"When Will I Be Famous?" is a song by British boy band Bros. Written by Nicky Graham and Tom Watkins, "When Will I Be Famous?" was released as a single in November 1987. The following year, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. The single also topped the Irish Singles Chart, and entered the top five in several other countries, as well as hitting the number one spot on the Japanese foreign chart. "When Will I Be Famous?" would later appear on Bros' 1988 album, Push.
Critical reception Richard Lowe of Smash Hits stated that "When Will I Be Famous?" is a "second rate" song which, in his point of view, was unlikely to be a hit. Retrospectively, Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 72 on their list of the "75 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time" in 2020. In 2017, ShortLists Dave Fawbert listed this song at number one on his list of the "Greatest Key Changes in Music History".
Chart performance "When Will I Be Famous?" was a number-one single in Ireland, as well as reaching number two in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland. It entered the UK Singles Chart on 28 November 1987 at number 81, in an initial five-week chart run until the end of December. It re-entered the top 100 at number 51 on the week ending 3 January 1988, reaching number two four weeks later.
Track listings UK and US 7-inch single; Japanese mini-CD single "When Will I Be Famous?" "Love to Hate You"
UK 12-inch single and European mini-CD single "When Will I Be Famous?" (the Infamous mix) "When Will I Be Famous?" (the Contender dub mix) "Love to Hate You"
US 12-inch single "When Will I Be Famous?" (club mix) – 8:02 "When Will I Be Famous?" (acapella mix) – 4:06 "When Will I Be Famous?" (7-inch version) – 3:59 "When Will I Be Famous?" (dub mix) – 7:35 "When Will I Be Famous?" (bonus beats) – 2:53
Japanese CD mini-album "When Will I Be Famous?" "When Will I Be Famous?" (Infamous mix) "When Will I Be Famous?" (the Contender dub mix)
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1987–1988)PeakpositionAustralia (Australian Music Report)5Denmark (IFPI)2Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)6Europe (European Hit Radio)6Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)4France Airplay (SNEP) 3Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 10)4Israel (Israeli Singles Chart) Search "Bruce" for Israeli chart history.2Italy (Musica e dischi) Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Bros".10Italy (TV Sorrisi e Canzoni)15Japan Foreign Singles (Oricon)1Spain (AFYVE) 10Spain Airplay (Top 40 Radio)7UK Airplay (Music & Media)1US Billboard Hot 10083US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard)42US Dance Club Play (Billboard)10
Year-end charts Chart (1988)RankAustralia (ARIA)26Belgium (Ultratop)64Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)25Europe (European Hit Radio)40France Airplay (SNEP) 48Israel (Israeli Singles Chart) Scroll to bottom of the page and click "1988".46Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)74Netherlands (Single Top 100)56Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)23UK Singles (Gallup)34West Germany (Media Control)47
Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United Kingdom9 November 1987CBSJapan21 May 1988EpicUnited StatesJune 1988
References
External links