Rubettes

When songwriting team Wayne Bickerton and Tony Waddington offered their compositions, heavily influenced by US Doo-Wop and late 50s Pop, to various established acts in 1973, they were met by indifference. Indeed, they were too far removed from the then prevailing Glam Rock sound. Undeterred, the guys assembled a new vocal group, dressed them in matching white suits and cloth caps and, voila, the Rubettes were born. Their first single, Sugar Baby Love, was to be their biggest by far: it spent 4 weeks at the top of the UK Charts in 1974, going on to sell around 500,000 copies in the UK and three million copies globally. Fun fact: the distinctive falsetto lead vocal belonged to Paul Da Vinci, who decided not to join the group, opting for a solo career instead. It could've gone better for him.

The song was featured in gay cult favorites Muriel's Wedding (1994) and Breakfast On Pluto (2005). Here it is:

This is not the song that I meant to discuss. The honour goes to the song Under One Roof, released by the band in 1976, in an effort to enter more serious territory. It was one of the few songs that tackled the topic of homophobia. This is what it said:

Billy ran away from his home to find a way to live in peace

His Mama didn't give a damn about him, his Papa's on the run from the Police

When Billy hit the city - the city hit Billy, no one needs you when your down and out

Then one kind guy with the painted eyes picked him up and bailed him out.

Under one roof, sharing one room, nobody cared about them

Under one roof, sharing one room daring the world to part them

Billy found it hard to find a job to make some pay

All day looking round, getting me down I was being turned away

And Johnny was the only one who didn't talk down to Billy from up above

And for the first time in his life, Billy found out what it felt like to be loved.

Under one roof, sharing one love, nobody cared about them

Under one roof, sharing one love, daring the world to part them.

Somehow Billy's Papa found out all about the style of Billy's life

And it didn't take long before he came round and he had a knife

He cut up Johnny, stole all his money, he called him all the names that he could find

Said he'd wait for Billy at the factory tomorrow and show him what they do to Billy's kind.

Under one roof sharing on love, now the whole world knew about them

Under one roof, sharing one love, daring the world to part them.

Johnny said 'Billy we can run away from the world no more

I'm gonna fetch my daddy. I'm gonna show the world who I'm living for

And if I lose my job, if I lose my life you'll know one thing is true

He can take away anything from me, but he won't take me from you.

And at five thirty dead his daddy waited at the factory for him to come

And how it did degrade him, he cut him and he slayed him and spat on him in front of everyone.

As Billy lay dying his Papa started crying, because the parent through him he became

And all because the person who was the first to give him love... Had been a man.

Here's the video: