George Hargreaves (politician) and Memories Are Made of This: Difference between pages

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{{Unreferenced|date=October 2008}}
'''James George Hargreaves''' (born 1958),<ref>[http://www.alba.org.uk/scot07constit/g00christ.html Glasgow Region - Christ candidates], Scottish Politics</ref> known as '''George Hargreaves''' or '''J. G. Hargreaves''', is a [[religious minister]], [[political campaign]]er and former [[music producer]] and [[songwriter]].
"'''Memories Are Made of This'''" is a [[popular music|popular]] [[song]] written by [[Terry Gilkyson]], [[Richard Dehr]], and [[Frank Miller (singer)|Frank Miller]] in [[1955 in music|1955]].


==Early life==
==History==
Hargreaves grew up in [[Islington]].<ref name="mail">George Hargreaves, "[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-414557/Gay-pop-anthem-writer-defends-firemen-snubbed-gay-rally.html Gay pop anthem writer defends firemen who snubbed gay rally]", ''[[Daily Mail]]'', [[5 November]] [[2006]]</ref> He has said that as a child his life was saved by a [[firefighter]] who rescued him from his burning house.<ref name="firefighter">Auslan Cramb, "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/migrationtemp/1532775/Pop-star-preacher-to-fund-firemen%27s-gay-pride-battle.html Pop star preacher to fund firemen's gay pride battle]", ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', [[1 November]] [[2006]]</ref>
The most popular version of the song was recorded by [[Dean Martin]]. It reached #1 on the [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] chart for six weeks in [[1956 in music|1956]], and became his biggest hit. He was backed by The Easy Riders, who wrote it.
<br>The secondary hit version at the time was by Gale Storm, US Billboard #5.
<br>A third charted version was by Mindy Carson, at #53.


Terry Gilkyson and [[The Easy Riders (American band)|The Easy Riders]] (who consisted of Gilkyson, Dehr, and Miller) recorded it for an album but did not attempt a hit single.
==Musical career==
Hargreaves attended [[Woolverstone Hall]], a [[boarding school]] owned by the [[Inner London Education Authority]]. While still at school, he formed a band named "Snap" with Tony Ajai-Ajagbe. The duo were signed by a local studio and released a single in 1974, but were dropped when it proved unsuccessful. They were later employed as songwriters by [[Jobete Music]], and Hargreaves moved in to producing.<ref name="mail" />


The song charted once more in 1966 by The Drifters, a minor #48 hit for them.
In the 1980s, Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe worked at [[Magnet Records]]. They wrote the theme tune for [[Pebble Mill At One]]<ref name="mail" /> and Hargreaves promoted pop acts including [[Sinitta]], [[Yazz]] and [[Five Star]].<ref name="firefighter" /> He also wrote and produced several [[disco]] records for [[Sinitta]], including "So Macho" and "Cruising", which were popular in the gay community.<ref name="times">Lucy Bannerman, "[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1637264.ece One of these men is a Bible-thumping moralist, the other a gay activist, but which one wrote the hit So Macho?]", ''[[The Times]]'', [[13 April]] [[2007]]</ref> He told ''[[Scotland on Sunday]]'' that "So Macho" was intended "...for women to dance round their handbags to and for the gay scene to go mad to on poppers" and that "I was never gay, but I had a lot of lovely friends in the gay scene."<ref name="scotsman">Kate Foster, "[http://news.scotsman.com/europeanunion/Reverends-disco-hit-funds-electoral.2534999.jp Reverend's disco hit funds electoral bid]", ''Scotland on Sunday'', [[6 June]] [[2004]]</ref>


== Trivia ==
==Religious and political activities==
Hargreaves later worked as a [[DJ]] before moving to the [[Isle of Man]] as a [[tax exile]]. While living there, he decided to devote his life to [[Christianity]].<ref name="times" /> He gained a place for a degree in [[theology]] at [[Regent's Park College, Oxford]] and subsequently moved to [[Glasgow]] and became a [[Pentecostal]] minister.<ref>Andrew Pierce, "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1547603/So-Macho-composer-to-fight-gay-campaigner.html So Macho composer to fight gay campaigner]", ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', [[5 April]] [[2007]]</ref>


[[Tim Rice]] has stated that the [[Everly Brothers]] version of this is the most perfect pop song ever.
At the [[1997 UK general election]], Hargreaves stood as the [[Referendum Party]] candidate for [[Walthamstow (UK Parliament constituency)|Walthamstow]]. In 2002, he was a founder member of the [[Christian Peoples Alliance]] (CPA) and served as Acting Chair of its [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]] branch.<ref>[http://christian-1.cust.host-it.co.uk/fed/?page=news&id=50 Ram Gidoomal To Launch Christian Peoples Alliance in Hackney], [[Christian Peoples Alliance]], [[27 February]] [[2002]]</ref>


