Editing Relax (song)

{{short description|1983 single by Frankie Goes to Hollywood}}
{{for|other songs with the same name|Relax (disambiguation)#Songs{{!}}Relax § Songs}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Relax
| cover      = Relax_single.jpg
| alt        =
| border     = yes
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]]
| album      = [[Welcome to the Pleasuredome]]
| B-side     =
* "One September Monday"
* "[[Ferry Cross the Mersey|Ferry 'Cross the Mersey]]"
| released   = {{start date text|24 October 1983}}
| recorded   = 1983
| studio     = [[Sarm West Studios]] (London, England)<ref name="SOS 2008"/>
| genre      =
* [[Synth-pop]]<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |year=1995 |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |publisher=[[Vintage Books]] |location=New York |isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=155}}</ref><ref name= "Owen 2024">{{cite web|first= Tom|last= Owen|title= The top 25 greatest 1980s synthpop songs ever|website= [[Smooth Radio (2014)|Smooth Radio]]|date= April 30, 2024|url= https://www.smoothradio.com/features/best-electronic-synthpop-songs/ |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://electrozombies.com/magazine/article/35-essential-synth-pop-songs-of-the-history/|title=35 essential Synth Pop songs of the history|first=Thomas|last=Frenken|date=April 3, 2021|website=Electrozombies}}</ref> 
* [[Hi-NRG]]<ref>{{cite magazine|title= 100 Best Singles of 1984: Pop's Greatest Year > 30 – Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax" |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-singles-of-1984-pops-greatest-year-20140917/frankie-goes-to-hollywood-relax-20140917 |first= Nick |last= Murray |magazine= [[Rolling Stone]] |date= 17 September 2014 |access-date= 22 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984 |first= Simon |last= Reynolds |author-link= Simon Reynolds |quote= 'Relax' tapped into Hi-NRG's remorseless, metronomic precision and orgiastic vibe — the spasming drum roll at the end of the single feels like an amyl nitrite rush. |publisher= [[Faber and Faber|Faber & Faber]] |location= New York |year= 2009 |page= 504 |isbn= 978-0-571-21570-6|title-link= Rip It Up and Start Again }}</ref> 
* [[dance-pop]]<ref>{{cite web|website=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/trevor-horn-the-artist-of-noise-545319.html|title=Trevor Horn: The artist of noise|last=Sturges|first=Fiona|date=29 October 2004|access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title= The 100 best party songs |magazine= [[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] |date= 8 March 2018 |access-date= 4 October 2018 |url= https://www.timeout.com/london/music/best-party-songs}}</ref>
* [[New wave music|new wave]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/new-wave-ma0000002750/songs|title=New Wave Music Songs|website=AllMusic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Rudolph|first=Christopher|date=20 July 2017|title=TBT: When MTV Banned Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Original Video For "Relax" For Being Too Gay|url=http://www.newnownext.com/frankie-goes-to-hollywood-relax-video/07/2017/|access-date=9 May 2021|website=NewNowNext}}</ref>      
| length =
* 3:54 (7" single mix)
* 3:55 (Come Fighting/album version)
* 16:24 (sex mix)
* 8:20 (sex mix edit)
* 7:25 (New York mix)
* 3:55 (classic 1993 version)
| label      = 
* [[ZTT Records|ZTT]]
* [[Island Records|Island]]
| writer     =
* Peter Gill
* [[Holly Johnson]]
* Brian Nash
* Mark O'Toole
| producer   = [[Trevor Horn]]
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title = [[Two Tribes]]
| next_year  = 1984
| misc      = 
{{External music video|{{YouTube|wN2tHv8gPm8|"Relax" (Bernard Rose)}}|header=Music videos}}
{{External music video|{{YouTube|rCp2h5jslKY|"Relax" (Laser)}}|header=no}}
{{External music video|{{YouTube|oQMr351ib2k|"Relax" (Body Double)}}|header=no}}
}}

"'''Relax'''" is the debut single by English [[New wave music|new wave]] band [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]], released in the United Kingdom by [[ZTT Records]] in 1983.

The hit version, produced by [[Trevor Horn]] and featuring the band along with other musicians, entered the [[UK Singles Chart|UK Top 75 singles chart]] in November 1983 but did not crack the Top 40 until early January 1984. Three weeks later it reached number one, on the chart dated 28 January 1984, replacing [[Paul McCartney]]'s "[[Pipes of Peace (song)|Pipes of Peace]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19840122/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 {{!}} Official Charts Company|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en|access-date=24 January 2017}}</ref> One of the decade's most controversial and most commercially successful records, "Relax" eventually sold a reported two million copies in the UK alone, easily ranking among the ten [[List of best-selling singles in the United Kingdom|biggest-selling singles in the UK]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-million-sellers-the-uks-biggest-ever-selling-singles-revealed-1685/ |title=Get Lucky becomes one of the UK's biggest selling singles of all-time! |publisher=Officialcharts.com |date=27 June 2013 |access-date=29 March 2014}}</ref> It remained in the UK Top 40 for 37 consecutive weeks, 35 of which overlapped with a radio airplay ban by the BBC (owing to lyrics perceived as overtly sexual).

In June 1984, bolstered by the instant massive success of the band's follow-up single "[[Two Tribes]]", the single re-entered the Top Ten for a further nine weeks, including two spent at no. 2 (behind "Two Tribes"). At that time, Frankie Goes to Hollywood were the only act apart from [[the Beatles]] and [[John Lennon]] to concurrently occupy the top two positions on the chart. Several [[12-inch single]] versions (and the [[Katharine Hamnett|"Frankie Say Relax" T-shirt]] craze) further fed the "Relax" phenomenon. The single re-entered the UK Top 75 in February 1985 and, more successfully, in October 1993, when it spent three weeks in the Top Ten. "Relax" remains the UK's biggest-selling debut single of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-20-best-selling-debut-singles-on-the-uk-s-official-singles-chart__26529 |title= Relax – Biggest UK debut single of all time |website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |access-date=24 November 2024 }}</ref>

In the United States "Relax" was also comparatively slow in reaching its chart peak. Released in March 1984, albeit with a different mix and nearly a minute shorter in length, the single stalled at no. 67 on [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']]'s [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] in May during a seven-week run,<ref>{{cite magazine| url = https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1984-05-05| title = The Hot 100 – Billboard| magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> but it ranked [[KROQ Top 106.7 Countdowns|number one for the year]] on the [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] "alternative rock" station [[KROQ]], as voted for by listeners. In January 1985 a release of "Relax" that was far more similar to the UK hit version entered the Hot 100 at no. 70, and in March it reached no. 10 during its 16-week run.<ref>{{cite magazine| url = https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1985-03-23| title = The Hot 100 – Billboard| magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> In January 1989 the single was certified [[Music recording sales certification|gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]].

