Tuesday 22 May 2007

Songwriter Tom learns to McFly - 22nd May

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2007230497,00.html

"McFly’s single, the double A-side Baby’s Coming Back/Transylvania, reached No1 last week and marked the TENTH chart-topper Tom has penned."

No it didn't. 'Baby's Coming Back' is a cover of a track by Jellyfish, and Transylvania was written solely by McFly bandmate Dougie Poynter.

In fact overall the achievement is not quite as spectacular as Vicky is making out. She refers to McFly's hits as being "penned" by Tom, and to Busted's hits as being "co-written" by him. But looking in more detai at the McFly number one singles, there was only one which Tom "penned" by himself - All About You - and that was the official Comic Relief charity single in 2005, so arguably would have topped the charts regardless. And how many other writers are credited on the rest of these number ones?

5 Colours In Her Hair - 2 (Fletcher/Jones)
Obviously - 3 (Fletcher/Jones/Bourne)
I'll Be OK - 3 (Fletcher/Jones/Poynter)
Please, Please - 5 (Fletcher/Jones/Poynter/Judd/Perry)
Star Girl - 7 (Fletcher/Jones/Poynter/Judd/Perry/Emery/Carter)

I don't think we're talking about the next Bob Dylan here...

10 comments:

M said...

I too work for a showbiz website, but unlike Vicky, we would get into deep shit if we didn't check our sources and make sure our work checks out. We do use articles from other internet sites (as everyone in showbiz journalism does) but we only use the quotes, and we make sure the story's reputable first. A colleague of mine jumpedbeforeshewaspushed after it was discovered she had been plagiarising other website's articles (she said she didn't realise, I'm not so sure...). I think we've only had to issue one apology - to Jonathan Ross for a story which turned out to be untrue. But we always attribute if we get a story off the BBC or BreakingNews or wherever, it absolves us of the responsibility if things are incorrect!

About your Mika posts - Relax was, I would say, the first single, but when we spoke to him back in 2006, he said something along the lines of only 500 copies of it having been released, so it would NEVER have made it into the chart anyway!

M said...

PS I'm sure Tom's making lots of money but I seriously doubt it's as much as reputed. It's hard to believe anything Vicky The Witch says.

It's depressing as hell considering the sheer volume of inaccuracies, lies, wrongful attributions, lack of attributions and so on that happens daily. I saw an ad for a job helping at the Bizarre desk and I did think of going for it simply to see what it would be like working there. I just can't get it into my head how they can make THAT many mistakes and not get told off for it!

He's a talented songwriter and must be earning millions with some of the songs being played all the time, but he's no Elton John, not yet! Wish I was earning that much, though, would be amazing.

RichardAM said...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a58145/mcflys-fletcher-celebrates-10th-no-1.html

Mass confusion it would seem.

M said...

Ack, actually, that's the website I work for. I didn't realise we'd done a story on this. I'll have a word with Dave and get him to rectify the errors. Sigh. This is why I never, ever ever source stories from The Sun.

Darwin said...

While you're at it Miriam, let Dave know the song is called "Baby's Coming Back" and not just "Coming Back". ;O)

Dx

M said...

Haha, I will, believe me. I love McFly! Can't believe nobody caught those errors. That made me look like a bit of a twat, didn't it? Oh well, at least we try, unlike somebody I could mention...

AcerBen said...

What a hopeless woman. This has to be one of the best blogs on the net ! I wonder if Victoria reads it herself.

BTW, if you have any room in your links for me I would be reallly grateful ;)

AcerBen
http://popunlimited.blogspot.com/

AcerBen said...

that was quick, thank you very much :)

M said...

Darwin - we removed the article entirely.

Jen said...

I suppose it's better than the Manchester article that stated that Tom soley wrote Baby's Coming Back...

Oh and could you please please please add my blog?
The Bi Parade:
http://bisquad.blogspot.com