"I Melt with You" by Modern English

Song#:  1399
Date:  04/02/1983
Debut:  83
Peak:  78
Weeks:  7
Genre:  New Wave



Pop Bits:  This English band formed in 1979 and released their first single, "Drowning Man," the same year on a small indie label. Although it didn't chart, it helped them secure their first major contract with 4AD Records. They recorded a few singles that did well on the UK indie rock chart and that led to their debut LP "Mesh & Lace." At the time, their sound was along the gloom-rock lines (a la Bauhaus). For their next album, the band decided to change their sound a bit by stepping out of the gothic darkness and including a few rays of sunshine. The results can be heard in this first jangly single that put them in the Top 10 of the US Mainstream Rock chart (#7). It also crossed over to pop and spent a few weeks floating around the bottom quarter of the chart. Although not a major pop hit, it was one that had legs and remains a well-known nugget of 80s new wave.

ReduxReview:  I remember this song from "Valley Girl" (see below) and really liked it. Unfortunately, I didn't pursue getting the song. I'd be reminded of it once in a while because it continued to get airplay over the years. I finally owned it when I bought an 80s compilation that included the tune. It's hard to figure out why this didn't catch on more at pop. With Britpop really ramping up, this song seemed like a shoe-in to do very well. Its memorable chorus should have been enough to drive this song further up the chart. Regardless of its lowly peak, the song has certainly stuck around gaining new fans along the way.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This song got an addition boost thanks to its appearance in the film "Valley Girl." It is used in a montage sequence as well as during the end credits. Although it was not on the initial 6-song pressing of the soundtrack, it would later be the anchor song on Rhino's popular 1994 version of the soundtrack.  2) The song would have a brief second life on the pop chart. The band would break up in 1986, but a couple of members would reform the group in 1989 and issue a new album in 1990. As part of that new LP, they re-recorded this song. It was released as a single and it reached #76 on the pop chart.

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