#1404: Simon F

80s Snapshot:

• Number of songs on Hot 100: 1
• Highest peak position: 91
• Cumulative weeks on Hot 100: 2

We’ve already encountered a number of multi-hyphenates on this journey, and Simon Fellowes certainly qualifies as one in his own right.

The English singer/songwriter’s musical journey began as half of the new wave duo Intaferon. Fellowes was joined in that group by Simon Gillham, with the two understandably earning their monikers of Simon F and Simon G. Intaferon’s debut single “Get Out Of London” performed extremely modestly on the U.K. singles chart, spending just one week at #93. The song is better-remembered for its appearance on the soundtrack to the Olsen Twins movie Winning London.

Intaferon had slightly more success with their second single “Steamhammer Sam”, which earned some music video rotation on the seminal Max Headroom Show. Despite peaking at just #77 in December 1983, the song spent 8 weeks on the U.K. singles chart. That would be the end of Intaferon though, with only one more single released under that name.

Though Intaferon was no more, the two Simons continued working together, with Simon G playing guitar on Simon F’s debut solo album Gun Control. The power pop album was released in 1985 to little commercial success, and its title was shortened to simply Gun upon its U.S. release. Continuing to do the lion’s share of his songwriting, Fellowes’ second album Never Never Land followed suit in 1987.

While the album as a whole contains more glam inspiration (a contemporary review of the album in Billboard Magazine called it a “well-intended New York Dolls/David Bowie pastiche”), its lead single “American Dream” pairs Fellowes’ Bono-esque vocals with a more bombastic pop beat reminiscent of Robbie Nevil’s hits. The song gradually broke through on a few large-market radio stations and saw its music video earn medium rotation on MTV. “American Dream” would eventually debut at #91 on the Hot 100 in the 10/24/1987 chart, and spent its second and final frame at #97 the following week.

Never Never Land was not a commercial success and did not reach the Billboard 200 albums chart; similarly, its second single “New York Girl” failed to chart as well. Seeking a rebrand from the pop image his first two solo albums had conveyed, Fellowes changed his recording identity to F Machine. Taking on a harder rock edge, he released the 1989 album Here Comes The 21st Century, again to little commercial notice.

The 90s saw Fellowes pivot once again, this time from rock to trance and progressive house music. While still recording as F Machine, he put out a handful of 12-inch dance singles in the mid-90s. One of these, “She’s All Over Me”, made #38 on the U.K. Dance Singles chart in early 1995. Increasingly disillusioned with the music industry, Fellowes quit recording for good after a few final recordings in 1996. After working as a music video director, screenwriter and copywriter, Fellowes’ most recent career pivot has been as a mystery author, with five published novels over the past 12 years.

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