Boyzone’s biggest-selling single very nearly didn’t happen, claims Andrew Lloyd Webber
Boyzone’s most successful number one single ever was almost scrapped, and now Andrew Lloyd Webber has revealed his secret further role in its release.
No Matter What, which sold over four million copies alone worldwide, propelled popular chart-toppers Boyzone ‘to a whole other level as a band’ in 1998, according to member Ronan Keating – but it was so close to never being heard by fans.
Theatre impresario and composer Lloyd Webber, 76, originally co-wrote the song with Jim Steinman for their stage show musical, Whistle Down the Wind.
However, the tune – which sat for three consecutive weeks in the top spot of the UK charts, making it Boyzone’s longest-running number one single, as well as their best-selling – was disliked by their manager Louis Walsh, who reportedly didn’t want it to come out.
Reflecting on working with Lloyd Webber, who has penned musicals hits like Phantom of the Opera and Cats, and how late member Stephen Gately had initially approached him, Keating, 47, called it ‘pretty incredible’.
‘Steo (Gately) was a big fan and wanted to work in the West End in any shape or form,’ he told The One Show’s Alex Jones in a junket interview for their upcoming docu-series, No Matter What, broadcast on Tuesday.
‘He offered us a song, No Matter What – Whistle Down the Wind was the new show. It propelled us to a whole other level as a band, around the world.’
Lloyd Webber was also appearing on the show in the studio on Tuesday night, and was asked to recall working with the Words and Love Me For a Reason singing stars.
He remembered that Gately, who died aged just 33 in October 2009, had recorded the song on his own before ‘the other guys got involved and they sang on it too’.
‘But the record company and Louis Walsh didn’t want to issue it. They really thought that it was not a great idea and that it might just be okay as a B-side,’ Lloyd Webber claimed.
He then went on to say he had ‘not told this story before’ and divulged exactly how No Matter What had ended up getting released after all – thanks to his efforts.
‘I went to go to something called the Chinese Elvis, which was done in Millwall with Richard Park, who ran Capital Radio,’ he remembered.
‘Come the evening, we got back to my house, and he said, “Have you got anything to play me, anything new of yours?” And I said, “I’ve got this track that nobody wants to issue, which has got all the members of Boyzone on it, but they don’t want to release it. Louis Walsh doesn’t want it out,’ he continued.
‘So I played it to him and Richard said, “Listen to Capital Radio in five hours’ time because I’m playing this because this is the biggest hit that they will ever have.” And Richard played it – the rest is history.’
Park’s prediction was proven correct, with Lloyd Webber then praising ‘the wonderful job’ that Boyzone did with his and Steinman’s song.
The composer also mused on the ‘extraordinary’ fact that the alleged ‘bit of politics’ almost prevented the single seeing the light of day.
‘Maybe it was something to do with the fact that Stephen came to me, I don’t know. But I’m very, very proud of it,’ he added.
Boyzone first formed in 1993 after Walsh set out to create an Irish version of the British boy band Take That. It’s most successful line-up featured Keating, Gately, Keith Duffy, 50, Shane Lynch, 48, and Mikey Graham, 52.
The group boast six number one UK singles and five number one albums to their name, as well as over 25 million records sold.
After splitting in 1999, they reformed in 2007 before being rocked by the tragedy of Gateley’s unexpected death due to a congenital heart defect two years later.
Talking to Jones in their interview, Keating called their reunion his ‘happiest memory’ from Boyzone, with Duffy agreeing.
‘For me, ’07-’09, when we got back together after the break-up. We’d grown up and I think we were just happy to be in each other’s company. Sadly, it’s the toughest time because we lost Steo in October ’09,’ Keating shared.
Duffy added: ‘Those two years now have become the most valued two years of our lives because that’s the time we had with Steo.’
Metro has contacted a rep for Louis Walsh for comment.
Boyzone’s three-part documentary series, No Matter What, streams on Sky Documentaries and NOW from February 2.
Boyzone’s biggest-selling single very nearly didn’t happen, claims Andrew Lloyd Webber