In February 1985 the record was awarded [[1985 Brit Awards|Best British Single of 1984]] at the [[Brit Awards]], and Frankie Goes to Hollywood won Best British Newcomer. A version of the song features on Frankie Goes to Hollywood's debut album ''[[Welcome to the Pleasuredome]]'', released in October 1984.

==Background and recording==
{{Listen|filename=Relax Demo tape.ogg
|title="Relax" (demo)|description=An excerpt from the original demo recording of "Relax".}}
Singer [[Holly Johnson]] said the lyrics came to him as he was walking down Princess Avenue in Liverpool: "I mean they were just, you know, words that floated into my head one day when I was walking down Princess Avenue with no bus fare, trying to get to rehearsals – I mean there was no great sort of calculated, 'Oh I'll sing these words and this record'll be banned'."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mfblogg.no/6068/|title=Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood|website=MusikBloggNo|access-date=9 August 2017}}</ref>

ZTT Records signed Frankie Goes to Hollywood after producer-turned-ZTT cofounder [[Trevor Horn]] saw the band play on the television show ''[[The Tube (1982 TV series)|The Tube]]'', on which the group played an early version of "Relax". Horn described the original version of "Relax" as "more a jingle than a song", but he preferred to work with songs that were not professionally finished because he could then "fix them up" in his own style.<ref>Reynolds, p. 377</ref> Once the band was signed, ZTT co-founder [[Paul Morley]] mapped out the marketing campaign fashioned as a "strategic assault on pop". Morley opted to tackle the biggest possible themes in the band's singles ("sex, war, religion"), of which "Relax" would be the first, and emphasized the shock impact of Frankie members Holly Johnson's and [[Paul Rutherford (singer)|Paul Rutherford]]'s open [[homosexuality]] in the packaging and music videos.<ref name="reynolds379">Reynolds, p. 379</ref>

Horn dominated the recording of "Relax" in his effort for perfectionism. Initial sessions were held at [[the Manor Studio]].<ref name=guardian>{{cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Ben |date=2 August 2021 |title=How we made: Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/02/how-we-made-relax-by-frankie-goes-to-hollywood-sex-mix-gay-clubs |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2 August 2021}}</ref> The band were overawed and intimidated by Horn's reputation, and thus were too nervous to make suggestions. Johnson said in his autobiography, "Whatever he said we went along with".<ref name="reynolds379" /> When attempts to record with the full band proved unsatisfactory, Horn hired former [[Ian Dury]] backing band [[the Blockheads]] for the sessions, with [[Norman Watt-Roy]] providing the original bass line. Those sessions were later deemed to be not modern-sounding enough.<ref name="SOS 2008">{{cite magazine |last=Buskin |first=Richard |date=April 2008 |title=Classic Tracks: Frankie Goes To Hollywood – 'Relax' |url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr08/articles/classictracks_0408.htm |magazine=[[Sound on Sound]] |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> Instead, Watt-Roy's playing was replaced by a sampled [[E (musical note)|E note]] on a bass guitar, which was layered over a [[LinnDrum|Linn 2]] bass drum.<ref name="Sound On Sound, August 1994">{{cite magazine |date=August 1994 |title=From ABC to ZTT |url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/aug94/trevorhorn.html |magazine=[[Sound on Sound]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060411044321/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/aug94/trevorhorn.html |archive-date=11 April 2006}}</ref>

Horn then constructed a more electronic-based version of the song with keyboards by session musician [[Andy Richards]] and with rhythm programming assistance from [[J. J. Jeczalik]] of [[Art of Noise]]. Horn developed this version of the recording in his west London studio while the band remained in their hometown of Liverpool. Horn had made three versions of "Relax" prior to Richards and guitarist [[Stephen Lipson]] joining his [[ZTT Records|ZTT Production]] 'Theam' in late 1983. Horn left the studio late one night asking for Lipson to erase the [[Multitrack recording|multitrack]] (of version 3) due to lack of progress, but came back into the studio some time later to hear Richards playing a variety of modal chords based around the key of E minor with Lipson playing guitar along to the unerased multitrack.<ref name="SOS 2008"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zttaat.com/article.php?title=110|title=Zang Tuum Tumb and all that – Articles – The Making of Relax|last=zttaat.com|website=www.zttaat.com|access-date=9 August 2017}}</ref>

Ultimately, vocalists Johnson and Rutherford were the only band members to perform on the record. The only contribution by the other members was a sample crafted from the sound of the rest of the band jumping into a swimming pool. Johnson later said that "Trevor didn't like the band's standard of playing as he couldn't sync it to his machinery".<ref name=guardian /> Horn later recalled of the song's intro, "Hit singles are not just good songs. They need to be moments. Holly had been blowing his saxophone on the studio roof in [[Notting Hill]] at 2am, and a bunch of guys appeared on the street, calling up to him. He came down to do the vocal, and I suggested he play it at the start of Relax."<ref name="guardian" />

In a 2021 interview, Horn said that "the band we signed weren't quite the band who had appeared on the original demo, though we didn't know that at the time". The demo had featured Jed O'Toole, brother of bassist [[Mark O'Toole (musician)|Mark O'Toole]], on guitar, who subsequently left to pursue a 9-to-5 career. He was replaced by [[Brian Nash (musician)|Brian Nash]], who was a guitar novice at the time the single was recorded, though Horn acknowledged that he developed into a good guitarist by the time ''[[Welcome to the Pleasuredome]]'' was finished.<ref name=guardian /> Horn completed the recording having spent £70,000 in studio time.<ref>Reynolds, p. 380</ref>

