"One-Two-Five" is a song by

10cc 10cc are an English rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group featured t ...

released as a first single in 1980 from the album '' Look Hear?''. It is a reference to

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

's 125 beats per

minute The minute is a unit of time usually equal to (the first sexagesimal fraction) of an hour, or 60 seconds. In the UTC time standard, a minute on rare occasions has 61 seconds, a consequence of leap seconds (there is a provision to insert a nega ...

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

Release and promotion

"One-Two-Five" was released as a first single outside America ahead of the album '' Look Hear?''. The song was promoted by a music video directed by Russell Mulcahy based on the

Eric Stewart Eric Michael Stewart (born 20 January 1945) is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as a founding member of the rock groups the Mindbenders with whom he played from 1963 to 1968, and likewise of 10 ...

's idea of '

-ectomy'. The single failed to chart in the band's native UK, which was the first time since 1974's ''

The Original Soundtrack ''The Original Soundtrack'' is the third studio album by the English rock band 10cc. It was released in 1975 and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. ''The Original Soundtrack'' includes the singles "Life Is a Minestrone", and "I'm No ...

'' that a lead single wouldn't become a hit. However, the song became a top 10 hit in Norway.

Personnel

– lead vocals, electric guitar * Graham Gouldman – second lead vocals, bass, electric guitar *

Rick Fenn Richard Fenn (born 23 May 1953) is an English rock guitarist. He has been a member of the band 10cc since 1976 and has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth, and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. Hist ...

– electric guitar * Duncan Mackay – Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer * Paul Burgess – drums, percussion * Stuart Tosh — percussion, backing vocals

Chart performance

References

{{10cc 10cc songs 1980 songs 1980 singles Songs written by Eric Stewart Songs written by Graham Gouldman Mercury Records singles