Editing 10cc (section)

==1972–1976: Original line-up==
Undeterred by Apple's rejection, the group decided to plug another song which had been written as a possible B-side to "Waterfall", a Godley/Creme composition titled "[[Donna (10cc song)|Donna]]". The song was a [[Frank Zappa]]-influenced 1950s [[doo-wop]] parody, a sharp mix of commercial pop and irony with a chorus sung in falsetto. Stewart said: "We knew it had something. We only knew of one person who was mad enough to release it, and that was [[Jonathan King]]." Stewart called King, who drove to Strawberry, listened to the track and "fell about laughing", declaring: "It's fabulous, it's a hit."<ref name="Tremlett" />

[[File:Tencca.jpg|thumb|10cc in 1973 (l-r): Gouldman, Godley, Stewart, Creme (from the''[[10cc (album)|10cc]]'' album press-kit)]]

King signed the band to his [[UK Records]] label in July 1972 and dubbed them 10cc. By his own account, King chose the name after having a dream in which he was standing in front of the [[Hammersmith Odeon]] in London where the boarding read "10cc The Best Band in the World". A widely repeated claim, disputed by King<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/10cc.asp |title=Snopes.com, "10cc" |date=14 February 2000 |publisher=Snopes.com |access-date=10 August 2010}}</ref> and Godley,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rocknrolluniverse.com/rocknrolluniverse_456.htm |title=Interview with Kevin Godley, Rock N Roll Universe online interview, April&nbsp;2007 |publisher=Rocknrolluniverse.com |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721225957/http://rocknrolluniverse.com/rocknrolluniverse_456.htm |archive-date=21 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> but confirmed in a 1988 interview with Creme,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minestrone.org/pulse.htm |title=Godley & Creme interviewed in ''Pulse'' magazine, April&nbsp;1988 |publisher=Minestrone.org |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120165059/http://www.minestrone.org/pulse.htm |archive-date=20 November 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> is that the band name represented ten [[cubic centimetre]]s, a volume of [[semen]] that was the average amount ejaculated (according to Creme), thus emphasizing their potency or prowess.

However, in a 2025 interview, Gouldman stated: "We got bored with giving the long-winded reason for how we got the name, then someone told us the average male ejaculation was 9cc. Since we were 1cc more, we started saying it was the average male ejaculation. Is it a real fact? I have no idea! But it is now."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jan/23/10ccs-graham-gouldman-every-west-indian-person-ive-spoken-to-loves-dreadlock-holiday-but-i-wouldnt-write-certain-lines-now |title=10cc’s Graham Gouldman: ‘Every West Indian person I’ve spoken to loves Dreadlock Holiday – but I wouldn’t write certain lines now’ |publisher=The Guardian |date=7 February 2025 |access-date=7 February 2025}}</ref> "Donna", released as the first 10cc single, was chosen by [[BBC Radio 1]] disc jockey [[Tony Blackburn]] as his Record of the Week, helping to launch it into the Top 30. The song peaked at No.&nbsp;2 in the UK in October 1972.

Although their second single, a similarly 1950s-influenced song called "Johnny Don't Do It", was not a major chart success, "[[Rubber Bullets]]", a catchy satirical take on the "[[Jailhouse Rock (song)|Jailhouse Rock]]" concept, became a hit internationally and gave 10cc their first British No.&nbsp;1 single in June 1973. They consolidated their success a few months later with "[[The Dean and I]]", which peaked at No.&nbsp;10 in September. They released two singles, "Headline Hustler" (in the US) and the self-mocking "The Worst Band in the World" (in the UK) and launched a UK tour on 26 August 1973, joined by second drummer [[Paul Burgess (musician)|Paul Burgess]], before returning to Strawberry Studios in November to record the remainder of their second LP, ''[[Sheet Music (10cc album)|Sheet Music]]'' (1974), which included "The Worst Band in the World" along with other hits "[[The Wall Street Shuffle]]" (No.&nbsp;10, 1974) and "[[Silly Love]]" (No.&nbsp;24, 1974). ''Sheet Music'' became the band's breakthrough album, remaining on the UK charts for six months and paving the way for a US tour in February 1974.