==Release, controversy and ban by the BBC==
Morley intentionally courted scandal with the promotion of "Relax". ZTT initiated the ad campaign for "Relax" with two quarter-page ads in the British music press. The first ad featured images of Rutherford in a sailor cap and a leather vest, and Johnson with a shaved head and rubber gloves. The images were accompanied by the phrase "ALL THE NICE BOYS LOVE SEA MEN", a pun on the [[music hall]] song "[[Ship Ahoy! (All the Nice Girls Love a Sailor)]]". It declared "Frankie Goes to Hollywood are coming&nbsp;... making [[Duran Duran]] lick the shit off their shoes&nbsp;... Nineteen inches that must be taken always." The second ad promised "theories of bliss, a history of Liverpool from 1963 to 1983, a guide to Amsterdam bars".<ref>Reynolds, p. 381</ref>

When the single was first released in November 1983, the initial progress of "Relax" on the [[UK Top 75]] was sluggish. First charting at no. 67, it had progressed only to no. 35 by its seventh week on the chart, even having fallen back slightly during that time. But then on Thursday 5 January 1984, Frankie Goes to Hollywood were shown performing "Relax" on the BBC flagship television chart show, ''[[Top of the Pops]]''. The following week it soared to no. 6. On 11 January 1984, [[BBC Radio 1|Radio 1]] [[disc jockey]] [[Mike Read]] expressed on air his distaste for both the record's suggestive sleeve (designed by [[Anne Yvonne Gilbert]]) and its lyric, which centred on the oft-repeated "Relax, don't do it/When you want to sock it to it/Relax, don't do it/ When you want to come."<ref>{{cite book 
|title= The People's Songs: The Story of Modern Britain in 50 Records 
|first = Stuart 
|last = Maconie 
|year = 2013 
|isbn = 978-1409033189 
|page = 263|publisher = Random House 
}}</ref> He announced his refusal to play the record, not knowing the BBC had just decided the song was not to be played on the BBC anyway. Holly Johnson admitted that while the label claimed the lyric was "When you want to sock it to it", he was actually singing "When you want to suck it, chew it".<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.songfacts.com/facts/frankie-goes-to-hollywood/relax| title = Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Songfacts}}</ref>

In support of their disc jockey, BBC Radio banned the single from its shows a reported two days later (although certain prominent night-time BBC shows&nbsp;– including those of [[David Jensen|Kid Jensen]] and [[John Peel]]&nbsp;– continued to play the record, as they saw fit, during 1984).<ref>{{cite news 
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/959284.stm|title='Banned' Frankie tops chart|date=6 October 2000 | work=BBC News | access-date=4 January 2010}}</ref> The now-banned "Relax" rose to no. 2 on the charts by 17 January, and hit the number-one spot on 24 January. By this time, the BBC Radio ban had extended to ''Top of the Pops'' as well, which simply displayed a still picture of the group during its climactic number one announcement, before airing a performance by a non-number one artist.

This went on for the five weeks that "Relax" was at number one. It then began a slow decline on the charts, falling back as far as no. 31 in May 1984 before returning to no. 2 in July whilst Frankie's follow-up single "[[Two Tribes]]" held the UK number-one spot. In the end, "Relax" remained in the Top 75 for 48 consecutive weeks and returned in February 1985 for four more, giving a total of 52.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Relax |title=Relax &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company |website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |access-date=8 August 2010 }}</ref>

The ban became an embarrassment for the BBC, especially given that UK commercial radio and television stations were still playing the song. Later in 1984 the ban was lifted and "Relax" featured on both the [[Christmas Day]] edition of ''Top of the Pops'' and Radio 1's rundown of the best-selling singles of the year.

Throughout the "Relax" controversy, the band continued to publicly deny that the song's lyrics were sexual. Nevertheless, by late 1984, it was clear that the public were aware of the sexual nature of the lyrics, but the scandal had fuelled sales anyway. In 1985, with the release of the ''[[Welcome to the Pleasuredome]]'' album (which included "Relax"), the band dropped any public pretence about the lyrics: 
{{Blockquote|Everything I say is complete lies. Like, when people ask you what 'Relax' was about, when it first came out we used to pretend it was about motivation, and really it was about shagging.|Mark O'Toole|''Welcome to the Pleasuredome'' album liner notes}}

The track was reissued in September 1993, the first of a string of Frankie Goes to Hollywood singles to be reissued that year. It debuted at a high no. 6 on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at no. 5 the following week. It spent seven weeks in the Top 75 this time, thus extending its combined total to 59, making it at the time the [[List of songs which have spent the most weeks on the UK Singles Chart|third longest runner of all time]]; it has since been surpassed by 44 other songs and sits in joint 47th place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Relax%20%7B1993%7D |title=Archived copy |website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |access-date=8 August 2010 }}</ref>

==Critical reception==
American magazine ''[[Cash Box]]'' said that the song is "a very danceable cut", in which "heavy bass and bass drum provide the backdrop for Frankie's pleading lyric and [[Frank Sinatra]]esque soaring vocal."<ref name=cb>{{cite magazine|title=Reviews|magazine=[[Cash Box]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1984/CB-1984-03-24.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819003538/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1984/CB-1984-03-24.pdf |archive-date=19 August 2020 |url-status=live|date=24 March 1984|access-date=23 July 2022|page=8}}</ref> Alan Jones from ''[[Music Week]]'' gave the 1993 remix four out of five, writing, "[[ZTT Records|ZTT]] recently got its catalogue back from [[Island Records|Island]], and is about to embark on a high profile re-issue/remix campaign, of which this is the first fruit. "Relax" is updated by Ollie J in a stomping [[House music|house]] mix, while [[Jam & Spoon]]'s pumped-up [[Hi-NRG]] version is hardcore tempo. With the original mixes added to the package, this is going to be big all over again. But will [[BBC Radio One|One FM]] play it?"<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Alan|last=Jones|title=Market Preview: Mainstream – Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|date=11 September 1993|page=14|access-date=1 February 2023|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-09-11.pdf}}</ref> Richard Harris from ''[[New Musical Express|NME]]'' commented, "'Relax' sounds as divine as ever; a perfect soundtrack for pubescents to discover the delightful realities of having hormones."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Richard|last=Harris|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53008798379/|title=Long Play|magazine=[[New Musical Express|NME]]|date=30 October 1993|page=28|access-date=5 July 2023}}</ref> In July 2022, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked the song number 123 in their list of the "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".<ref>{{cite magazine|first1=Jon|last1=Dolan|first2=Julyssa|last2=Lopez|first3=Michaelangelo|last3=Matos|first4=Claire|last4=Shaffer|title=200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/200-greatest-dance-songs-of-all-time-1372888|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=22 July 2022|accessdate=6 April 2025}}</ref>

