© Crossroads Fan Club
If
you
believe
some
of
the
soap
documentaries
these
days,
they'll
have
you
think
the
soapstar-to-pop
singer
revolution
happened
as
late
as
1987
with
the
arrival
of
Neighbours
and
Kylie
and
Jason.
It
actually
goes
back
over
twenty
years
earlier
than
that
-
with
Sue
Nicholls
-
who
left
Crossroads
in
1969
to
become
a
pop-star!
Yes
Sue
is
the
'original
Kylie'.
The
first
'Jason'
was
actor
Chris
Sanford
who
became
a
'pop-star'
within
Coronation
Street
in
1963
-
and
went on to have chart success outside of the serial too.
Short-lived
her
music
career
may
have
been,
but
she
was
the
first
female
to
be
a
hit
in
the
pop
charts
with
a
'pop
song'
thanks
to
a
television
serial.
(Some
of the Coronation Street ladies had released singles before 1968, however they were not in the slightest pop).
Sue Nicholls, Where Will You Be? / Everyday
When
the
regular
singing
act
didn't
turn
up
one
night
to
a
Birmingham
nightclub
motel
waitress
Marilyn
Gates,
who
happened
to
be
on
a
night
out
with
some
of
the
Crossroads
Motel
staff,
stepped
in
as
a
singer
with
the
song
"Where
Will
You
Be".
Her
singing
success
saw
the
character
land
a
record
deal
(as
a
talent
scout
just
happened
to
be
in
the
nightclub)
The
characters
song
was
"Everyday",
which
she
played
to
her
motel
co-workers
in
Meg's
sitting
room,
much
to
their
delight.
They
both
were
released
(with
Everyday
as
the
B-side)
reaching
number
17
in 1968. Sue later left Crossroads to become a real-life pop singer, however, it wasn't to be.
Sue,
now
Audrey
Roberts
in
Coronation
Street,
did,
however,
go
on
to
many
other
Television
hits
including
ATV's
Pipkins
before
moving
to
the
BBC
to
work
on
The
Rise
and
Fall
of
Reginald
Perrin
and
kids
show,
Rentaghost.
It
may
be
of
interest
to
note
that
Bryan
Mosley
(Alf
Roberts
in
Corrie)
joined
Crossroads
in
episode
501,
starring
alongside his future Weatherfield wife.
Noele Gordon, Noele Gordon Sings / Goodbye / After All These Years / To My Daughter
For
17
years
Noele
*was*
Crossroads
to
many
people.
She
can
be
noted
here
for
firstly
an
album
of
classic
songs
entitled
Noele
Gordon
Sings,
this
was
released
in
1976
by
EMI
and
recorded
at
the
famous
Abbey
Road
Studios.
The
backing
music
was
provided
by
Geoff
Love
and
his
Orchestra.
As
'Meg'
in
the
soap
she
had
also
performed
a
number
of
songs
in
the
series
over
the
years,
including
in
1969
'Don't
Sleep
In
The
Subway'
a
Tony
Hatch
penned
song
originally
sung
by
Petula
Clark
and
at
Christmas
of
1972
'Getting
To
Know
You'
from
the
musical
The
King
And
I. In 1978 and 1979 Christmas songs were also performed by Noele in the series during festive specials.
She
also
released
a
couple
of
singles.
The
double
A-side
'After
All
These
Years
/
Goodbye'
(1981)
and
For
My
Daughter;
we
assume
to
be
Meg
singing
To
Jill!
(1974)
Before
soap
opera,
Noele
had
also
appeared
on
a
couple
of
1940s
recordings
of
West
End
theatre
show
album
tracks
and
1963's
Lunchbox
album
from her popular magazine series.
Paul Henry, Benny's Theme / Waiting At The Crossroads
He
released
"Benny's
Theme"
with
the
help
of
the
Mayson
Glen
Orchestra
in
1978.
