Hold Me Close DAVID ESSEX (with lyrics)

Seventies pop heart-throb David Essex (who later went on to a successful stage and acting role) notched up sixteen albums in the UK Top 40 charts and nineteen Top 40 singles, including two #1 hits. "Hold Me Close" was the second of those two #1s. Written by David Essex and produced by Jeff Wayne, it occupied the top spot for three weeks from 4 October 1975. He was born David Albert Cook, and as many pictures of him suggest he has Romany blood (on his mother's side). The family moved out of crowded London to Essex when David was two years old. He dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player and even deliberately failed his entrance exam (he didn't answer any questions!) so that he could attend a particular school where he knew they played football.