Where did all the inspiration for this succesful songwriting come from? When you look on Gouldman’s career throughout the years one can see that he has always been looking for subjects in daily events, in ordinary lives, in human interest. A bus stop in the street (Bus Stop), a milk bottle  at the frontdoor (No milk today), traveling and being away from home for (too) long (Lifeline, From Rochdale to Ocho Rios), being a man alone again after a divorce (I hate to eat alone, How’m I ever gonna say goodbye), the birth of his daughter Rosanna in 1991 (Wonderland), someone at the door who collects money for charity (Charity begins at home), all these self-written or co-written examples show where Gouldman’s interest layed.
Having found a subject for a song once, the rest was just plain concentration and hard work, like every craftsman has to do to exploit his talent properly. This is shown especially by the songs that were based on an incidental quote or line that Gouldman picked up. Like the marketing slogan of an air company (I’m Mandy Fly Me) or a remark of Gouldman’s father Hymie about the intentions his son’s later group 10cc should work with (Art for art’s sake, ‘money for God’s sake’).
In 1967 Gouldman seemed to have had his highest peak already. Things went a bit more average for him. As a composer he still kept beingproductive, providing Cher a modest hit in the US with Behind The Door. Jeff Beck also made it into the British hitparade that year with a Gouldman-song, Tallyman. For the Mindbenders Gouldman took up the production of The Letter, doing the same afterwards for his selfwritten Schoolgirl. For the first time in his life Gouldman, not exactly a man seeking for confrontation, saw one of his songs being boycotted by BBC-radio. The subject of Schoolgirl – teenage pregnancy – was judged as being too controversial. And while not
being played it didn’t manage to make it to the hitparade.
 

(Graham Gouldman playing in Strawberry Studios, 1975/1976. Photograph courtesy by David Jarvis)

Shortly after that experience Gouldman became a member of the Mindbenders for a little while, together with his forthcoming 10cc-mate Eric Stewart, organplayer Jimmy O’Neill and ex-Chicken Shack-drummer Paul Hancox. But shortly after recording his own song Uncle Joe The Ice Cream Man with The Mindbenders (tasteful yet unsuccesful), Gouldman quit his new job again, creating room for development of individual enterprises. One of that was the occasional band The Manchester Mob, actually consisting of the same people with whom he had recorded People Pass By. This time they recorded a song called Bony Maronie At The Hop, which was a huge disco favorite, but didn’t do anything in the charts either, despite Gouldman singing the lead vocals with Peter Cowap.
Gouldman had also decided to use his writing skills for a publishing deal with Robbins Music in America in 1967. The financial revenues of this deal were good – Gouldman got a nice sum in advance and a cheque every quarter. But the artistic revenues were poor. Out of the 22 songs Gouldman wrote in return for the generous payment he was receiving, there wasn’t a single one placed. He once recalled it was a depressing experience, ‘because an artist needs his ego fed; he needs recognition’.