Fingers in your ears for the shrillest falsetto ever heard. And a song that those of us who had the misfortune to hear at the time will never be able to forget. But don’t blame the “singer” – it’s not him singing.

The Rubettes were the construction of a talent scout, Wayne Bickerton, and his songwriting partner-in-crime (and boy was this ever a criminal record) called Tony Waddington.

Inspired by Mud’s success in Glamifying vintage rock’n’roll and doo-wop, both in sound and costume, Bickerton brought a bunch of session musicians into the studio to perform his pastiche, originally intending to enter it for the Eurovision Song Contest.

He then offered it to Showaddywaddy, who turned it down. So he told the session men they could have it if they would agree to become a band. And they did… with just one problem.

Paul Da Vinci, the guy who sings that ear-splitting falsetto – and also the low vocal, and the two part harmony – said no. So the bloke you see here fronting the band on Top of the Pops is Alan Williams, who didn’t sing a note on the record, but took over on their subsequent lesser hits.

Sugar Baby Love is clearly inspired by Mud’s success in Glamifying vintage rock’n’roll and doo-wop, both in sound and costume, and in case no one had noticed, Bickerton dressed them up in white suits and caps and copied Mud’s opening dance routine.

It was a look – and sound – that served them well enough through a few more hit singles, and right through to the 21st century, when there were three different groups called The Rubettes on the nostalgia circuit.

Paul Da Vinci, meanwhile, would have a Top 20 hit of his own later in 1974 with another doo-wop revival number, Your Baby Ain’t My Baby Any More. Without him, The Rubettes never had a hit as big as this, which sold three million copies and topped the singles chart for a month.

It seemed longer.