Robson & Jerome
| Company type | Musical duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Robson Green, Jerome Flynn |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Key people | Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, Simon Cowell (producers) |
| Products | Cover songs, studio albums, compilation albums, singles |
Number of employees | 2 |
Robson & Jerome was a British pop duo active during the mid-1990s, composed of actors Robson Green and Jerome Flynn. They rose to fame through their roles in the UK television drama Soldier Soldier.
Their entire discography consisted of cover songs. Their version of "Unchained Melody" dominated the UK Singles Chart for seven consecutive weeks, selling more than 1.8 million copies and becoming the top-selling single in the UK for 1995. They secured two additional number-one singles, both produced by Mike Stock and Matt Aitken: "I Believe" (1995) and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" (1996). Alongside these hits, they released two studio albums that reached number one, followed by several compilation albums.
Music career
In an episode of Soldier Soldier broadcast in November 1994, the characters Dave Tucker and Paddy Garvey—portrayed by Green and Flynn—performed "Unchained Melody" under the name "The Unrighteous Brothers" after the scheduled wedding entertainers failed to appear. This rendition sparked significant public interest, leading to numerous inquiries directed at ITV. Recognizing this enthusiasm, Simon Cowell pursued the actors for four months to record the track, despite initial hesitation and legal objections from Green. Ultimately, they agreed to collaborate with Cowell and recorded a version reminiscent of the Righteous Brothers’ style, produced by Cowell’s regular partners Mike Stock and Matt Aitken.
Issued as a double A-side alongside "White Cliffs of Dover," their cover immediately reached number one on the charts, maintaining that position for seven weeks and becoming the UK's highest-selling single of 1995. It also held the title of best-selling single of the decade until it was overtaken by Elton John's tribute "Candle in the Wind 1997." Their subsequent singles, "I Believe" and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted," also debuted at number one, making Robson & Jerome the first UK artists to have their first three singles enter the chart at number one.
Their debut album, Robson & Jerome, released in November 1995, became the year's best-selling album. This success was followed by another chart-topping album in 1996 titled Take Two. Collectively, they sold approximately 7 million albums and 5 million singles before turning down a £3 million offer from Cowell to produce a third album.
Popularity and Criticisms
Robson & Jerome experienced remarkable commercial achievements but were often criticized by music reviewers for a perceived lack of creative innovation. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic remarked that their work "introduced no new musical elements," with their refined renditions of well-known pop and rock songs being characterized as driven by nostalgia, which led to negative attention from the music press.
A dispute emerged when it became public that certain segments of their tracks were enhanced by unacknowledged session singers to hit higher and more consistent notes beyond the duo’s natural range. Session vocalist Des Dyer asserted that he contributed vocals to the recordings and reached out to RCA and the media. Although producer Mike Stock obtained a legal injunction to counter Dyer’s assertions, BMG’s John Preston, acting on Simon Cowell’s recommendation, compensated Dyer with £75,000, an amount deducted from Stock’s royalties. In 2008, Stock acknowledged that session singers had "assisted" with vocals, clarifying that different vocalists supported both Robson and Jerome’s parts. He also confirmed that both performers did provide vocals on the final recordings.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | NZ | SCO | |||||||||||
| Robson & Jerome |
|
1 | 74 | — | 1 |
| ||||||||
| Take Two |
|
1 | — | 14 | 1 |
| ||||||||
| "—" indicates titles that did not chart or were unavailable in that region. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
SCO | |||||||||||||
| Happy Days: The Best of Robson & Jerome |
|
20 | 50 |
| ||||||||||
| Love Songs |
|
— | — | |||||||||||
| "—" indicates titles that did not chart or were unavailable in that region. | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Highest chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
IRE |
NLD |
SCO | |||||||||||
| 1995 | "Unchained Melody" / "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" | 1 | 2 | — | 1 |
|
Robson & Jerome | |||||||
| "I Believe" / "Up on the Roof" | 1 | 3 | 45 | 1 |
| |||||||||
| 1996 | "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" / "Saturday Night at the Movies" / "You'll Never Walk Alone" | 1 | 7 | — | 1 |
|
Take Two | |||||||
| "—" indicates titles that did not chart or were unavailable in that region. | ||||||||||||||
See also
External links
- Official site: Robson Green
- Official site: Jerome Flynn Official Website