The British punk scene burned brightly but briefly from around 1976 to 1979. It may have spawned few commercial hits in the US, but the influence of the Sex Pistols and others ripped up the rule book in the UK and left a lasting legacy on the music scene.
The Sex Pistols heralded from London. Buzzcocks, based in Manchester, were their northern counterpart. The latter’s biggest hit, “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)”, is one of punk’s enduring classics. It’s a song that’s resonated with millions, and especially with LGBTQ+ youth. However, many are unaware of its queer roots.
Buzzcocks formed in early 1976. Howard Trafford (later renamed Howard Devoto), a student at Bolton Institute of Technology, met Peter McNeish (shortly renamed Pete Shelley) when looking for fellow musicians.
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The name Buzzcocks came after they read a review of the TV show Rock Follies, headlined “It’s the buzz, cock.”
Cock is a northern England slang term for friend, while buzz denotes energy and the excitement of performing on stage. Shelley, who’d also spent some time working in an adult store, also appreciated the humor of the sexual meaning.
Supporting the Sex Pistols
Both were drawn to news reports of the Sex Pistols, who were beginning to create a storm in the press. The two young men traveled to see the band in High Wycombe. They were blown away by the Pistols’ energy and chaotic performance.
They arranged for the London upstarts to perform a gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester in June of that year. Devoto and Shelley did so partly because they wanted Buzzcocks to be the support act. However, they weren’t able to organize other bandmates in time and had to give the support slot away.
That Pistols gig was a seminal one as several people in the 40-strong audience went on to form their own bands and achieve success. This included Peter Hook of New Order and Morrissey of The Smiths.
The Pistols returned to the same venue six weeks later. On that occasion, Buzzcocks finally supported them. It was their debut performance. This appearance turbo-charged their profile in the press and among growing punk followers.
Buzzcocks began to record demos. When Devote departed in March 1977, expressing dissatisfaction with the direction punk was taking, Shelley, previously the guitarist, took over lead vocal duties.
Early singles “Orgasm Addict” (1977) and “What Do I Get” (1978) laid down the template for the Buzzcocks’ sound: energetic, insistent punk guitar riffs coupled with lyrics about teenage angst, lust and boredom. Both songs landed in the lower reaches of the UK top 40.
“Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)” arrived in October 1978. It became the band’s biggest hit in the UK, rising to number 12.
Punk’s gay appeal
Lyrically, Shelley dwells upon the pain of unrequited love.
“You spurn my natural emotions, you make me feel like dirt and I’m hurt / And if I start a commotion, I run the risk of losing you and that’s worse.”
Most people can relate to the aching pain of an unrequited crush. However, gay kids might feel the pain is especially acute. Not only do you fall for someone that you know may never feel the same, but revealing your feelings might lead to discrimination or persecution, especially in late 1970s Britain, where—Quentin Crisp aside—there were simply no out gay role models.
Despite its yobbish, sometimes violent image, the British punk scene had its fair share of gay fans. They were attracted by a movement that reveled in its outsider status and how far it could upset the establishment. If you already feel like an outcast, you’re going to be drawn to hang out with other outcasts.
Guys and Dolls
Shelley said he wrote “Ever Fallen In Love” in November 1977. Buzzcocks were on tour in Scotland and Shelley found himself sitting up one night watching a Hollywood musical on TV.
“We were up in Edinburgh, stopping at the guest house, watching TV there, and it was the movie musical Guys and Dolls. One of the characters, Adelaide, is saying to Marlon Brando’s character, ‘Wait till you fall in love with someone you shouldn’t have.’ I thought, fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t have? Hmm, that’s good.”
He began writing the lyrics the next day, whilst parked outside the city’s Post Office. The music followed later.
Shelley was bisexual. He said that he intentionally made songs genderless.
“I tried to be as gender neutral as possible in writing songs, because for me I could use the same song for either sex.”
However, it’s also true that writing a queer love song might have proved commercial suicide in the late 1970s.
Shelley confirmed years later that he had written the song about a man named Francis Cookson, with whom he had been roommates for seven years. Cookson later “went off and got married in Switzerland”.
“Homosapien”
Buzzcocks disbanded in 1981. That same year, Shelley released another cult, queer anthem, the more synth-pop sounding “Homosapien”. It was a hit in the Canada and Australia. Lyrics such as “Homo Superior in my interior,” thrilled gay pop fans.
Buzzcocks reunited in the late 80s and Shelley returned to tour and record more albums. They didn’t enjoy the same sort of commercial success but remained a popular live act until Shelley’s death on December 6, 2018, from a suspected heart attack. He was 63.
Fine Young Cannibals
“Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)” has been embraced by successive generations and other performers. It became a bigger hit in 1986 when covered by Fine Young Cannibals for the soundtrack to the movie, Something Wild.
Illustrating its crossover appeal, Pete Yorn performed a cover for the Shrek 2 soundtrack in 2004.
“Ever Fallen In Love…” will never fall out of fashion because people will continue to fall hard for those who don’t feel the same. It’s the very definition of a—raucous—timeless classic.
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