Not
exactly
a
song,
more
of
a
monologue
of
Benny's
love
for
his
ill-fated
girlfriend
Maureen
this
song
had
an
instrumental
version
as
its
B-side
and
subsequently
has
become
more
popular,
issued
on
a
CD
in
its
own
right.
A
less
successful single Waiting at the Crossroads was released in the early 1980s.
Simon May, The Summer Of My Life
May
worked
for
ATV
in
the
music
department,
where
he
helped
create
a
number
of
the
Crossroads
songs
(Born
With
A
Smile
On
My
Face
and
More
Than
In
Love were two of them). However, he also had a minor hit himself in 1976 thanks to Crossroads.
'The
Summer
Of
My
Life'
was
used
within
many
episodes
surrounding
the
story
of
the
time
which
featured
that
of
Bob
Powell
going
blind
while
his
marriage
also falls apart. It reached number 7 in the pop charts.
The
version
used
on
the
soap
was
a
different
arrangement
to
the
one
released
as
a
single.
The
series
also
used
the
instrumental
regularly
within
scenes.
A
follow-up
single,
We'll
Gather
Lilacs
didn't
have
quite
the
same
success
despite
being
a
great
version
of
the
classic
song.
His
final
ATV
hit
for
Crossroads
was More Than In Love in 1981. May later moved to the BBC where he devised themes for such shows as EastEnders and Howard's Way.
Stephanie De Sykes, Born With A Smile On My Face / We'll Find Our Day / It's Been A Long, Long Day
She
had
a
1974
hit
"Born
with
a
Smile
on
My
Face"
after
the
song
featured
heavily
in
Crossroads.
She
played
Holly
Brown,
a
singer
who
had
checked
into
the
motel
suffering
from
a
breakdown.
She,
however,
managed
to
recover
from
her
mental
problems
in
fine
time
to
sing
at
Hugh
and
Meg's
wedding
reception.
These
songs
"We'll
Find
Our
Day"
and
"It's
Been
A
Long,
Long
Day"
featured
on
the
Crossroads
Wedding
album,
although
the
former
has
also
appeared
on
a
1970s
'best
of'
CD
-
complete
with
Noele
Gordon
and
John
Bentley
doing a smoochy speech in the middle! The songs were written by Simon May.
Rondo Veneziano, Sinfonia Per Un Addio (Venice Theme)
Released
in
1983
as
'Venice
Theme'
due
to
its
use
on
the
episodes
set
in
Venice
featuring
Jill
and
Adam
on
Honeymoon
and
the
surprise
return
for
two
episodes
of
Noele
Gordon
as
Meg.
The
music
is
actually
called
Sinfonia Per Un Addio. The tune was also used by Independent Television for their autumn trailers of 1983.
Speaking on TV-am Noele Gordon revealed she had suggested the music to producer Jack Barton.
Shona Lindsay, Goodbye
She
released
"Goodbye"
in
1988
to
mark
the
ending
of
the
first
series.
The
song
was
not
a
cover
of
the
Noele
Gordon
single
from
six
years
earlier;
it
was,
in
fact,
the
1987-1988-theme
tune
with
again
music
performed
by
Max Early and Raf Ravenscroft.
The
theme
had
been
revamped
into
an
electric
guitar
style
pop
version,
however,
Lindsay
-
like
Noele
Gordon
-
was more suited to theatrical performances and this is how she performed the lyrics.
Bill Buckley, Meg Is Magic
Now
a
well-known
radio
and
TV
presenter,
Bill
Buckley
at
the
time
was
a
newspaper
reporter
for
the
local
Express
And
Star.
But
in
the
summer
of
1981
Bill
released
a
record
called
'Meg
Is
Magic.'
It
was
all
part
of
the
Crossroads'
fans
campaign
to
save
Noele
Gordon
from
being
written
out
of
the
soap.