After the [[1956 Hungarian Revolution]], the song was adapted into the '''"Honvágy-dal"''' (''The Song of Homesickness''), used as an unofficial anthem for refugees scattered around the world. Recorded by [[Ida Boros]], it became a cultural phenomenon and a sign of protest against the communist government.
In 2004, Hargreaves was a founder of the East London Christian Choir School in Hackney, an independent school which used the [[Accelerated Christian Education]] programme.<ref>Natasha Walter, "[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/aug/27/religion.faithschools Divine and rule]", ''[[The Guardian]]'', [[27 August]] [[2005]]</ref> In the same year, he founded [[Operation Christian Vote]] as an alternative to the CPA.<ref name="attacks">Terry Kirby, "[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/no-charges-for-advert-which-blamed-homophobic-attacks-on-religion-417988.html No charges for advert which blamed homophobic attacks on religion]", ''[[The Independent]]'', [[29 September]] [[2006]]</ref> The party stood in every British region at the [[European election, 2004]], focussing its campaign on opposition to [[abortion]].<ref name="scotsman" />


For an impression of Dean Martin, American tenor [[Mario Lanza]] sang "Memories Are Made of This" in a sequence of impressions that included other popular singers of the era in his [[1958]] movie ''[[Seven Hills of Rome (film)|Seven Hills of Rome]]''.
Hargreaves then stood for the party at the [[Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election, 2004]], where he took only 90 votes.<ref>[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/hoc/constituency/0,,-717,00.html Birmingham Hodge Hill | Aristotle], [[guardian.co.uk]]</ref> He fared better at the [[2005 UK general election]] in [[Na h-Eileanan an Iar (UK Parliament constituency)|Na h-Eileanan an Iar]],<ref name="times" /> where he took 7.6% of the votes cast and beat the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] candidate.<ref>[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/hoc/constituency/0,,-1433,00.html Na h-Eileanan an Iar | Aristotle], [[guardian.co.uk]]</ref> Hargreaves was also involved with [[Christian Voice (UK)|Christian Voice]].<ref name="attacks" />


== Versions ==
In 2006, Hargreaves formed the [[Scottish Christian Party]],<ref name="agenda">"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/scotland/6576677.stm Christianity is on party's agenda]", [[BBC News]], [[20 April]] [[2007]]</ref> for which he stood in the [[Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, 2006]], taking 1.2% of the vote.<ref>[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,,-11119,00.html Hargreaves, George | Aristotle], [[guardian.co.uk]]</ref>
* [[Dean Martin]] (1956)
* [[The Easy Riders (American band)|The Easy Riders]] (1956)
* [[Dave King (English singer)|Dave King]] (1956)
* [[Petula Clark]] (1956)
* [[Gale Storm]] (1956)
* [[Mindy Carson]] (1956)
* [[Everly Brothers]] (1960)
* [[Frank Sinatra]] (19??)
* [[Johnny Cash]] (1996)
* [[Jim Reeves]] (19??)
* [[Little Richard]] (1964)
* [[Statler Brothers]] (1981)
* [[Paul Anka]] (1963)
* [[Ray Conniff]] (1961)
* [[The Drifters]] (1966)
* [[Kirlian Camera]] Erinnerung (2006)
''' German versions: '''
* [[Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung]] : ''Alk-Parade'' (1991)
* [[Die 2te Sensation]] : ''Heimweh'' (1982)
* [[Element of Crime]] : ''Heimweh'' (2004) Soundtrack ''[[The Edukators]]''
* [[Stephan Remmler]] und die Schatzsucher : ''Heimweh'' (1991)
* ZK , later [[Die Toten Hosen]] : ''Heimweh'' (1980)
* [[Freddy Quinn]] : ''Heimweh (Dort wo die Blumen blüh'n)'' (1956)


{{start box}}
The Scottish Christian Party regards [[homosexuality]] as a sin and campaigns against [[gay activism]]. Hargreaves personally funded the [[industrial tribunal]]s of nine firefighters who were suspended after refusing to distribute leaflets at a [[gay pride]] march.<ref name="firefighter" /> He was involved in protests against [[Jerry Springer: The Opera]], claiming that "Jerry Springer proved the greatest rallying point for Christian activism in the past 10 years".<ref name="fun">Stephen Armstrong, "[http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article689693.ece Putting the fun into fundamentalism]", ''[[Sunday Times]]'', [[23 July]] [[2006]]</ref> The party had many other policies, including a proposal that Scottish criminals should be placed in jails in [[developing countries]].<ref name="agenda" />
{{succession box
| before = "[[Sixteen Tons]]" by [[Tennessee Ernie Ford|Tennessee Ernie]]
| title = [[Number-one hits of 1956 (USA)|Billboard Top 100 number one single]]<br>([[Dean Martin]] version)
| years = [[January 14]], [[1956]] (5 weeks)
| after ="[[The Great Pretender]]" by [[The Platters]]
}}
{{end box}}


