 Townsend wrote the song "Miss You Nights" in 1974 while his girlfriend was away on holiday, and recorded it on an album for Island Records, but the label shelved the album and offered the songs to other artists as covers.Cliff Richard recorded it in September 1975, and Townsend (as the composer) was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in 1977 for "Best Middle of the Road Song," although the winner was John Miles for "Music.