolans had three No.1 singles and sold more than 12 million records in Japan, which is more than the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Adele and Ed Sheeran combined. Everywhere they went they were met with what could only be described as mania. Security guards, police, screaming fans, one time running to escape one particularly over enthusiastic hoard. Absolute devotion thanks to some great pop music and them being a family of singers playing into the Japanese love of family created something incredible. They learned to sing in Japanese and there are many Nolans albums released just for the Japanese market.

 

 

The absolute highlight of their time in Japan led to the clip that started me on this journey and involves my next choice Sexy Music. The song won the Tokyo Music Festival in 1981, the only time a group from Europe won it. This tweet from Linda Nolan shows the Nolans with Stevie Wonder living their very best life.

Here’s the performance of the song from the festival

There’s a book waiting to be written about the Nolans in Japan but I’ve got a top ten to be getting on with. In an interview, Coleen tells of coming back to earth with an enormous bump on returning to the UK as no one really even noticed.

 

While their success continued in Japan the tide had turned completely back in the UK. 1982’s Portrait managed to reach number 7 in the UK charts on the back of two top 20 singles, Chemistry and Don’t Love Me Too Hard. The third, Crashing Down, did exactly that. It bombed.

As if to confirm the chasm between the UK and Japan, Portrait was released as Don’t Love Me Too Hard in Japan and was one of the first 50 albums in the world to be released on CD.

It’s actually become my favourite Nolans album. It’s funky, it’s disco, it’s fun and they clearly threw the kitchen sink at the production, it’s huge. A total lost classic. I’ve chosen over half the songs for this top ten from Portrait. The more I listen the better it gets. Absolute kudos to Findon, Myers and the other songwriters – these are great songs. You would never know from the sleeve what’s going on in the record. You can take the girls out of the show but you can’t take the show out of the girls.

As I’ve already mentioned Crashing Down I’ll start there. It sounds like something out of Studio 52 with a feeling of the Barbra Streisand / Donna Summer classic No More Tears (Enough Is Enough). It’s huge and I love it. I want a big fat extended mix of it. Couldn’t find an official video so this from Cheggers Plays Pop will just have to do. What a song.

My next five choices are all from Portrait but don’t include the two charting singles. I just think these are better songs – Don’t Let It Go By, Every Little Thing, If It Takes Me All Night, A Simple Case Of Loving You, Take It Through The Night – all are incredible. You can find so much in there. Did the Spice Girls cover this? Is that Rose Royce? Anita Ward? Deniece Williams? No wait, it’s 5 Star. Hang on, that’s a Nick Heyward horn section. Ooh Shakatak. Ahh Miami Sound Machine. Then the penny drops. This is actually a precursor to what Madonna was about to unleash on the world a year later. Vocally, there are moments when you could believe it’s Ms Ciccone not Ms Nolan singing. If you take nothing else away from this piece, take Portrait. Get your dancing shoes on if you’re in the mood and give these songs a listen. I’ll see you on the other side.

 

The Nolans – Portrait (Full Album)

 

 

In 1982, Anne rejoined and, soon after, Linda left. Nicknamed “The Naughty Nolan” following publicity shots that got the red top press salivating. A collection, Altogether, was released which was my first step into this odyssey. It’s a collection I’d recommend. The single, Dragonfly, failed to chart but the album captures all the inquisitive listener needs.

 

 

That was that really in the UK. No one was interested in the singing sisters from Dublin. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! was released in 1984. It’s a remarkable collection of covers which I suspect was aimed more at the Japanese market although it did limp to 39 on the UK album charts. It contains a selection of 80s hits given the Nolans treatment. 33 in all. Including five Michael Jackson songs, five Culture Club and five Thompson Twins. Lionel Richie only gets 4. Some genius has put medleys on YouTube. This Thompson Twins selection is my personal favourite …

 

Tenderly, an album of covers of standards released in 1986 was largely ignored. It’s hard to find any reference to it.

 

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

Things were very different in Japan. There was clearly an insatiable, inscrutable appetite for the Nolans and their music. From what Wikipedia tells me, there followed six Japan only albums which appear to be collections of covers sung in English of songs from various Japanese artists. This may be another rabbit hole I find myself disappearing down but for now, enjoy this. It’s worth checking out the translated lyrics. What did we do before the internet?

