Play it Again, Sam #9a - "Emma"

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For some reason, I am not in a state of depression this morning. However, after the sheer energy of last night's edition, I am about to take Play it Again, Sam into a very dark place on this Saturday morning. As always, Play it Again, Sam is a two part discussion consisting of an original song followed by a cover of that song. We are at #9a, the "original:" "Emma," by Hot Chocolate. Led by vocalist Errol Brown (R.I.P.), British band Hot Chocolate is probably best known for their smash 1975 hit, "You Sexy Thing." But damn, did this man write some great songs during his lifetime, including one of my all-time favorites, "Emma." From their 1974 debut album, Cicero Park, "Emma" came about after producer Mickie Most requested that Brown add some "depth and darkness" to his songs, after which Brown and bassist Tony Wilson (not the late BBC television personality/Factory Records founder Tony Wilson) came up with this slab of gloom. Basically, "Emma" is the story of a young woman who commits suicide after realizing that she is never going to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a movie star. Brown claimed that the morbid tune was written about the death of his mother. While not exactly the sort of subject matter that makes for hit single material, "Emma" was actually a hit single! The song reached #3 in the band's native UK, and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. I guess I have always had a dark side, if you think about it. "Emma" was my exposure to Hot Chocolate. I was 11, and I often sat in my room and listened to my copy over and over and over. And over. And if you think it couldn't get any darker, wait until you hear the cover. (Info verified by Wikipedia)