In February 1975, the band announced they were splitting with [[Jonathan King]] and that they had signed with [[Mercury Records]] for US$1&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite book|author=Dave Thompson|title=The Music Lover's Guide to Record Collecting|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tVVMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT465+ |year=2002 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=978-1-61713-202-5|page=465}}</ref> The catalyst for the deal was one song–"[[I'm Not in Love]]". Stewart recalled:<blockquote>At that point in time we were still on Jonathan King's label, but struggling. We were absolutely skint, the lot of us, we were really struggling seriously, and [[Phonogram Inc.|Philips Phonogram]] wanted to do a deal with us. They wanted to buy Jonathan's contract. Our manager Ric Dixon invited them to listen to what we've done. Head of A & R [[Ensign Records|Nigel Grainge]] came up to our Strawberry Studio, heard the album and freaked. He said "This is a masterpiece, it's a done deal!". We did a five-year deal with them for five albums and they paid us a serious amount of money. It was Grainge's idea to release 'Life Is A Minestrone' as the first single holding back the big one to give us more longevity for the album.<ref name="Wales">{{cite web |title=Eric Stewart interview, Radio Wales, "I Write the Songs" |url=http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/esiwts.htm |publisher=The10ccfanclub.com |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416190846/http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/esiwts.htm |url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Speaking in the [[BBC Four]] documentary ''I'm Not in Love: The Story of 10cc'' in 2015, Stewart expanded on the background, explaining that their royalty returns under the contract with King were a mere 4%.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} Creme therefore planned to sign with [[Richard Branson]]'s new [[Virgin Records|Virgin]] label. Stewart and Creme gave [[power of attorney]] to their manager [[Harvey Lisberg]] to finalise the deal, as they were both to go on holiday. Contrary to their instructions, Lisberg then accepted a revised offer from Phonogram. Creme said that he felt "horrified, embarrassed and disgusted – to this day I still am".<ref name=story/>

''[[The Original Soundtrack]]'', which was already complete, was released just weeks later. It was both a critical and commercial success, and featured distinctive cover art created by the [[Hipgnosis]] team and drawn by musician and artist [[Humphrey Ocean]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/academicians/painters/humphrey-ocean-ra,195,AR.html |title=Humphrey Ocean biography at Royal Academy website |publisher=Royalacademy.org.uk |date=22 June 1951 |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-date=28 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128000118/http://royalacademy.org.uk/academicians/painters/humphrey-ocean-ra,195,AR.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is also notable for its opening track, Godley and Creme's "Une Nuit A Paris (One Night in Paris)", an eight-minute, multi-part "mini-operetta" that is thought to have been an influence on "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]" by [[Queen (band)|Queen]].<ref name="10cc_reviews" />

[[File:Crowd at Knebworth House - Rolling Stones 1976.jpg|thumb|left|10cc crowd at a concert in [[Knebworth|Knebworth, England]], southwest of [[Cambridge]] with an attendance of 120,000, 1976]]

Although it bore an unlikely title (picked up from a radio talk show), "[[Life Is a Minestrone]]" (1975) was another UK Top 10 placing, peaking at No.&nbsp;7. Their biggest success came with the dreamy "I'm Not in Love", which gave the band their second UK No.&nbsp;1 in June 1975. The song provided them with their first US chart success when the song reached No.&nbsp;2. A collaborative effort built around a title by Stewart, "I'm Not in Love" is notable for its innovative production, especially its richly overdubbed choral backing. Godley said:<blockquote>If I was to pick one track from everything we've done, "I'm Not in Love" would be my favourite. It's got something that none of our other tracks have at all. It's not clever in a conscious way but it says it all so simply in, what, six minutes. – ''[[NME]]'', February 1976<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years 2">{{citation |first=John |last=Tobler |year=1992 |title=NME Rock 'N' Roll Years |edition=1 |publisher=Reed International Books Ltd |location=London |page=285 |id=CN 5585}}</ref></blockquote>

During that time, 10cc also collaborated with [[Justin Hayward]] on the single "Blue Guitar", being a backing band and doing production work. The song was also released on later reissues of the ''[[Blue Jays (album)|Blue Jays]]'' album by Hayward and [[John Lodge (musician)|John Lodge]].

[[File:Eric-Stewart 1976.jpg|thumb|Eric Stewart performing with 10cc in [[Mannheim|Mannheim, Germany]], April 1976]]

10cc's fourth LP, ''[[How Dare You! (album)|How Dare You!]]'' (1976), featuring another Hipgnosis cover, furnished two more UK Top Ten hits—the witty "[[Art for Art's Sake (10cc song)|Art for Art's Sake]]" (No.&nbsp;5 in January 1976) and "[[I'm Mandy, Fly Me]]" (No.&nbsp;6, April 1976). However, by this time the once close personal and working relationships between the four members had begun to fray, and it was the last album with the original line-up. 10cc's success prompted the 1976 re-release of the Hotlegs album under the new title ''[[You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think of It]]'' with two additional tracks. The title track was the epic B-side of "Neanderthal Man", a section of which had been reworked as "Fresh Air for My Mama" on the ''[[10cc (album)|10cc]]'' album.