 

A particular highlight for this huge fan of Rik Mayall was the group appearing in an episode of Filthy, Rich & Catflap in 1987. A crazy combination that really works.

 

This clip shows them singing their versions of the Smiths’ Panic on Tonight with Jonathan Ross. Beware the Nolans YouTube rabbit hole.

 

I often try and make contact with fans while putting these posts together. A guy called Chris Clarke, who is clearly a super fan, came forward via Facebook. I love this jacket.

Then someone I’ve known as an internet friend for many years posted these signed albums via Twitter. Thanks Stephen @beany_ – these are lovely things.

 

 

As this all winds to a close I’ll jump forward to the book from 2011, “Survivors”. A really terrific read, cleverly put together and, if this piece has piqued your interest, it’s definitely worth investigating. It’s been my main resource for this, going back as it does to the family’s origins in Dublin. It’s filled in some gaps with brutal honesty. I discovered that Maureen lost her virginity at 22 through a holiday romance. Bernie was once with Bradley Walsh. Linda became a star of the stage and found the love of her life. Coleen married Shane Richie, I never liked him. In one chapter Coleen goes into detail how Richie’s cheating eventually led to a divorce. He was never good enough for her.

Linda played several roles, most famously that of Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers in the West End. Interestingly, Bernie, Denise and Maureen have also played the role earning a spot in “The Guiness Book Of Records” as the most siblings to play the same character.

Bernie found success as a TV actress, particularly in The Bill.

Coleen famously won Celebrity Big Brother and is a regular on the hugely popular Loose Women.

Cancer has taken a huge toll on the family. A price perhaps for those nights in smoky clubs? Anne was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000. Linda the same in 2006 and Bernie in 2010.

2009’s reunion is covered wonderfully in this documentary.

“Survivors” explains how Anne’s and Denise’s exclusion caused a rift that has never healed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it quite emotional. It’s fantastic to see audiences in sold out theatres going crazy for the girls and songs one more time. Seeing Bernie and Linda giving it their all, knowing what was to come. I’m welling up again here.

Bernie sadly died from cancer in 2014. At the time of writing Linda was living once again with the disease. I read a quote somewhere that she’s lost her hair five times.

Anne too has had continued battles with the disease. She has written a book with Linda – “Stronger Together: How We’re Living While Fighting”. Her first book, “Anne’s Song”, tells of the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. Not all the sisters approved but writing the book helped Anne deal with something she had lived with alone for a long time.

There’s much more to tell about this incredible, talented, endlessly fascinating family but this was meant to be just a top ten. I hope I’ve captured something of what the Nolans are about. I hope to have given their music a reappraisal that puts them right among those great girl groups going back to the Supremes, through the Spice Girls and on to Girls Aloud and Little Mix. They genuinely need to be spoken of in the same bracket. Too late now for the kind of retro love the Sugababes receive but more than worthy of it.

Of course, I’ll finish with a song. Here’s Coleen with the classic line up singing ABBA’s Thank You For The Music.

 

The Nolans (Wikipedia)

The Nolans Official YouTube Channel

The Nolans on Discogs

The Nolans Story: “I’m In The Mood For Dancing” (2009)
The full film on YouTube

Bernie Nolan – Now and Forever (Hodder, 2013)

Coleen Nolan – No Regrets: An Autobiography (Michael Joseph, 2014)

Linda Nolan – From My Heart: The Autobiography (Pan, 2019)

Denise Nolan’s Official Site

The Nolans Museum
Japanese pictorial fan site (English translation)

The Nolans Fan Club: ‘Unofficial’ Facebook Group

Dave Ross lives near Windsor and hides under his online pseudonym @DaveAmitri to talk mainly about cricket and music. He has written a drama “Jimmy Blue” featuring the music of Del Amitri and has recently published his first book “12 Bowie Albums In 12 Months” based on a series of posts on The Afterword website. Follow him on twitter @DaveAmitri. His other posts for this site are on The Associates, Rick Astley, The Blow Monkeys, The Coral, The Kane Gang, Justin Currie, Nick Heyward, The Lotus Eaters, Tears for Fears, Then Jerico, Thompson Twins, Wham!.

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