Illinois Entertainer September 2026 | Page 8

Colin

IE: I ' m very fond of your solo records, particularly One Year, Ennismore, and Journey. Lately, I’ ve fallen for The Ghost of You and Me, and the demos on your Less is More EP. I’ d look forward to any of those songs.
bound to appear. That’ s an unusually beautiful breakup song. Do you mind telling the story behind it? CB: At the time, I was going out with a very well-known model and someone who got into films called Caroline Munro. [ Many know Munro from the Bond film [ The Spy Who Loved Me.] There ' s no hidden story in the song; it ' s just a description of what happened. I was always going to change the name, though. The recording dates came‘ round, and I just couldn ' t find another name to use. So, I thought,“ Well, it doesn ' t matter. Only my close friends are going to know.” A journalist on the Daily Express, one of our major newspapers, knew Caroline well. So, he knew the story. He must have thought,“ Hell, we can make a full-page
The Zombies, circa 1964
CB: It is sad, but it was never meant to be vindictive in any way. Funnily enough, I ' ve just read a biography of hers, and she ' s written a lovely chapter about me. It ' s all very nice, and I ' m glad.
the band seemed like a good way to meet girls and drink beer. CB: Absolutely. I think quite a few guys might admit that. They may even like playing music as well.
CB: I ' m sure we ' ll do“ Say You Don ' t Mind” from One Year and“ I Don ' t Believe in Miracles” from Ennismore. In England, we do“ Keep the Curtains Closed Today [ from Journey ]. We ' re going to play“ Old and Wise” from The Alan Parsons Project. We’ ll do“ It ' s Alright with Me” [ from Begin Here ]. That gives you a rough idea.
IE:“ Caroline Goodbye” from ** One Year is
story out of it.” It was an opportunity to show a picture of her in a bikini, so maybe that ' s what it was. Anyway, my secret was out. I didn ' t mind; I just hoped it didn ' t embarrass her. I ' m led to believe that she thought it was lovely, and it wasn ' t an embarrassment.
IE: There’ s no bitterness. It’ s a kind sentiment, even though it ' s sad.
IE: Was“ How Wrong Can One Man Be” from Ennismore related? CB: That ' s about someone else [ laughs ]. I can remember, I ' d had a few beers, and I went‘ round and knocked on this person’ s door. She came to the door, and I guess it was pretty obvious I ' d had a few beers. She slammed the door in my face [ laughs ]. I went home and wrote that song.
IE: In the Hung Up on a Dream documentary, you did mention that as a teenager, joining
IE: It was interesting to learn that you didn’ t intend to be The Zombies’ singer. CB: I actually joined The Zombies as a rhythm guitarist. I ' m not sure if I was promoted or relegated from guitar to lead singer. At the first rehearsal, Rod [ Argent ] was going to be the lead singer. While getting to know one another, the group played this classic instrumental called“ Malagueña.” Because it ' s an instrumental, Rod didn ' t do anything. At a coffee break, he went over to a broken-down old piano in the corner. I ' d only just met him, so I didn ' t

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8 illinoisentertainer. com september 2026