25 years ago five young Liverpudlians wore iconic 'Frankie Say,’ t-shirts and with one song polorised the entire nation. It was early 1984 when Frankie Goes To Hollywood released their debut single Relax and became a household name.

The key moment in the band’s history that enabled them to make the jump to worldwide superstardom was in 1983 when legendary producer, Trevor Horn, heard Relax being played on Radio 1. The renowned music producer and songwriter, a former member of Buggles and prog-rock band Yes, was so impressed and intrigued he immediately made moves to sign the band to his ZTT label, from where history was made

Later in 1984, the BBC famously banned Relax, giving the band endless publicity and so much notoriety that the track catapulted to Number One in the UK charts. It held the top spot for five consecutive weeks.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood went on to push boundaries, smash sales records, break taboos and stir up unprecedented levels of excitement and drama. Not a week goes by even now without hearing a Frankie song on the radio, reading about them in the press or seeing them on the TV. Like The Beatles or The Sex Pistols before, they are an important part of the cultural fabric of our society.

A quarter of a century on the band are being honoured by winning the Classic Track at the 2009 Q Awards with Russian Standard Vodka.

Paul Rees (Editor in Chief Q Magazine) says of the accolade; 'Determining what constitutes a classic song is a tricky beast, but staying power and instant recognition aren’t bad yardsticks. Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Relax more than ticks both boxes – more than a quarter of a century it is undimmed and unforgettable. That it also defined its era is equally inarguable. As such, Q is delighted to give it the recognition it deserves.'

This year’s ceremony again promises to be a thoroughly star-strewn affair.

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