“The publisher told us to forget it. But I didn’t give up so easily – I got his home number and called him”: How Emerson, Lake and Palmer charted with Aaron Copland’s Fanfare For The Common Man in the year of punk

English progressive rock group Emerson Lake and Palmer during rehearsals for the band's 'Works' tour, at the Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Canada, February 1977. Left to right: keyboard player Keith Emerson, guitarist Greg Lake and drummer Carl Palmer. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images).

Fanfare For The Common Man was the eighth single released by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and its arrival at No.2 in May 1977 made it their only big singles chart success. The original composition by Aaron Copeland was about three minutes long, but ELP expanded it to over nine minutes – although the single edition was cut back to three minutes. When the piece was played on the Christmas edition of Top Of The Pops that year, dance troupe Legs & Co. performed a routine around a festive tree.

In 2010 Keith Emerson recalled taking prog to the top of the charts in the year that punk rock ruled, with a track that became one of the most successful instrumental single of all time.