Bill,
along
with
fans
of
Noele's
character
Meg
Mortimer,
protested
outside
ATV
Centre
in
Birmingham,
all
waving
'Meg
Is
Magic'
banners
and
singing
this
song.
Over
100
fans turned up to support the actress.
It
didn't
save
Meg,
but
it
did
give
Bill
some
early
television
fame
appearing
on
ATV
Today.
Bill
told
CAS
how
he
bankrupted
the
record
company
with
"Meg
Is
Magic"
as
they
made
thousands
of
copies
expecting
a
huge
demand
for
the
single.
The
track,
however,
didn't
sell
well,
despite
backing
from
the
national
press, local radio stations and even Radio 1 and Radio 2.
Carl Wayne, The Crossroads Theme - Standing At The Crossroads
Carl
Wayne
arrived
in
Kings
Oak
as
Colin
the
Milkman
and
found
himself
singing
a
little
tune
within
the
programme,
it
appeared
at
the
end
of
the
episode
directly
before
the
wedding
of
Vince
Parker
(Peter
Brooks)
and
Diane
Lawton
(Susan
Hanson).
The
music
was
the
regular
Crossroads
theme
and
the
scenes
showed
Carl
walking
around
Sutton
Park,
Sutton
Coldfield,
singing
the
song.
Vince
and
Diane
also
featured
in
the
footage.
You
can
see
the
main
original
lyrics lower down on this page, as written by Peter Ling.
Kate Robbins, More Than In Love
Robbins
appeared
as
Kate
Loring
in
1981,
and
with
the
help
of
Chris
Hunter
recorded
a
song
in
the
basement
of
the
motel.
She
performed
the
song
a
number of times, including on Adam Chance's boat! The song "More Than In Love" was a huge hit reaching number 2 in the UK charts.
Kate
is
now
better
known
now
as
a
comedian
and
impersonator,
she
became
a
regular
voice
on
Central
TV's
Spitting
Image
satirical
series
and
hosted
her
own
comedy
series
in
1988.
She
recently
starred
in
BBC
Birmingham
soap,
Doctors
-
however,
there
wasn't
any
singing
involved
this
time.
This
was
penned
by ATV music writer Simon May.
Crossroads Cast, The Wedding Album
The
album
is
worth
having
just
for
the
fact
there
is
a
stereo
remix
of
the
1965
Pye
single
of
the
theme
tune
on
it.
Most
tracks
are
all
the
cast
having
a
good
old
fashioned
sing-a-long,
however
a
duet
by
Noele
and
John
Bentley
feature
as
well
as
both
of
them
getting
to
do
a
solo
song
each.
There
are
also
two
tracks
by
Stephanie
De
Sykes
on
the
album.
Cast
at
the
recording
includes
Larry
Grayson,
Jane
Rossington,
Susan
Hanson,
Elisabeth
Croft, Peter Brookes, Ann George, Roger Tonge and Ronald Allen.
Ian Paterson, The Scottish Collection
With
the
popularity
of
Crossroads
in
1965,
this
release
was
the
first
not
to
be
issued
in
connection
with
the
programme
directly.
The
actor
Ian
Paterson,
who
played
Meg
and
Kitty's
brother
Andy,
was
hired
to
record
an
album
to
'cash
in'
on
the
characters
Scottish
background.
The
album
was
released
by
Thistle
Records
and
contained
songs
such
as
Marching
Through
The
Heather,
The
Northern
Lights
of
Aberdeen
and
Afton
Water.
While
Meg, Kitty and Andy were originally from Scotland, none had Scottish accents.
Allen and Blewitt, I'm Gonna Watch Crossroads
From
the
same
people
behind
'The
First
And
Last
Noele
(see
below)
came
this
'tribute'
to
the
programme.
The
same
'Brummie
accent'
talks
his
way
through
his
love
of
Crossroads
which
contains
a
reggae
style
version
of
the
theme
and
a
little
nod
to
Coronation
Street
at
the
end.