==Personnel==
Credits sourced from ''Sound on Sound''<ref name="SOS 2008"/>

'''Frankie Goes to Hollywood'''
*[[Holly Johnson]] – lead vocals
*[[Paul Rutherford (singer)|Paul Rutherford]] – backing vocals

'''Other musicians'''
*[[Trevor Horn]] – [[LinnDrum]] and [[Fairlight CMI]] programming; producer
*[[J.J. Jeczalik]] – Fairlight CMI programming
*[[Stephen Lipson]] – electric guitars, [[Roland GR-300]] guitar synthesizer
*[[Andy Richards]] – [[Roland Jupiter-8]] synthesizer, [[Roland MC-4 Microcomposer]] sequencer

==Original 1983–1984 mixes==
[[File:Relax Last Seven Inches.jpg|thumb|right|"Relax" (The Last Seven Inches)]]
Although the [[single (music)|7-inch]] version of the single remained unchanged throughout its initial release (a mix generally known as "Relax (Move)"), promotional 7-inch records featuring a substantially different mix of "Relax" (entitled either "The Last Seven Inches" or "Warp Mix" because it is a compilation of other versions) were the subject of a limited 1984 release.

{{Listen|filename=Relax (The Last Seven Inches) - ZTAS1DJ.ogg
|title="Relax" (The Last Seven Inches)|description=An excerpt from "Relax" (The Last Seven Inches).}}

Three principal [[12 inch|12-inch remixes]] of "Relax" were eventually created by producer [[Trevor Horn]]:

<blockquote>One of the reasons we did all the remixes was that the initial 12-inch version of 'Relax' contained something called 'The Sex Mix', which was 16 minutes long and didn't even contain a song. It was really [[Holly Johnson]] just jamming, as well as a bunch of [[Sampling (music)|samples]] of the group jumping in the swimming pool and me sort of making disgusting noises by dropping stuff into buckets of water! We got so many complaints about it&nbsp;— particularly from gay clubs, who found it offensive&nbsp;— that we cut it in half and reduced it down to eight minutes, by taking out some of the slightly more offensive parts [this became "Sex Mix (Edition 2)"]. Then we got another load of complaints, because the single version wasn't on the 12-inch&nbsp;— I didn't see the point in this at the time, but I was eventually put straight about it.<ref name="Sound On Sound, August 1994"/></blockquote>

Horn attested that visits to [[New York City|New York]]'s [[Paradise Garage]] club led to the creation of the final "Relax (New York Mix)", which ultimately replaced the original "Sex Mix" releases:

<blockquote>It was only when I went to this club and heard the sort of things they were playing that I really understood about 12-inch remixes. Although I myself had already had a couple of big 12-inch hits, I'd never heard them being played on a big sound system, and so I then went back and mixed 'Relax' again and that was the version which sold a couple of million over here [in the UK].<ref name="Sound On Sound, August 1994"/></blockquote>

[[File:Relax Picture disk.jpg|thumb|right|"Relax" 12-inch picture disc]]
The original 12-inch version of "Relax", labelled "Sex Mix", ran for over 16 minutes, and is broadly as described by Horn above. The subsequent "Edition 2" was an 8-minute-plus edit of the "Sex Mix", and can only be distinguished by having ''12ISZTAS1'' etched on the vinyl. The final 12-inch mix, containing no elements from the foregoing versions, was designated the "New York Mix", and ran for approximately 7:20. This was the most commonly available 12-inch version of "Relax" during its worldwide 1984 chart success.

The UK [[cassette single]] featured "Greatest Bits", a unique amalgam of excerpts from the "Sex Mix", "New York Mix", "Move" and an instrumental version of "Move".

Since virtually all of the UK "Relax" 12-inch singles were labelled "Sex Mix", a method of differentiating between versions by reference to the record's [[matrix numbers]] necessarily became ''de rigueur'' for collectors of Frankie Goes to Hollywood releases (and ultimately collectors of ZTT records in general).

"Relax (Come Fighting)" was the version of the song included on the ''Welcome to the Pleasuredome'' album. This is ostensibly a variant of the 7-inch single "Move" mix, but is different from that version. For example, the 7" mix fades in on a foghorn type sound while the album mix fades in on sustained synth chords. Also, the backing vocals of the 7" mix are panned to the left, whereas they are mixed in the centre on the album version. Additionally, the 7" mix features a prominent reverberated kick drum sound during the introduction that also appears in other parts of the song, which is completely absent from the album mix. The album mix also has a certain post-production sheen (greater stereo separation of parts, more strategic uses of reverb, etc.) that is absent from the original 1983 7-inch single mix. The "Classic 1993 Version" is a version of the original 7" mix that uses "Bonus, Again" as the instrumental track, although modification with elements from "Come Fighting" thrown in (e.g. both the intro and outro come directly from it) and much of it made to sound more clear.

The original airing of Relax on ''[[The Tube (1982 TV series)|The Tube]]'', before the band were signed to ZTT, featured another verse that was edited from all the released versions, "In heaven everything is fine, you've got yours and I've got mine", referencing the [[Peter Ivers]] song "[[In Heaven]]" from the [[David Lynch]] film ''[[Eraserhead]]''.

