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"Every Loser Wins"
Single by Nick Berry
from the album New Vintage: The Best of Simon May and The Simon May Collection
B-side"Instrumental version"
Released1986
GenrePop
Length3:11
LabelBBC
Songwriter(s)Simon May
Stewart James
Bradley James
Producer(s)Simon May
Stewart James
Bradley James
Nick Berry singles chronology
"Every Loser Wins"
(1986) 		"Heartbeat"
(1992)

"Every Loser Wins" is a 1986 song performed by English actor and singer Nick Berry.[1] Written and produced by Simon May, Stewart James and Bradley James,[1] the song was heavily featured in the BBC soap opera EastEnders throughout the summer of 1986, sung by Berry's character Simon "Wicksy" Wicks.

When released as a single, "Every Loser Wins" became a success, spending three weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart in October and November 1986.[2] It was the second biggest-selling single in the UK that year (after "Don't Leave Me This Way" by The Communards). The composers, Simon May, Stewart James and Bradley James each received an Ivor Novello Award for the composition.

"Every Loser Wins" peaked at number 93 on the Australia Kent Music Report in 1987.[3]

The song in EastEnders

Simon first plays "Every Loser Wins" in episode 165 of EastEnders after leaving The Banned, performing it alone on a piano in The Queen Victoria pub. In the next episode, he plays it to Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully) and Lofty Holloway (Tom Watt) and they record it onto a cassette. Then in the next episode, Michelle and Lofty tell Simon it is "their song". In episode 170, Lofty listens to it on loop after Michelle jilts him at their wedding. In episode 172, Simon has a sing-along in The Vic and Ian Beale requests "Every Loser Wins", which Simon plays but Lofty walks out because of the memories it brings. Simon performs it again in episode 175, causing Michelle to cry and Mary Smith (Linda Davidson) calls it "sentimental garbage" and Harry Reynolds (Gareth Potter) calls it "music to vomit to", causing a fight between Simon and Harry.

References

  1. ^ a b "Nick Berry - Every Loser Wins (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  2. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 467–8. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 34. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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