Climie Fisher
| Company type | Duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Simon Climie, Rob Fisher |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
| Products | Pop music |
Climie Fisher was a British pop music duo composed of singer Simon Climie and keyboardist Rob Fisher, formerly of Naked Eyes. Between 1987 and 1988, they gained worldwide recognition with their singles "Rise to the Occasion" and "Love Changes (Everything)".
Career
Simon Climie and Rob Fisher first crossed paths at Abbey Road Studios, where both were engaged as session musicians. Their 1987 track "Love Changes (Everything)", which earned an Ivor Novello Award, climbed to number 2 on the UK charts following a remix and also achieved chart success in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the United States.
The record label promoted a hip hop-influenced remix of "Rise to the Occasion"—originally a niche dance version crafted by producers Phil Harding and Ian Curnow—as the primary single. This version reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, topped the charts in South Africa, and secured strong positions across various European nations.
Their last significant charting single, "Love Like a River" (1989), appeared on charts in Austria, the UK, and Germany. The majority of their songs were co-written with songwriter Dennis Morgan, and production was handled by Steve Lillywhite and Stephen Hague. Their debut album Everything peaked at number 14 in the UK and reached number 120 in the US; their sophomore release Coming In for the Kill attained number 35 in the UK before the duo parted ways.
Following their separation, Rob Fisher co-wrote Rick Astley's hit "Cry for Help," which reached number 7 in the UK, and contributed to Astley's albums Free and Body & Soul. Fisher passed away in 1999 during surgery related to bowel cancer.
Prior to forming the duo, Simon Climie co-wrote the 1986 hit single "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" by George Michael and Aretha Franklin. He also produced tracks for artists including Louise, MN8, Five Star, and collaborated with Eric Clapton on The Road to Escondido. Climie released a solo album titled "Soul Inspiration" in 1992, worked alongside Michael McDonald on Motown projects, and produced Taylor Hicks' 2009 album The Distance.
In popular culture
The folk-inspired song Ballad of Climie Fisher by Half Man Half Biscuit, featured on their album Trouble Over Bridgwater, tells a fictional story about the duo following their breakup.
Studio albums
| Title | Release | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | GER | SA | SWE | SWI | US | |||
| Everything |
|
14 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 10 | 120 |
|
| Coming In for the Kill |
|
35 | — | 6 | 36 | — | — | |
| "—" indicates a release that did not chart or was unavailable in that market. | ||||||||
Compilation Albums
- Keep It Special EP (1988)
- Twice as Much (1992)
- The Best of Climie Fisher (1996)
- Premium Gold Collection (2000)
- Love Changes Everything (2020)
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest Chart Positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | AUT | BE | GER | IRE | NL | NZ | SA | US | ||||||||
| "This Is Me" | 1986 | 106 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||
| "Keeping the Mystery Alive" | 1987 | 183 | – | – | 29 | 35 | – | 30 | – | – | – | ||||||
| "Love Changes (Everything)" | 67 | – | – | – | 35 | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||
| "Rise to the Occasion" | 10 | – | 19 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 1 | – | 1 | – | |||||||
| "Love Changes (Everything)" (remix) |
1988 | 2 | 23 | 15 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 12 | 2 | 23 |
| |||||
| "This Is Me" (reissue) |
22 | 128 | – | 26 | 60 | 12 | 34 | 43 | – | – | |||||||
| "I Won't Bleed for You" | 35 | 124 | |||||||||||||||
| "Love Like a River" | 22 | – | 18 | – | 54 | 16 | |||||||||||
| "Facts of Love" | 1989 | 50 | |||||||||||||||
| "Fire on the Ocean" | 89 | ||||||||||||||||
| "It's Not Supposed to Be That Way" | 77 | ||||||||||||||||
| "–" indicates singles that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||||||||||||||