According to a fan enquiry by a member of the Alternate forum (a forum dedicated to ZTT) to Holly Johnson over accusation that it was created by a DJ, "Edition 2" was edited by Trevor Horn at the Sarm East studio with [[J. J. Jeczalik]] engineering and Johnson watching.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://fgthq.de/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1471286452| title = Alternate Board – Login}}</ref>

==B-sides==
The 7-inch featured "One September Monday", an interview between ZTT's [[Paul Morley]], Holly Johnson and [[Paul Rutherford (singer)|Paul Rutherford]]. During the interview, Holly revealed that the group's name derived from a page of the ''[[The New Yorker|New Yorker]]'' magazine, headlined "Frankie Goes Hollywood" and featuring [[Frank Sinatra]] "getting mobbed by [[teenybopper]]s".

On all of the original 12-inch releases, the B-side featured a cover of "[[Ferry Cross the Mersey|Ferry 'Cross the Mersey]]", followed by a brief dialogue involving Rutherford attempting to [[Unemployment benefits|sign on]], and an a cappella version of the title track's chorus, [[segue]]ing into an instrumental version of "Relax", known as "Bonus, Again" (which resembles "Come Fighting" more than the 7" mix).

The UK cassette single included "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" and interview sections not included on "One September Monday".

==Videos==
The first official music video for "Relax", directed by [[Bernard Rose (director)|Bernard Rose]] and set in an [[BDSM|S&M]] themed [[Gay bar|gay nightclub]] at Wilton's music hall in London it featuring the bandmembers accosted by buff [[leather subculture|leathermen]], a glamorous [[drag queen]], and an [[obesity|obese]] admirer dressed up as a [[Roman emperor]], played by actor [[John Dair]], was allegedly banned by [[MTV]] and the [[BBC]], prompting the recording of a second video, directed by [[Godley and Creme]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=11021 |title=Frankie Goes to Hollywood – "Relax [version 3: lasers&#93;" |publisher=mvdbase.com |date=29 October 1984 |access-date=29 March 2014 |archive-date=14 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514232217/http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=11021 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in early 1984, featuring the group performing with the help of laser beams. However, after the second video was made the song was banned completely by the BBC, meaning that neither video was ever broadcast on any BBC music programmes.

A live performance video of the song was directed by [[David Mallet (director)|David Mallet]], making the rounds at MTV. The live version was released as the B-side of the US 12" version of "Welcome to the Pleasuredome", titled "Relax (International)".

Another MTV video of the studio version includes footage from the [[Brian De Palma]] film ''[[Body Double]]''. ''Body Double'', a popular 1984 erotic thriller film, contains a [[film within a film]] sequence in which Frankie Goes to Hollywood performs "Relax" on the set of a [[porn]] film.<ref name=DT>{{cite web|work=[[DVD Talk]]|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/23720/body-double-special-edition/|title=Body Double: Special Edition|date=9 September 2006|author=Gibron, Bill}}</ref>

==''Zoolander'' versions==
"Relax" is a major plot point in the film ''[[Zoolander]]'' (2001), where the titular character is [[Classical conditioning|conditioned]] to assassinate a target when he hears the song.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/25yS5Yr8YJjPRy17pHPYn1D/always-on-my-mind-hollywoods-brainwashing-obsession|title=Always on my mind: Hollywood's brainwashing obsession|date=15 February 2018|access-date=4 October 2020|publisher=BBC Arts}}</ref> [[Limp Bizkit]] also recorded their own version for the film,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1446019/freddie-say-relax-limp-bizkit-remake-frankie-goes-to-hollywood/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601032828/http://www.mtv.com/news/1446019/freddie-say-relax-limp-bizkit-remake-frankie-goes-to-hollywood/|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 June 2016|title=Freddie Say 'Relax' Limp Bizkit Remake Frankie Goes To Hollywood|date=3 March 2001|first=Teri|last=Vanhorn|publisher=[[MTV]]|access-date=4 October 2020}}</ref> though [[Powerman 5000]]'s cover was used instead, in both the film and on the [[Zoolander#Soundtrack|soundtrack]]. "Relax" was also used for the trailer of ''[[Zoolander 2]]'' (2016).<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/watch-will-ferrells-mugatu-relax-in-zoolander-2-trailer-225209/|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=4 October 2020|title=Watch Will Ferrell's Mugatu 'Relax' in 'Zoolander 2' Trailer|first=Brittany|last=Spanos |date=3 February 2016}}</ref>

==Track listings==
* All discographical information pertains to original UK releases only unless noted
* "Relax" written by Peter Gill/Johnson/Mark O'Toole
* "One September Monday" credited to Gill/Johnson/Morley/Brian Nash/O'Toole/Rutherford
* "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" written by [[Gerry Marsden]]
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
; '''7": ZTT / ZTAS 1 (United Kingdom)'''
# "Relax" – 3:53
# "One September Monday" – 4:47
* Also released as a 7" picture disc (P ZTAS 1).

; '''12": ZTT / 12 ZTAS 1 (United Kingdom)'''
# "Relax" (Sex Mix) – 16:24
# "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" – 4:03
# "Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:31  
* Later reissued in 1984 in a generic sleeve, with the text "Original Mix" on the label.
* Mastered at 33⅓ RPM, despite claiming to run at 45 RPM on the label. The 1984 reissue runs at 45 RPM.

; '''12": ZTT / 12 ZTAS 1 (United Kingdom)'''
# "Relax" (Sex Mix, Edition 2) – 8:20
# "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" – 4:03
# "Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:31
* "Edition 2" is an edit of "Sex Mix". Commonly nicknamed the "New York Mix".

; '''12": ZTT / 12 ZTAS 1 (United Kingdom)'''
# "Relax" (New York Mix) – 7:23
# "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" – 4:03
# "Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:31
* "Relax" (New York Mix) is also known as "Relax" (U.S. Mix)
* Also released as a 12" picture disc (12 PZTAS 1).
{{col-2}}
; '''12": Island / 0-96975 (United States)'''
# "Relax" (New York Mix) – 7:23
# "Relax" (Come Fighting) – 3:53
# "Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:31
* "New York Mix" labelled as "Long version".
* The mixes on the B-side are not stated on the label.
* Also released on MC in Canada (Island / ISC-69750).

; '''12": ZTT / 062-2000686 (Greece)'''
# "Relax" (Greek Disco Mix) – 6:15
# "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" – 4:03
# "Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:31
* "Disco Mix" (a.k.a. "The Greek Disco Mix") is a combination of "Relax (7" Mix)" and "Sex Mix (Edition 2)".
* "Disco Mix" (a.k.a. "The Greek Disco Mix") is labelled as "Relax" (Sex Mix) on the original 12", which is incorrect.

; '''MC: ZTT / CTIS 102'''
* "From Soft to Hard – From Dry to Moist"
# "Relax" (Greatest Bits) – 16:49
## "The Party Trick" (acting dumb) – 0:36
## "The Special Act" (adapted from the sex mix) – 7:46
## "The US Mix" (come dancing) – 4:38
## "The Single" (the act) – 3:55
# "Later On" (from One September Monday) – 1:36
# "Ferry Across the Mersey (...and Here I'll Stay)" – 4:06
* The mixes on this cassette single reissued on vinyl for Record Store Day 2022 as side A of 'Altered Reels' – the cassette single of "Two Tribes" was reissued on side B.
{{col-end}}

==Re-issues==
The title track has periodically been reissued as a single in a number of remix forms.

===1993 re-issues===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
; '''CD: ZTT / FGTH1CD'''
# "Relax" (Classic 1993 Version) – 3:55
# "Relax" (MCMXCIII) – 3:42
# "Relax" (Ollie J. Remix) – 6:38
# "Relax" (Jam & Spoon Trip-O-Matic Fairy Tale Remix) – 7:52
# "Relax" (Jam & Spoon HI N-R-G Remix) – 7:55
# "Relax" (New York Mix – The Original 12") – 7:22

; '''2x12": ZTT / SAM 1231'''
# "Relax" (Ollie J. Remix) – 6:38
# "Relax" (Trip-Ship Edit) – 6:12
# "Relax" (Ollie J's Seven Inches) – 3:30
# "Relax" (Jam & Spoon HI N-R-G Remix) – 7:55
# "Relax" (Jam & Spoon Trip-O-Matic Fairy Tale Remix) – 7:52
# "Relax" (MCMXCIII) – 3:42
* UK 12" promo

===2001 re-issues===

; '''CD: Repertoire Records / REP 8027 (Germany)'''
# "Relax" (Classic 1993 Version) – 3:56
# "One September Monday" – 4:50
# "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" – 4:06 
# "Relax MCMXCIII" – 3:43
# "Relax" (original video) – 4:07

; '''CD: Star 69 / STARCD 520 (US)'''
# "Relax" (Peter Rauhofer's Doomsday Radio Mix) – 3:45
# "Relax" (Peter Rauhofer's Doomsday Club Mix) – 9:47
# "Relax" (Saeed & Palash Addictive Journey) – 11:16
# "Relax" (Coldcut Remix) – 4:59
# "Relax" (Peter Rauhofer's Doomsday Dub) – 6:27
# "Relax" (Original New York 12" Mix) – 7:31
# "Relax" (Original Radio Mix) – 3:54

===2009 re-issues===
; '''CD: Universal Music TV/All Around The World (UK)'''
# "Relax" (Chicane Radio Edit) – 3:55
# "Relax" (Chicane Remix) – 10:05
# "Relax" (Den Broeder, Cox, Cantrelle Radio Edit) – 3:46
# "Relax" (Den Broeder, Cox, Cantrelle Club Mix) – 7:39
# "Relax" (Den Broeder, Cox, Cantrelle Dub Mix) – 6:39
# "Relax" (LMC Remix) – 6:18
# "Relax" (Lockout's Radio Edit) – 3:31
# "Relax" (Lockout's London Mix) – 6:16
# "Relax" (Spencer & Hill Radio Edit) – 3:21
# "Relax" (Spencer & Hill Remix) – 5:40
# "Relax" (Scott Storch Mix) – 3:45
* Promotional release.
* Tracks 3–5 are credited as “Jody Den Broeder Remix”.
{{col-2}}
; '''12": Universal Music TV/All Around The World / 12GLOBE1167 (UK)'''
# "Relax" (Chicane Remix) – 10:05
# "Relax" (Lockout's Radio Edit) – 3:30
# "Relax" (New York Mix) – 7:24
# "Relax" (Den Broeder, Cox, Cantrelle Radio Edit) – 3:42
* Limited to 900 copies.
* "New York Mix" mislabelled as "US Mix", arguably one of the few ZTT releases to do so.

; '''Digital Download: Universal Music TV/All Around The World (UK)'''
# "Relax" (Original 7") – 3:55
# "Relax" (Chicane Radio Edit) – 3:11
# "Relax" (Den Broeder, Cox, Cantrelle Radio Edit) – 3:42
# "Relax" (Lockout's Radio Edit) – 3:30
# "Relax" (Spencer & Hill Radio Edit) – 3:21

===2014 re-issues===
; '''12": ZTT/Salvo / SALVOTWS01 (UK)'''
# "Relax" (Sex Mix Edit) <small>[mislabeled as "Sex Mix Edition 3"]</small> – 8:10
# "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" – 4:03
# "Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:31
* "Sex Mix Edit" was mixed by Luis Jardim with Bob Painter as engineer on 13 December 1984, having taken the multitracks with him (according to the booklet of The Art of The 12" Volume 2). It was first released on the 2009 Japanese "Return to the Pleasuredome" box set by accident, due to confusion with "Sex Mix Edition 2".
* "Bonus, Again" mislabelled "The Instrumental", as if it was an unreleased mix.