[[Category:Number-one singles in the United States]]
The Scottish Christian Party put up candidates in every region in the [[Scottish Parliament election, 2007]].<ref name="agenda" /> Hargreaves' movement was regarded by the rival [[Christian People's Alliance]] as a Pentecostal movement.<ref>"[http://www.sundayherald.com/misc/print.php?artid=1329783 Is it time to put your cross by the cross?]", ''[[Sunday Herald]]'', [[14 April]] [[2007]]</ref> At the election, he headed the party's list in the [[Glasgow (Scottish Parliament electoral region)|Glasgow electoral region]],<ref>[http://www.theherald.co.uk/nominations2007/constituencies/display.var.1319346.0.0.phplogo Glasgow: List candidates], ''[[The Herald]]''</ref> aiming in particular to unseat openly bisexual [[Scottish Green Party]] [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] [[Patrick Harvie]]. Harvie had recently asked the police to investigate allegedly homophobic comments by the [[Archbishop of Glasgow]] and was described by Hargreaves as a "gay fundamentalist".<ref name="times" />
[[Category:Number-one singles in Germany]]
[[Category:Billboard Top 100 number-one singles]]
[[Category:1955 songs]]
[[Category:1956 songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Terry Gilkyson]]
[[Category:Songs written by Richard Dehr]]
[[Category:Songs written by Frank Miller]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Australia]]
[[Category:Dean Martin songs]]


[[de:Memories Are Made of This]]
Hargreaves also founded the [[Welsh Christian Party]] to contest the [[Welsh Assembly election, 2007]], at which he campaigned to remove the [[dragon]] symbol from the [[Welsh flag]], claiming that it was "nothing less than the sign of Satan".<ref>Molly Watson, "[http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tm_headline=christian-group-wants--evil--welsh-flag-changed&method=full&objectid=18700606&siteid=50082-name_page.html Christian group wants 'evil' Welsh flag changed]" ''Western Mail'', [[3 March]] [[2007]]</ref>

Hargreaves stood for the [[Christian Party (UK)|Christian Party]] at the [[Haltemprice and Howden by-election, 2008]],<ref>[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,,-11213,00.html Hargreaves, George | Aristotle], [[guardian.co.uk]]</ref> where he asked the Haltemprice and Howden electorate to use their vote to demand a referendum on the [[European Union]], which he believes is the greatest threat to our civil liberties".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianparty.org.uk/cmsparty/|title=Christian Party leader to stand in Haltemprice & Howden|last=Warren |first=Paula|date=2008-06-26|work=The Christian Party website|accessdate=2008-06-30}}</ref>. He received 76 votes, coming 16th out of 26 candidates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7501046.stm|title=Haltemprice and Howden: Result in full }}</ref>

In August 2008, Hargreaves recruitments techniques were shown in the Channel 4 programme [http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/C/can_you_believe_it/debates/makechristian.html Make Me a Christian]. Hargreaves methods in the programme have been strongly criticised by many, including New Humanist <ref>http://blog.newhumanist.org.uk/2008/08/for-your-summer-viewing-make-me.html</ref>,
Charlie Brooker<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2008/aug/09/television.television?gusrc=rss&feed=media</ref> and Lucy Bannerman <ref>url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1637264.ece</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.discogs.com/artist/J.G.+Hargreaves J.G. Hargreaves discography]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hargreaves, George}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British Pentecostals]]
[[Category:British politicians]]
[[Category:British songwriters]]
[[Category:British record producers]]
[[Category:Referendum Party politicians]]

[[cy:George Hargreaves]]

Revision as of 01:50, 11 October 2008

"Memories Are Made of This" is a popular song written by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller in 1955.

History

The most popular version of the song was recorded by Dean Martin. It reached #1 on the Billboard chart for six weeks in 1956, and became his biggest hit. He was backed by The Easy Riders, who wrote it.
The secondary hit version at the time was by Gale Storm, US Billboard #5.
A third charted version was by Mindy Carson, at #53.

Terry Gilkyson and The Easy Riders (who consisted of Gilkyson, Dehr, and Miller) recorded it for an album but did not attempt a hit single.

The song charted once more in 1966 by The Drifters, a minor #48 hit for them.

Trivia

Tim Rice has stated that the Everly Brothers version of this is the most perfect pop song ever.

After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the song was adapted into the "Honvágy-dal" (The Song of Homesickness), used as an unofficial anthem for refugees scattered around the world. Recorded by Ida Boros, it became a cultural phenomenon and a sign of protest against the communist government.

For an impression of Dean Martin, American tenor Mario Lanza sang "Memories Are Made of This" in a sequence of impressions that included other popular singers of the era in his 1958 movie Seven Hills of Rome.

Versions

German versions:

Preceded by Billboard Top 100 number one single
(Dean Martin version)

January 14, 1956 (5 weeks)
Succeeded by