EMI
Records
released
it
in
1981.
'EMI
5192'
is
its
code
number.
Only
worth
buying
if
you
like
songs
that
sound
like
they're
playing
at
the
wrong
speed
when
they're
not.
"I'm
gonna
watch
Crossroads
kid,
I
tell
you
why,
cos
its
number
one."
included
in
the
lyrics.
The Gay Gordons, The First and Last Noele
Another
from
1981
in
celebration
of
the
leading
star
of
Crossroads,
Noele
Gordon.
Released
by
Street
Corner
Music,
the
sleeve
of
the
record
was
a
copy
of
a
tabloid
newspaper
with
the
headline
'Goodbye
Meg!'
The
vinyl
was
released
in
the
UK
by
Gull
Records.
Again
the
same
voice
as
heard
on
I'm
Gonna
Watch
Crossroads
at
an
equally
odd
slow
sounding
speed.
Lyrics
include,
'Noele,
Noele
I
guess
you
miss
the
old
motel.
You're
at
the
Crossroads
of
your
life
and
we
all wish you well."
Kathy Staff, Benny
From
the
tiny
independent
record
label
Monarch
an
attempt
to
cash
in
on
the
popularity
of
Crossroads
character
Benny
Hawkins
played
by
Paul
Henry.
Paul
himself,
as
noted
earlier,
had
tried
to
make
music
of
his
character
in
song
a
few
years
earlier
but
it
was
co-star
Kathy
Staff
in
1983
who
turned
to
monologue
and
music
to
pay
tribute
to
the
village
idiot.
Written,
produced
and
arranged
by
Mike
Sammes
Kathy
spoke
the
story
of
Benny
in
'character'
as
Crossroads
Motel
cleaner
and
friend
of
Benny,
Doris
Luke.
In
the
same
year
Staff
teamed
up
with
Last
of
the
Summer
Wine
co-star
Bill
Owen
to
record
another song. Nora Batty’s Stockings concerned Kathy's sitcom character and the admiration for her by Compo played by Owen.
The Toy Dolls, Glenda And The Test Tube Baby
The
first
test
tube
baby
in
soap
even
has
a
funky
little
track
about
it.
Glenda
and
Kevin
and
their
'test
tube
baby'
form
the
content
of
this
song
by
The
Toy
Dolls.
When
performed
live
the
audience
sing
the
chorus!
Lyrics
include
"Things
were
looking
gloomy
and
Glenda
she
was
sad,
Kevin
had
been
out
with
Carol
Sands,
but
Glenda
she
thought
surely,
it
can't
be
that
bad,
if
I had a baby..."
Graham Whettam - Race With Time
This
old
track
from
the
1940s
was
famously
used
in
Crossroads
as
Jill
(Jane
Rossington)
rushes
to
the
QE2
liner
to
say her farewell to Meg (Noele Gordon) who has quit the motel for a new life in America.
Theme Tune Lyrics
Standing At The Crossroads, Performed by Carl Wayne, Lyrics written by Peter Ling.
(9-note motif)
# I stand at the Crossroads, without you beside me, there's no-one to guide me, which way will I go?
#
Gone,
lost
on
the
breeze,
drifting
like
a
cloud
way
up
above
me,
that
was
love,
so
hard
to
please,
flying
like a bird, far, far away.
# My life at the Crossroads, my dream far behind me, of love, long ago.
#
Now
where
is
our
song
of
love,
where
are
all
the
words
saying
you
love
me,
tho'
the
road's
winding
and
long, maybe you'll be here with me, one day.
# My life at the Crossroads, my dream far behind me, so much to remind me, of long long ago.
# We'll meet at the Crossroad, then promise forever, we'll make it together, wherever we go.
Musical Motel
Pictured:
Top: Tony Hatch and Sue Nicholls
Then: Bill Buckley & protesters
Next: Kate Robbins
Bottom: Kathy Staff