; '''Digital Download: ZTT (UK)'''
# "Relax" (7" Mix) – 3:56
# "Relax" (Sex Mix) – 16:25
# "Relax" (New York Mix) – 7:26
# "Relax' (Greatest Bits) – 16:50
# "Relax" (Sex Mix Edition 2) – 8:25
# "Relax" (Sex Mix Edit) <small>[mislabeled as "Sex Mix Edition 3"]</small> – 8:10
# "Relax" (Greek Disco Mix) – 6:16
# "Relax" (The Last Seven Inches!) – 3:32
# "One September Monday" – 4:49
# "Ferry Cross The Mersey" – 4:08
# "Relax" (Bonus, Again) – 4:35
{{col-end}}

==Charts==

{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

=== Weekly charts ===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+Weekly chart performance for "Relax"
!Chart (1983–1985)
!Peak<br>position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=118}} N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by [[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]] between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
{{single chart|Austria|4|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
{{single chart|Flanders|2|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|11|song=Relax|chartid=6755|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
!scope="row"|Denmark ([[Tracklisten]])<ref name="BOOK">{{cite book|title=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|first=Iain|last=Blair|year=1985|isbn=978-0809252756|pages=20 and 21|publisher=Contemporary Books }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
!scope="row"|Europe ([[European Hot 100 Singles|Eurochart Hot 100 Singles]])<ref name="tsort">{{cite web|url= http://tsort.info/music/ssga2n.htm |title= Song artist 604 - Frankie Goes To Hollywood |first= Steve|last= Hawtin|publisher= Tsort.info |access-date= 26 June 2013|display-authors=etal}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
!scope="row"|Finland ([[The Official Finnish Charts]])<ref name="BOOK"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
!scope="row"|France ([[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|SNEP]])<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.infodisc.fr/Bilan_F.php |title= Relax in French Chart |publisher= Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc |date= 20 June 2013 |language= fr |access-date= 20 June 2013 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130920093356/http://www.infodisc.fr/Bilan_F.php |archive-date= 20 September 2013 |df= dmy-all }} You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "Frankie Goes to Hollywood"</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
!scope="row"|Greece ([[IFPI Greece]])<ref name="BOOK"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
!scope="row"|Hong Kong (Hong Kong Singles Chart)<ref name="BOOK"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|-
!scope="row"|Iceland ([[Tónlist]])<ref name="BOOK"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
!scope="row"|Ireland ([[Irish Recorded Music Association|IRMA]])<ref name="IRL">{{cite web |url= http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |title= Relax in Irish Chart |publisher= IRMA |access-date= 20 June 2013}} Two last results when searching "Relax"</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
!scope="row"|Italy (''[[Musica e dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e dischi]]|language=it}} Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Frankie Goes To Hollywood".</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
{{single chart|Dutch40|5|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|5|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
{{single chart|New Zealand|10|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022|refname="NZchart"}}
|-
{{single chart|Norway|2|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022|refname="Norwaypeak"}}
|-
!scope="row"|Poland ([[Polish Music Charts|ZPAV]])<ref name="tsort"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|18
|-
!scope="row"|Portugal (Portugal Singles Chart)<ref name="BOOK"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|18
|-
!scope="row"|Spain ([[Productores de Música de España|AFYVE]])<ref>{{cite book |last=Salaverri|first=Fernando|title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002|edition=1st |date=September 2005|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|location=Spain|isbn=84-8048-639-2}}</ref> 
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
{{single chart|Sweden|4|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022|refname="SEPeak"}}
|-
{{single chart|Switzerland|1|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax|rowheader=true|refname=Switzerland-1|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
!scope="row"|Thailand (Thailand Singles Chart)<ref name="BOOK"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
!scope="row"|[[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref name="UK">{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/frankie%20goes%20to%20hollywood/ |title=Frankie Goes to Hollywood |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=20 June 2013}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|10|song=Relax|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboarddanceclubplay|20|song=Relax|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
{{single chart|West Germany|1|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax|songid=1061|rowheader=true|access-date=13 February 2019}}
|}

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+Weekly chart performance for 1993 reissue
!Chart (1993–1994)
!Peak<br>position
|-
!scope="row"|Finland ([[Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref name="Book">{{cite book|first= Timo |last= Pennanen |year= 2006 |title= Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 |language= fi |edition= 1st |publisher= Tammi |isbn= 978-951-1-21053-5 |location= Helsinki}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
{{single chart|France|23|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
!scope="row"|Ireland ([[Irish Recorded Music Association|IRMA]])<ref name="IRL"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
!scope="row"|Japan ([[Oricon]])<ref name="tsort"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|40
|-
!scope="row"|Netherlands ([[Dutch Top 40]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/top40/1993/week-47|title=Week 47 (20 november 1993)|language=nl|publisher=[[Dutch Top 40]]|access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|8
|-
!scope="row"|New Zealand ([[Recorded Music NZ]])<ref name = "NZchart"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
!scope="row"|Norway ([[VG-lista]])<ref name = "Norwaypeak"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden ([[Sverigetopplistan]])<ref name = "SEPeak"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|}

