80s legend concedes he’s had ‘more success with covers’ than his own songs

Wet Wet Wet dominated the charts in the 80s and 90s with one very famous song becoming nearly impossible to dodge when listening to the radio.

From tracks like Sweet Surrender in 1989 to the number one smash hit Goodnight Girl two years later, Wet Wet Wet anthems are instantly recognisable and sure to stick in your head.

But frontman Marti Pellow insists it was really cover songs that really skyrocketed his former band to the top of the charts.

‘Put it this way, I’ve had more number ones with other people’s songs than I have with my own,’ the Stargazer singer tells with a laugh.

‘I just enjoy the songs,’ Marti, 59, continues. ‘I don’t care where the songs come from [but covers] are brilliant as a songwriter and a storyteller, that’s the value of a good song.’

Wet Wet Wet’s first chart-topping hit was a cover of The Beatles’ With a Little Help from My Friends, recorded as a charity single for Childline in 1988.

The single, released as a double A-side record with She’s Leaving Home covered by Billy Bragg and Cara Tivey, stayed in the top slot for four weeks.

While this cemented the band’s pop star status, it was their version of Love Is All Around that propelled them to stratospheric heights.

On May 21, 1994, the Scottish singers released their version of the Troggs’ hit song and shot to number one thanks to Richard Curtis’ Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Despite not penning the hit himself, Marti feels it is part of the ‘fabric’ of his history as an artist. He once even played it for Reg Presley, the Troggs’ lead singer and songwriter.

‘I remember playing the song for Reg Presley, he came to see me when we were on tour,’ Marti recalls. ‘I remember he took me aside and he was quite emotional.

‘He said, “I love what you’ve done with our song”. And for me, that was a big compliment purely from the point of view that I wear that song and the same way that he did. It’s part of my makeup.’

Wet Wet Wet’s now iconic Love Is All Around spent 15 weeks at number one in the UK, securing the label of joint third-longest UK chart reign of all time.

It continued to dominate the charts for another 20 weeks, with some stations resorting to banning it from the airwaves as fatigue set in before it finally dropped off the hot list.

Unfortunately, this reprieve was short-lived as the song popped up just nine years later in another Richard Curtis classic — Love Actually.

The Christmas twist shows Love Is All Around’s ‘diversity’ according to Marti, who says: ‘That’s the beauty of a well-crafted song. You can paint it many different ways.’

Over 30 years on from their version, the Julia Says singer is still constantly approached by fans sharing memories with him of when the song touched their lives.

‘It’s the sort of song that you bump into people and they say, ‘My daughter was born at that time” or “We got married to that song”. Even “That’s a song we fell in love to”,’ he says.

‘That’s when you know that a song has an extension, it weaves its way into the fabric of people’s lives. That’s a sign of good pop music because it is three and a half minutes of escapism as real life is on pause.

‘Some of those songs, you’re playing people’s memories so if you change the goalpost a wee bit, sometimes they might say, “Don’t mess with that.”

‘You’ve got to be super respectful of that.’

Wet Wet Wet split in the late 90s over personal issues but tentatively reformed in 2004, with Marti releasing solo music alongside the band projects.

He exited for good in 2017 and has released multiple studio albums with original tracks as well as cover albums.

The Scottish singer has also branched into musicals, working on iconic shows like Evita and Chicago on the West End and Broadway, respectively.

Marti tells Metro he never intended to work in musical theatre but loves ‘those pleasant surprises’ in his career.

‘Those little anomalies that you hadn’t planned for, I love that,’ he explains. ‘I think a lot is down to serendipity and being in the right place at the right time.

‘I always have a wee chuckle to myself when those things happen for me.’

He adds: ‘I’m a great believer that what you put out, you get back. I’m just that type of person. I think there comes a time in your life when you start to understand that.

‘If you’re always chasing something, sometimes you might not get it and when you’re sitting back just looking at the window, you’ll get a ring at the phone and something will offer itself up for you.

‘I love those little moments because they should be treasured. No matter whether you’re a pop star or living an ordinary life, everybody gets them — it’s recognising them for the beauty they are.’

Earlier this summer, Marti headed to Newcastle for his Summer Lovin’ Live show in Newcastle but has since announced he will be back on the road in 2025 for his 30th anniversary UK tour, where he will perform a mix of new songs and Wet Wet Wet hits.

Marti will perform at eight venues across the UK including London’s The O2 in October.

Referring to his summer shows, Marti said that while he does have a setlist prepared, after decades in the business the singer just plays ‘whatever I fancy on the day’.

He laughs: ‘I always find reading the crowd matters because you don’t get the same results every night. I’ll look and see engaging in the moment, which I suppose is a bit of a nightmare for my band.

‘It’s my last big gig of the summer so it’ll be nice just to go up there and roll out those songs.’

This article was originally published on August 22, 2024.