Photo‑booth snog inspired Thompson Twins' Hold Me Now, members say

Members of the Thompson Twins say their song Hold Me Now, released in November 1983, grew out of a personal reconciliation between Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie and was inspired by a photo‑booth picture of the pair kissing. The band had slimmed to a three‑piece — Bailey, Currie and Joe Leeway — after earlier lineups and a period living in squats.

Bailey said the group shifted toward synthesisers and dance after his purchase of a synth, and their earlier track In the Name of Love became a club sensation that opened doors in America. Hold Me Now was written after a creative disagreement that spilled into personal insults but was underpinned by real affection; Bailey recorded most of it at RAK Studios when producer Alex Sadkin was unavailable, with Sadkin returning late to redo some vocals and Bailey and Leeway sharing falsetto parts.

Currie said the lyrics were essentially a letter from her to Bailey, with Leeway interjecting, and that the line about a “picture, pinned to my wall” came from keeping a photo‑booth shot of them snogging in her writing book. The song was released in November 1983 to target the Christmas charts; the band were recording at Compass Point in the Bahamas when Hold Me Now climbed the charts and became what Bailey called a “monster hit.” Currie said the record was made quickly and from the heart.

Key Topics

Culture, Thompson Twins, Hold Me Now, Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, Joe Leeway