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+Weekly chart performance for "Relax '93"
!Chart (1993–1994)
!Peak<br>position
|-
{{Single chart|Australia|22|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax '93|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
{{Single chart|Austria|10|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax '93|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022|refname="aut93"}}
|-
{{Single chart|Flanders|13|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax '93|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022|refname="fla93"}}
|-
!scope="row"|Europe ([[Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-11-06.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=10|issue=45|date=6 November 1993|page=21|access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|8
|-
!scope="row"|Europe ([[European Dance Radio Chart|European Dance Radio]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-11-13.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703072631/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-11-13.pdf |archive-date=3 July 2020 |url-status=live|title=European Dance Radio|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=10|issue=46|date=13 November 1993|page=26|access-date=6 November 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (European Hit Radio)<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-11-13.pdf|title=EHR Top 40|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=10|issue=46|date=13 November 1993|page=29|access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|30
|-
!scope="row"|Germany ([[Media Control Charts]])<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.officialcharts.de/song.asp?artist=Frankie+Goes+To+Hollywood&title=Relax+%2793&cat=s&country=de |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140813053646/http://www.officialcharts.de/song.asp?artist=Frankie+Goes+To+Hollywood&title=Relax+%2793&cat=s&country=de |url-status= dead |archive-date= 13 August 2014 |title= Relax '93 in German Chart |publisher= Media control |access-date= 20 June 2013}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|13
|-
{{Single chart|Dutch100|12|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax '93|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022|refname="d10093"}}
|-
{{Single chart|Switzerland|6|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood|song=Relax '93|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022}}
|-
!scope="row"|[[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref name="UK"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
!scope="row"|UK Airplay (''[[Music Week]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-10-16.pdf|title=The Airplay Chart|magazine=[[Music Week]]|date=16 October 1993|page=34|access-date=2 May 2024}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
!scope="row"|UK Dance (''[[Music Week]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-10-02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410105741/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-10-02.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2021 |url-status=live |title= Dance Singles |magazine= [[Music Week]] |date= 2 October 1993 |page= 26 |access-date= 9 April 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
!scope="row"|[[Record Mirror Club Chart|UK Club Chart]] (''[[Music Week]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The ''RM'' Club Chart|magazine=[[Music Week]], in [[Record Mirror]] (Dance Update Supplemental Insert)|date=2 October 1993|page=4|access-date=11 May 2023|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-10-02.pdf}}</ref> 
| style="text-align:center;"|16
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+1984 year-end chart performance for "Relax"
!Chart (1984)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="aus84">{{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/MyookoA.jpg|title=Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984|publisher=[[Kent Music Report]]|via=Imgur.com|access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref><ref name="Australian Chart Book 1970–1992">{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W |year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|title-link=Kent Music Report}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|16
|-
!scope="row"|Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.austriancharts.at/year.asp?cat=s&id=1984 |title=Jahreshitparade Singles 1984 |access-date=2 May 2022 |website=[[Ö3 Austria Top 40]] |language=de}}</ref>
|align="center"|20
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1984|title=Jaaroverzichten 1984: Singles|language=nl|website=[[Ultratop]]|access-date=2 May 2022 }}</ref>
|align="center"|22
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|88|song=Relax|chartid=9638|rowheader=true|access-date=2 May 2022|refname=CanadaYE|artist=Frankie Goes To Hollywood}}
|-
!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/1984 |title=Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984 |website=[[Dutch Top 40]] |access-date=2 May 2022 |language=nl}}</ref>
|align="center"|63
|-
!scope="row"|Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1984&cat=s|title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1984|website=[[MegaCharts]]|language=nl|access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|33
|-
!scope="row"|New Zealand (RIANZ)<ref>{{cite web|title= End of Year Charts 1984 |publisher= [[Recorded Music NZ]] |access-date=2 May 2022 |url= https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-singles/1984-12-31}}</ref>
|align="center"|16
|-
!scope="row"|Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://swisscharts.com/charts/jahreshitparade/1984|title=Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1984: Singles|language=de|website=Swiss Charts Portal|access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1985/Music-Week-1985-01-26-I.pdf#page=55 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309081543/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1985/Music-Week-1985-01-26-I.pdf |archive-date=9 March 2021 |url-status=live|title=Top 100 Singles |periodical=[[Music Week]] |publisher=Morgan-Grampian plc |location=London, England |page=37 |date=26 January 1985|access-date=1 May 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
!scope="row"|West Germany (Media Control)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1984|title=Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts: 1984|language=de|website=Offiziellecharts.de|access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+1985 year-end chart performance for "Relax"
!Chart (1985)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|United States ([[Joel Whitburn]]'s ''Pop Annual'')<ref>{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |date=1999 |title=Pop Annual |location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin |publisher=Record Research Inc. |isbn=0-89820-142-X}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|102
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+1993 year-end chart performance for "Relax"
!Chart (1993)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/1993 |title=Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1993 |website=[[Dutch Top 40]] |access-date=2 May 2022 |language=nl}}</ref>
|align="center"|91
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden (Topplistan)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grammotex.se/topp93singlar.htm|title=Årstopplistan 1993, Singlar|publisher=Grammotex|language=sv|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010216105631/http://www.grammotex.se/topp93singlar.htm|archive-date=16 February 2001|access-date=7 April 2025}}</ref>
|align="center"|44
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+1993 year-end chart performance for "Relax '93"
!Chart (1993)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1993|title=Jaaroverzichten 1993: Singles|language=nl|website=[[Ultratop]]|access-date=2 May 2022 }}</ref>
|align="center"|98
|-
!scope="row"|Germany (Media Control)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1993|title=Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts: 1993|language=de|website=Offiziellecharts.de|access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|92
|-
!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-01-15.pdf#page=38 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413152251/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-01-15.pdf |archive-date=13 April 2021 |url-status=live|title=Top 100 Singles 1993|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=24|date=15 January 1994|access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref>
|align="center"|76
|}
{{col-end}}

==Sales and certifications==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "Relax"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=Relax|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|award=Gold|certyear=1984|access-date=17 April 2012|type=single}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=single|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|title=Relax (Come Fighting)|relyear=1984|certyear=1984|award=Gold|source=infodisc}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|title=Relax|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1984|certyear=2023|id=11083|access-date=10 July 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|title=Relax|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1984|certyear=2023|source=radioscope|access-date=18 January 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|title=Relax|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1984|certyear=2025|access-date=18 January 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Relax|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|award=Platinum|relyear=1984|access-date=29 March 2012|salesamount=2,103,000|salesref=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/daft-punks-get-lucky-becomes-one-of-the-uks-biggest-selling-singles-of-all-time-2315/|title=Daft Punk's Get Lucky becomes one of the UK's biggest selling singles of all-time!|last=Lane|first=Dan|date=27 June 2013|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=6 September 2015}}</ref>|type=single|id=5432-1960-1}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Relax|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|award=Gold|certyear=1989|access-date=17 April 2012|type=single}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

==See also==
*[[List of songs banned by the BBC]]

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Reynolds |title=Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984 |publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-14-303672-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/ripitupstartagai00reyno }}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Frankie Goes to Hollywood}}
{{Powerman 5000}}
{{Brit British Single}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1983 songs]]
[[Category:1983 debut singles]]
[[Category:Brit Award for British Single]]
[[Category:Controversies in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Frankie Goes to Hollywood songs]]
[[Category:Judge Dread songs]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related songs]]
[[Category:Songs banned by the BBC]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by Godley and Creme]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Finland]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in France]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Germany]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Greece]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Israel]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Italy]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Spain]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related controversies in music]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in music]]
[[Category:Songs written by Holly Johnson]]
[[Category:Songs written by Mark O'Toole (musician)]]
[[Category:Songs written by Peter Gill (FGTH drummer)]]
[[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:Music Week number-one dance singles]]
[[Category:ZTT Records singles]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by David Mallet (director)]]